Equalities – general page
Bristol Equalities Network and Equalities Action Group | Resources | Reports | Events
Introduction
Equalities communities can be identified as groups whose members share a “distinctive and enduring collective identity” based on shared ethnicity, religion, gender or other factors. The term 'equalities' originates from the Equal Opportunities policy and practice developed in the late 1970's in recognition of certain groups within society experiencing common forms of discrimination.
The seven recognised Equalities groups are:
• Black and Minority Ethnic people (BME)
• Women
• Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people (LGB)
• Trans(gender) people
• Disabled People
• Older people and Young people
• Faith Communities
Consultation on Equalities Website Launch-2nd September 2011
Bristol City Council has a new website which should go 'live' on 8th August. The new website is prioritising materials which are of interest to the public.
The equalities and community Cohesion team would like to invite you to a meeting on 2nd September from 10.30am-12.30 in a committee room in the council house to consult on what equalities and community cohesion materials you would like to find on our website.
We would like you to tell us what information you would expect to find on the council's website relating to eliminating discrimination, promoting equal opportunities and creating good relations between different communities.
We will spend a little time at the meeting looking at what is already on the website and how easy it is to find the information. And also to comment on what is missing and what would help you to a) do your job better (if relevant) and b) to improve the quality of life for individuals from equalities communities. For further information Click here
Bristol Equalities Network and Equalities Action Group
Equalities Action Group
Following elections to re-launch the Equalities Action Group at the Council house on 20 May those elected as Bristol Partnership equalities partners to cover the equality strands are:
Disability: Rowen Jade
Gender: Helen Mott
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans: Jane Emanuel
Older People: Pat Roberts
Race: Alex Raikes
Religion and Belief: Simon Bale
Please click here to see minutes of the meeting for more information.
Equalities Network Meeting
Please click here for notes of Equalities Network Meeting held on Tuesday 23 March 2010
Please click here for notes of Equalities Network Meeting held on Tuesday 13 October 2009
PhD Studentship - Care and Disability in Refugee Families in Europe
Department of Geography, School of Human & Environmental Sciences, University of Reading
Applications are invited for a fully funded full-time, 3-year PhD studentship to work in the area of Care and Disability in Refugee Families in Europe.
Research on the gendered nature of migrants’ paid care work has emerged as a key area of academic and policy interest in Europe, yet few studies to date have investigated migrants’ experiences of providing unpaid care work for disabled or chronically ill members of their own families in the European context. Research has highlighted the complex factors influencing the marginalisation of recently arrived African migrant children with caring responsibilities and parents living with HIV in England, including pressures linked to immigration and asylum policies, disability, racial and gendered inequalities and wider processes of social exclusion. Living with chronic illness or impairment and caring for a disabled family member in the context of low income, insecure immigration status and ‘unfamiliar’ cultures, where wider family support networks may be unavailable, can affect the emotional wellbeing of both the ‘carer’ and the ‘cared for’ and lead to restricted mobility and isolation from potential sources of support. Further research, using qualitative, participatory or mixed methods, is sought into gendered and intergenerational caring relations, practices and identities within refugee and asylum-seeking families affected by disability and chronic illness in the European context.
Geographies of Care and Disability and Geographies of Children, Youth and Families constitute major research themes of several academics and postgraduates within the Department of Geography, University of Reading. Research on Poverty, Exclusion and Access and Childhood and Youth are also major cross-cutting research themes and areas of interest for several Schools across the University.
Applicants should preferably hold a Masters degree or at least an Upper Second Honours degree in human geography, sociology, social policy or related disciplines in the social sciences. Applicants should preferably also have experience of working with and/or conducting research with refugee families in Europe.
An introduction to SHES can be found at the website by clicking here.
Informal enquiries about the project should be addressed to the project supervisor: Dr Ruth Evans, Department of Geography, SHES, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AB (tel.: +44 (0)118 378 7755; e-mail: r.evans@reading.ac.uk
Events
Reports
Pamphlets on What is Equality from the Three Main Parties
On the 09 February 2010 DEMOS published a trilogy of pamphlets that approach the question of equality from the three main strands of political thought in Britain – represented by the Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrat Parties.
Click here for the ‘Wealth of opportunity’ pamphlet, with a foreword by David Laws MP, Lib Dem
Click here for the ‘Everyday equality’ pamphlet, with a foreword by David Willetts MP, Conservative
Click here for the ‘Society of equals’ pamphlet, with a foreword by James Purnell MP, Labour
National Equality Panel
The independent National Equality Panel was set up in October 2008 at the invitation of the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman MP, Minister for Women and Equality. The Panel was asked to investigate the relationships between the distributions of various kinds of economic outcome on the one hand and people's characteristics and circumstances on the other. The report addresses questions such as how far up or down do people from different backgrounds typically come in the distributions of earnings, income or wealth? Specifically, the outcomes examined are:
- educational outcomes, including the range of achievement of young people at 16 and the highest educational qualifications of adults;
- employment status of the adult population;
- earnings of those in paid employment, both hourly wages and weekly earnings;
- individual incomes, received by each adult in his or her own right from all sources, both before and after deducting direct taxes;
- incomes calculated from the total receipts of the household of which someone is a member, adjusted for the size of the household and after allowing for benefits and direct taxes - known as 'equivalent net income';
- wealth - the stock of assets of households taking the form of financial or housing assets, including private pension rights.
In the main report, information is presented on the distributions of these outcomes for the population as a whole. Where possible it is indicated how they have changed in the last decade or more, and how the UK compares with other industrialised countries. But the main focus is on the position of different social groups within the distributions of each outcome. Breakdowns are shown relating to gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, housing tenure, nation or region, and level of deprivation in the neighbourhood. The report also examines how outcomes have changed over time and how they develop across the life cycle. At the end of the report, The Panel set out the implications of the findings for the development of policy.
The summary highlights and illustrates some of the key findings and suggests the challenges they pose for the development of policy. The 6-page Executive Summary gives a short version of the report’s main findings.
The full report, summary and executive summary are available to download by clicking here.
Consultations
Hate crime
Human Rights
Key legislation
Equality Act 2006
Single Equality Bill (work in progress 2009)
Commemorative dates calendar
International Day of Older Persons: 01 October
Legal updates
Publication: ‘EU Gender Equality Law’
‘EU Gender Equality Law’, by Susanne Burri and Sacha Prechal, was published by the European Commission in 2008 and provides a general overview of gender equality law at the EU level.
The publication includes a brief description of the historical development of EU gender equality law, followed by an overview of the relevant EC Treaty Articles and legislation. This legislation covers equal pay and equal treatment for men and women in employment, statutory social security, occupational social security schemes, self-employment and access to and the supply of goods and services. To view the publication please click here.
Ministerial Statement on Direct Discrimination and Harrassment
On 02 April 2009, the Minister for Women and Equality announced that the Government will be extending the prohibition against associative and perceptive direct discrimination and harassment to other strands and areas where this does not currently apply.
The Equality Bill will therefore prohibit direct discrimination and harassment based on association and perception in respect of race, sex, gender reassignment, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age and in relation to both employment and areas beyond this, such as goods, facilities and services.
The Equality Bill
The main elements of this Bill are:
- making Britain fairer through a single equality duty which will require public bodies to consider the diverse needs and requirements of their workforce, and the communities they serve, when developing employment policies and planning services
- making public bodies more transparent - if inequality remains hidden, it can’t be measured and progress cannot be made
- improving enforcement
- allowing political parties to use all-women election shortlists until 2030
- making the law more accessible and easier to understand by bringing together nine major pieces of legislation and around 100 other laws in a single Bill
Equality Bill
A Fairer Future (Equality Bill)
Resources
New Diversity Resource for Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations
NCVO (National Council or Voluntary Organisations) Workforce Development unit recently published a guide which outlines what diversity resources are available for voluntary sector organisations and where to go for information and advice. The guide outlines available resources on sexual orientation, working parents and carers, gender and disability equality and more. Download the guide for free here.
Bristol Fawcett's Annual Report for 2009
Please click here to view a copy of Bristol Fawcett's Annual Report for 2009. It can also be accessed online and a copy in larger text (14pt) is also available.
British Social Attitudes survey
Every year the British Social Attitudes survey asks around 3000 people what it’s like to live in Britain and how they think Britain is run. The survey tracks people’s changing social, political and moral attitudes and informs the development of public policy. You can download individual chapters from the last 10 years, read the summary of the findings or buy the 26th report, published January 2010.
Report on the 2009 survey on British social attitudes
Equality Update
Issue 4 of Equality Update has been published by a the Bristol Equality in Health & Social Care Partnership. It features articles on the Pacesetters programme, midlife heart checks and Bristol Community Health’s equality and diversity patient survey. This newsletter updates readers about ongoing work to promote equality and diversity and aims to encourage people to get more involved in the work of NHS organisations in Bristol.
Equality Update can be seen on the NHS Bristol website by clicking here.
For further information, please contact David Harris on (0117) 984 1587.
