Equality and Diversity Best Practice Project Gender Diversity Professional Development

Equality and Diversity Aim: To introduce Equality and Diversity and the effects of gender imbalance in employment/training/education Objectives: by the end of the session the group will: – have developed further their understanding of gender imbalance and its impact in the workplace – have developed further their understanding of the importance of challenging gender imbalance to benefit organisations and their members – be well prepared for improvement planning in relation to gender equality

Equality Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents, and… believing that no one should have poorer life chances because of where, what or whom they were born, what they believe, or whether they have a disability. Equality recognises that historically, certain groups of people with particular characteristics e.g. race, disability, sex and sexuality, have experienced discrimination.

Diversity...is about recognising and valuing difference between individuals and groups of people Diversity welcomes differences rather than trying to get rid of them.

Sex, Gender and Gender Re-assignment – what’s the difference? The word Gender and Sex are commonly used interchangeably, but many linguists would argue that the usage is quit distinct. – Sex refers to a biological characteristic, while gender refers to behaviours, roles, expectations and activities in society. Male or Female Gender Re-assignment is defined by the EHRC as - a personal process which involves a person expressing their gender in a way that differs from or is inconsistent with the physical sex they were born with

Equality Act Equality Act came into force in October 2010

Equality Act Protected Characteristics of the Equality Act 2010: Age Disability Gender re-assignment Marriage and Civil Partnership Pregnancy and Maternity Race Religion or Belief Sex (Gender) Sexual orientation

Protected characteristics These are the grounds upon which discrimination is unlawful e.g. Direct discrimination Indirect discrimination Discrimination by perception Discrimination by association

Examples of Different Types of Discrimination By Association A provider turns down a learner who is applying to progress on to a level 2 course because they have a disabled partner and the provider is concerned that they will not be able to complete the programme because of caring commitments Direct A work based learning provider decides not to put forward a learner with a hearing impairment for a work experience placement in a retail outlet because they assume they will not be able to communicate effectively with customers Indirect Having a policy whereby women wear different clothing at work to men, for example, short skirts By Perception Not hiring a woman because the boss thinks she won't fit into a traditionally male workplace

Why Gender? In Education, training and employment gender is typified by imbalance(s) usually in favour of one group over another. Most recent Further Education statistics show that females comprised the vast majority of new entrant Apprenticeship enrolments in Health, Public Services and Care (79.4%) Males accounted for 98.1% Apprenticeship enrolments in Construction and Built Environment, 92.6% enrolments in Engineering and Manufacturing and 78.6% of enrolments in ICT. Skills Funding Agency, July 2014

Why Gender? Gender imbalance usually (not always) works less favourably towards females. For example the Gender Pay Gap: Men working full-time earned £558 per week in April 2014 compared with £462 for women, with both seeing small increases compared to 2013 (0.3% and 0.6% respectively). (Equal pay portal –Dec 2014) There is NO COUNTRY ON EARTH where women are paid as much as men! Around the world, the International Labour Organisation estimates that for every £1 men earn, women earn 77p.

Why Gender? It is estimated that the UK would gain up to £23billion(2% of GDP) by better harnessing women’s skills in employment.

Why Gender?

Why Equality and Diversity Self-Assessment and Improvement? However, in many lessons, equality and diversity are not covered explicitly and opportunities to discuss diversity that occur due to the subject content are missed. Ofsted Report (regional FE college 2014) Teachers do not embed equality and diversity well in teaching and learning. Few teachers use naturally occurring opportunities within lessons to promote equality and diversity or to incorporate it into assignment briefs. Ofsted Report (regional FE college 2014)

Why Equality and Diversity Self-Assessment and Improvement? “ Although equality and diversity are a strong feature of cross- college enrichment activities, they are not promoted sufficiently well in lessons.” Ofsted Report (Local FE College -2013) – quoted as a factor as to why the college is a good but not an Outstanding provider

Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everyone's responsibility. Ban Ki-Moon (Sec Gen UN) Now, what can we do to support change?

Ideas Generation Working in 2 groups, come up with at least 4 key ideas of how you can support and encourage a better gender balance within your learner population Share your ideas with the whole group “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. “ Robin Williams

Improvement Planning Mesma Training Develop your Improvement Plan – Be bold but realistic – Set realistic targets – Think about the evidence – how will you know you have made an impact?