Equality and Diversity

Know about equality. 

Equality is a situation in which men and women, people of different races, religions, etc. are all treated fairly and have the same opportunities.

Equality can be described as the right to

• fair treatment
• freedom from discrimination,
• make the most of your life and your talents

Regardless of any aspect of difference (e.g. sex, race, religion, disability).

Equal opportunities means giving everyone the same chances in life. An employer might describe themselves as an ‘equal opportunities’ employer because they are committed to employ and promote the people who can do the job best, whether they are black/white, old/young, Christian/Muslim etc.

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1

  Explain what is meant by equality. 

• 1.2

  Explain what is meant by equal opportunities.

Know about diversity.

Definition – the presence of people of different types (e.g. different ages, religions, sexual orientation) within a group, organisation or society.

Workplaces benefit from having people from a range of different backgrounds, who bring with them different experiences, ideas and skill sets. This can help with problem-solving, creativity, innovation and productivity. Businesses that serve the general public can get a better understanding of their diverse range of customers. They also attract a more diverse customer base and can improve their reputation as a forward-thinking company. Some research suggests that diverse workforces tend to have higher morale and lower staff turnover.

The work of a diverse community group is more likely to represent and benefit the full range of people in the local community. Bringing diverse people together may help break down stereotypes and misconceptions about different groups in the community. It may aid community cohesion as different groups are exposed to a wider range of perspectives. The group may benefit from cultural diversity – e.g. film club members may introduce each other to films from different countries/in different languages; a diverse street party organising committee may result in a wider variety of food being served allowing different people to try new things; a play group that includes children with and without special educational needs will encourage children and their parents to see that difference is nothing to be afraid of.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1

  Explain what is meant by diversity. 

• 2.2

  Give reasons why diversity benefits workplaces and social/community groups.

Know about discrimination and stereotyping.

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person or group of people because of their age, religion, gender or other type of difference.

Unfair treatment can happen in many different situations, e.g. at work, in a job interview, in schools and colleges, when you are trying to rent a house, buy something, join a club…

When discrimination is targeted at certain groups it is sometimes given its own label:

Sex discrimination = discrimination on the grounds of sex (usually but not exclusively against women)

Racial discrimination = discrimination on the grounds of race (usually but not exclusively against people who are not white)

Homophobic discrimination = discrimination against people who are gay

In the UK it is against the law to discriminate in this way.

Stereotyping is a fixed, generalised belief about a particular category of people. Stereotyping means ignoring or forgetting that everyone is individual, and instead having expectations that everyone belonging to a particular group shares the same characteristics, abilities or preferences.

Sometimes stereotypes grow from a person’s experience of one or two individuals which they then transfer to a whole group, e.g. ‘the only two people I know who have been in trouble with the police are both black’ leading to the stereotype ‘black people tend to be criminals’.

Sometimes stereotypes are passed down through families, communities or whole societies.

Negative impact of stereotyping includes:

• Missed opportunities for individuals (e.g. a girl isn’t given information about engineering because her careers adviser thinks engineering is a man’s job)
• Missed opportunities for employers (e.g. an employer thinks all disabled people take lots of sick days and so overlooks the best candidate for the job who happens to use a wheelchair).

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1

  Explain what is meant by discrimination.

• 3.2

  Describe different situations in which discrimination can take place.

• 3.3

  Explain what is meant by stereotyping.

• 3.4

  Give examples of the negative effects of stereotyping.

Know about the law in relation to equality and diversity.

Key aims of the Equality Act 2010:

• To protect individuals from discrimination at work and in wider society
• To promote a fair and more equal society for all.

The nine protected characteristics

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation.

Assessment Criteria

• 4.1

  Outline the key aims of the Equality Act 2010.

• 4.2

  Identify the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010.

Know about promoting equality and diversity. 

Ways of promoting equality and diversity:

An employer can do this by, for example:

• Having E&D policies which they make sure are enforced
• Making sure they use language that doesn’t cause offence to any groups (e.g. using BMI rather than ‘coloured’)
• Being flexible about when people take holidays so individuals of different faiths can have religious holidays off (e.g. Eid, Yom Kippur)
• Advertising jobs in a wide range of different places
• Running equality and diversity training sessions for staff so they all understand why it’s important
• Varying the nature and venues for staff social events (e.g. making sure that not all take place in a pub/involve drinking alcohol where some groups may not feel comfortable)

Examples of other types of groups promoting equality and diversity:

• A local cinema club might offer free seats to anyone accompanying a disabled person (to make it easier for the disabled person to attend). They might include foreign language films to reflect the different languages spoken in their community
• A football club might run training sessions in different parts of the local community to attract people from different backgrounds; they might display ‘Show racism the red card posters’ to make it clear that they won’t tolerate racism.
• A parent and toddler group might ensure any paperwork refers to ‘parents/carers’ rather than to ‘Mums and Dads’ reflecting the many different types of families they serve. They might offer a range of snacks to suit children of different ethnicities.

Employers may need to take specific actions to address inequality/lack of diversity if

• Amongst their current workforce there are very few women/black people/disabled people, for example
• Very few people from a certain group apply for jobs with them
• All the senior jobs/board positions are held by one group, e.g. white men
• There have been complaints about how some groups are being discriminated against
• An individual reports bullying or harassment linked to their race, faith, sex, sexuality, for example.

Assessment Criteria

• 5.1

  Describe ways in which employers and other organisations can promote equality and diversity.

• 5.2

  Describe circumstances in which employers sometimes need to take specific actions to address inequality or a lack of diversity.