Strategies to tackle wealth inequalities Legislation

Anti-discrimination legislation Laws exist in Britain to protect groups from discrimination and to guarantee the rights of parents in the workplace

1960s new laws said people of different races should be treated fairly

1970s new laws said men and women should be treated fairly and get equal pay for the same job and made it illegal to sack a woman for becoming pregnant

1990s new laws were made to ensure people with disabilities were treated equally

Do we still need equality legislation? only 15 Members of Parliament are from an ethnic minority. Looking at the diversity of this country, there should be 60. only 3 top judges are from an ethnic minority. only 1 in 10 company directors is female 30,000 women per year are sacked or made redundant because they fall pregnant Woman are more likely to be in low paid employment

So some people have low-skilled jobs. Surely that is their choice? Perhaps – but our choices are influenced by the world we live in, and in our world it is still easier for some groups to succeed than for others Maybe more women would apply for high powered jobs if the work-place was more family friendly … Maybe more ethnic minorities could become judges if educational attainment in inner city schools equalled the wealthy white dominated suburbs

Where we are today Last year, 9 big pieces of legislation and 20 smaller ones were brought together under one law – the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 A “ tidying up exercise ” that updated equalities legislation and brought nine separate acts on gender and race (as well as age, disability, sexual orientation and religion) under one new law Most of its not new 90% of the Equalities Act was already in force in the form of laws including – the Equal Pay Act of 1970, – the Sex Discrimination Act (1975), – the Race Relations Act (1976), the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) – the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (2006)

The Equality Act 2010 Equal terms - Equal pay 1970 – Equal Pay Act first introduced Under the 2010 Equality Act, men and women, working for the same employer, doing – the same or similar work (like work) – work rated as equivalent – work of equal value are entitled to the same terms in their employment contract – However, the pay gap is still reinforced by the type of work or seniority of female workers compared to man

The Equality Act 2010 Sex discrimination 1975 – Sex discrimination act first introduced Under the Equality Act 2010 it's unlawful for an employer to discriminate on grounds of sex covers almost all workers (men and women) and all types of organisations in the UK. It covers: – Recruitment – employment terms and conditions – pay and benefits – training – promotion and transfer opportunities – redundancy – dismissal

The Equality Act 2010 Racial discrimination 1967 – Race Relations Act first introduced Under the terms of the Equality Act 2010 it is illegal to discriminate either directly or indirectly against a person on grounds of race Individuals who have a case can take their employer to tribunal – 5,700 cases of race discrimination were accepted by tribunals in 2010 – average payout of £ 18,600

What ’ s new about the equality act Changes include – Public sector and larger companies must publish pay audits which would highlight the ‘ worst offenders ’ concerning pay gaps – from April 2011, companies which have an imbalance are allowed to positively discriminate – Ended “ gagging clauses ” which prevented some employees from discussing their pay – Employers no longer allowed to ask applicants about disability or health – Public bodies now have a legal responsibility to target socio-economic inequalities

Employment protection Act 1975 Guaranteed the right to statutory maternity pay Made it illegal to sack a women for becoming pregnant Women who have a case can take their employer to tribunal – Like Linda Gorrie who took the Midlothian firm Reactive Property Solutions to court last month and won over £ 5000 in damages, after she was dismissed while pregnant

Employment Act 2002 Entitles women to 1 year maternity leave, with the right to their job or an equivalent job back when they return 2 weeks paternity leave Employees with young children have the right to ask for flexible working – Employers may refuse, but only if there are legitimate business reasons From April 2011, fathers will be able to take up any unused leave if the mother goes back to work early

Child Poverty Act 2010 Places a duty on the government to meet child poverty reduction targets Requires the UK and devolved parliaments to publish strategies for the reduction of child poverty Set us a Child Poverty Commission

Things to consider for the exam Which government policies or legislation help target gender inequalities? Which target race inequalities? Critically assess the effectiveness of these measures: use your notes/handouts to identify – Evidence of progress – Evidence of continued inequalities