EQUALITIES LEGISLATION Today’s focus on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) has its roots in equalities legislation. In the UK, for


example, discrimination


The key problem though with on


grounds of sex and race took effect in the mid-1970s. In the USA, civil rights legislation was introduced in the 1960s. The


Equalities Act 2010


in the UK lists nine protected characteristics: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil


partnership; pregnancy and


maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. In essence, the legislation prohibits direct and indirect discrimination on grounds of these protected characteristics. The


Equality and Human


Rights Commission* defines direct discrimination as: “when you are treated worse than another person or


other people because: thinks you have


have a protected characteristic; someone


you that


protected characteristic (known as discrimination by perception); you are connected to someone with that protected characteristic (known as discrimination by association)”. It defines indirect discrimination as “when there is a policy that applies in the same way for everybody but disadvantages a group of people who share a protected characteristic, and you are disadvantaged as part of this group.”


EQUAL CHANCE Equalities legislation sets the legal framework for providing the same to everyone – everyone has an equal chance of success. Just like throwing a dice, there is an equal chance of any of the faces coming up on top. With respect to employment this means that anyone holding any of these protected characteristics should have an equal chance or opportunity to access and progress within the workforce.


the equal chance agenda is that individuals do not start from a level playing field. In other words the dice is weighted in favour of the majority group. In employment, this group usually comprises white, heterosexual, males. This means that equal opportunity to gain employment and career progression is hampered


by individuals’


protected characteristics (and others not covered by legislation) as well as individuals’ social backgrounds and other personal circumstances.


EQUITY VERSUS EQUALITY: EQUAL ACCESS & EQUAL SHARE This is where the notion of equity comes in as this goes beyond the notion of


equal encompass both chance equal access


and equal share. Equity refers to


fairness and justice and thus


differs from equality. If the equity agenda is to be pursued, over and above the baseline equality agenda, organisations must recognise that individuals all start from different places and adjustments will be needed to address these imbalances. For example, if women are to


have equal access to – and an equal share of – leadership positions, and when those positions are awarded based on global


experience,


women’s under-representation in expatriation can act as a barrier to entering senior management and gaining their


fair


leadership roles. To help to


share


access of minority groups to leadership roles,


facilitate positive


of


equal action


may be required such as ensuring that minorities are made aware of positions that are available and are encouraged to apply. Open and transparent and selection


recruitment


procedures can also help to widen access for minority groups. These


“ ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT FOR NETWORKS AND ROLE MODELS FOR MINORITIES CAN HELP TO WIDEN LEADERSHIP ACCESS AND OTHER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.”


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include advertising all positions and adopting structured interviews using diverse panels. By contrast, closed and opaque processes might, for example, rely on word of mouth and unstructured one-on-one interviews. Minority groups have


networks and role models than the white, heterosexual male majority. Organisational support for networks and role models for minorities can help to widen leadership access and other career opportunities. Equal


access goes only part to


way towards achieving equity. The question then becomes equal access to what? If minority groups cannot achieve an equal share of leadership positions despite accessing them, then true equity has not been achieved. This is where


interventions become


paramount to ensure there is a culture of true equity. Allies can support progression of minorities. Coaches, mentors and sponsors can also play a valuable role here. Top management support is critical to fostering a culture of equity that pervades the whole organisation.


POSITIVE ACTION Positive action is not the same as positive discrimination. Positive action


enable or encourage those sharing protected


concerns taking steps to characteristics


to


minimise the disadvantage linked to that characteristic. An example


fewer


THINK GLOBAL WOMEN


EDI


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