What action has the government taken on gender inequalities?
Government action has reduced gender inequalities over time.
The Equality Act (2010)
Since 1970, Acts introduced by the UK Parliament went some way to address discrimination. However these Acts failed in creating complete equality for men and women. In 2010, the UK Parliament passed the Equality Act which has strengthened and replaced all existing equal opportunities laws, including those covering race and disability. Now, instead of lots of different Acts of Parliament we just have one Equality Act which tries to ensure that people in the UK are treated equally.
Under the Equality Act (2010) it is unlawful to discriminate (treat less favourably) anyone directly or indirectly because of a 鈥榩rotected characteristic鈥 of which there are nine:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race, colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins
- religion or belief (including lack of belief)
- sex
- sexual orientation
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
The EHRC has the job of protecting and promoting human rights and equality and tries to make sure that the Equality Act is understood by employers and the public at large.
It is unlawful to pay someone less for doing the same job, or to treat someone less favourably at work or in society because they are a man or a woman.
'Positive action' clause of the Equality Act
One controversial aspect of the Equality Act (2010) is the clause that allows organisations to take 鈥榩ositive action鈥 where it has an imbalance of employees i.e. a workforce that does not reflect the balance of people in wider society. The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) was introduced in law in 2007 and extended in 2011. The PSED requires all public sector organisations to review the balance of men and women in their staff (and other groups with protected characteristics) to ensure women, for example, are not just represented equally across an organisation in terms of employment but also that they are employed in equal numbers in the highest paid jobs
How the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) operates
If an organisation has an imbalance of either men or women, it is allowed to take action to create a more balanced workforce. Positive action can be through re-branding to make the organisation look more male/female-friendly on its website, advertising or other marketing as well as visits to schools and career talks where it is emphasised that the organisation is open to all.
Ultimately it can mean that in job applications, where a man and a woman are otherwise equal in all other respects, it can appoint either the man or the women based on their sex to help balance the ratio of staff.
Positive action does not mean that an employer can offer the job to a woman (or someone from an ethnic background, since race is a protected characteristic too) purely to improve the company's balance of staff. They must be able to do the job and have the appropriate skills and qualifications.
Pay Disclosure
As from 2017, companies employing more than 250 people must, by law, publish or disclose annually earnings of employees including by gender. For some large companies, such as the 大象传媒, differences in male and female salaries highlighted by pay disclosure resulted in the 大象传媒 undertaking a pay review with the aim of eliminating its gender pay gap which was then about 9.3% in favour of men in 2017. In 2023, the 大象传媒 reported that most pay levels, apart from two, were within +/-2% for all its employees.
How the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) operates
If an organisation has an imbalance of either men or women, it is allowed to take action to create a more balanced workforce. Positive action can be through re-branding to make the organisation look more male/female-friendly on its website, advertising or other marketing as well as visits to schools and career talks where it is emphasised that the organisation is open to all.
Ultimately it can mean that in job applications, where a man and a woman are otherwise equal in all other respects, it can appoint either the man or the women based on their sex to help balance the ratio of staff.
Positive action does not mean that an employer can offer the job to a woman (or someone from an ethnic background, since race is a protected characteristic too) purely to improve the company's balance of staff. They must be able to do the job and have the appropriate skills and qualifications.