Social Issues: Gender and Race
Gender
Race
1975 – Sex Discrimination Act
Raised awareness of problem and made it illegal to
discriminate on the basis of sex. Amended in 2006 – made it
illegal to sack women for being pregnant.
1976 – Race Relations Act
Raised awareness of the problem and made it illegal to
discriminate on the grounds of race. Despite this ruling
discrimination in some areas was evident – the failure of the
police to convict the racially motivated killers of Stephen
Lawrence.
HOWEVER, several years later – 2009 Gillian Williams was
awarded £5000 in compensation for being sacked because she
was pregnant. She worked for Airlink Management Services.
While women are doing better in education, health and the
legal profession the glass ceiling remains strong in some areas.
Women in London earn 23% less than their male counterparts.
In 2003 after MacPherson which declared the MET
“institutionally racist” report the Act was updated to include
the police. There have been some positive changes since – the
police handling of a similar racial attack against Anthony
Walker. Two people were convicted and sentenced to prison
for his death.
25% of police recruits now come from a BME(Black and
Minority Ethnic) background, which is a very positive
development.
2010 Equality Act
Bring all existing equalities legislation on gender and race (as well as age, disability, sexual orientation and religion) under one
new law. Will also legislation for the first time against “social class inequalities”.
Forces employers to demonstrate that they are taking positive action to ensure they have balanced workforce. They will be able
to take positive action to recruit groups who are under-represented.
Positive – demonstrates the government is willing to continue to work to promote equality.
HOWEVER: some groups feel it may have a detrimental effect. 70% of recruitment agencies have been asked to avoid hiring
women who are/ might become pregnant. There is worry that there will be a backlash against BME and female workers – are
they not up to the job, recruited because of their race or gender?
Activity:
 Make summary notes, under the following headings: Laws for Gender Equality and Laws for Racial Equality.
Gender and Inequality
Wealth
Gender inequalities still remain. The 2008 Sex and Power index showed that progress towards gender equality has
slowed down. While women are doing better in education, health and the legal profession, the Glass Ceiling remains
very strong in some areas.
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sex-and-power-2008-video-clips/ See Interview with Harriet Harmen.
Fern Britton was receiving just a third of the salary paid to co-presenter Phillip
Schofield on ITV's All Star Mr and Mrs. According to a source connected with
the program, based on the classic 1970s format in which celebrity couples are
tested on their knowledge of one another, Britton will be paid £15,000 a show,
while Schofield will receive a credit crunch-busting £45,000 a show.
Women in Politics - The issue of female representation at the Commons and in
the new Westminster Government has been largely sidelined. Given that 51 per cent of the UK population is female
and only 22 per cent of MP’s are female, a systemic imbalance is being perpetuated which shows very little sign of
improvement. Whilst it is true that female representation at Westminster rose from 126 to 142 as a result of the
2010 election this is an increase of a mere 2.5 per cent. At the present rate of progress it will take decades, if not
longer before women are properly represented at Westminster. Research carried out by the Equality and Human
Rights Commission shows that:
“A snail could crawl the entire length of the Great Wall of China in 212 years, just slightly longer than the 200
years it will take for women to be equally represented in Parliament”.
The Hansard Society has published a report, titled ‘Women at the top 2011’, which sets out background
information and statistics on women in politics and public life in the UK. The report highlights the distinct shortage of
female representation in political life.
On the number of women MPs, the report states:
“Twenty years ago the Hansard Society’s independent Women at the Top Commission, chaired by Baroness Howe of
Idlicote, concluded that the parlous state of women’s political representation in Britain was ‘wholly unacceptable in
a modern democracy’. In the years since little has changed at Westminster: women MPs still comprise less than a
quarter of the House of Commons. “The number of women MPs rose to 142 (21.9%) following the May 2010 general
election and constitutes the highest number ever elected. But this is still only 2.5% more women MPs than in the last
Parliament and just under 4% more than won seats in the breakthrough year in 1997 (when 18.2% of the House of
Commons were women). At this rate of 4% growth in 14 years it will be another century before parity of
representation is secured.”
“In Scotland in 1999, 48 women were elected to Holyrood, delivering at a stroke twice as many female politicians as
had ever sat for Scottish seats in Westminster. Four years later women constituted 40% of the Parliament. In 2003
the National Assembly for Wales made history as the first legislature in the world with fully equal representation
when it broke through the 50% barrier… But since that peak in 2003 the position of Scotland and Wales as
international beacons of progress for women’s representation has been in decline. At the 2007 election, the
proportion of women in the Scottish Parliament fell to 33%, below the ‘critical mass’ level of 35% that is thought to
have a decisive effect on organisational culture. In Wales too there was a drop in the number of female
representatives to 46.7% – 28 out of the 60 Assembly seats.”

Find out what percentage of women currently sit in the Scottish Parliament
The Welsh Assembly is still 47% female; but a backlash against continuing positive measures to promote female
candidates, combined with the declining electoral fortunes of the Labour Party, and the imminent retirement of
some of the first generation of post-devolution female politicians, has led to confident predictions that after the
2011 elections, as few as 30% of AMs will be female. And a similar pattern of electoral change in Scotland seems
almost certain to lead to a further decline in female representation in the Scottish Parliament after 2011.
Activities:
 Despite all the legislation to protect women, discrimination still happens.
discrimination against women still happens.
 Can you think of any examples when a man might face gender discrimination?
Describe how you know
Health
In 1965, those living in the north were 16% more likely to die before the age of 75 than their southern counterparts.
This had risen to just over 20% by 2008. Men were more likely to be affected by the North South Divide. Overall,
during that period, mortality in England has greatly reduced since 1965. It has reduced by about 50% for men and
about 40% for women. Women continue to have a longer life expectancy than men, although in some parts of the
country the gap between the sexes is narrowing fast. The ONS (office of national statistics) found that between
2004-06 and 2008-10 the average life expectancy for a female rose by a year to 82.3, while for men it rose by 1.2
years to 78.2.
Patients with advanced prostate cancer in Scotland will not get access to a new drug which can extend their lives by
more than three months. Abiraterone, which costs £3,000 a month, had already been provisionally rejected for use
in England and Wales. They have decided to introduce it. Men also tend to have a poorer approach to their diet
than women. Across the income scale they also consume less fruit and veg and salt intake is higher. 64% of Scottish
adult men are obese and 57% of Scottish women.
Government Responses
The new Equalities Act will require all public sector employers and larger companies to publish pay audits revealing
the differences between male and female staff. Pay secrecy clauses which prevent employees revealing their
salaries will be illegal.
Under the new equality act employers will have to publish details of pay within their organisations. Such
transparency will mean that employers will have to justify why they have a glass ceiling (if they have one). Those
who have more equal opportunities will, presumably attract more female employees. At present, many people,
especially in the financial sector, do not know if they are being paid equally or if promotion opportunities are less
likely within certain organisations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c1S0IsLAGc International Women’s Day.
Effectiveness of Responses:
1. Weigh up the evidence. Have these policies to encourage gender equality gone far enough? Or have they
gone too far?
Race and Inequality
Wealth:
Racial disadvantage remains; Employment rates for ethnic minorities remain lower than for white Britons. Racial
attacks in Scotland remain, common, with an increase in Glasgow in 2008. According to National Statistics;
unemployment rates for people from non-White ethnic groups were generally higher than those from White ethnic
groups. However, Indian men had a similar level of unemployment to Other White men, at 7 per cent and 6 per cent
respectively.
In 2004 Pakistani women had the highest unemployment rates in Great Britain, at 20 per cent. The next highest
female rates were among women from the Black African or Mixed ethnic groups (each 12 per cent). These rates
were around three times the rates for White British and White Irish women (4 per cent each). The unemployment
rates for Black Caribbean (9 per cent), Indian (8 per cent) and Chinese (7 per cent) women were around twice the
rates for White British and White Irish women.
Racist incidents in Glasgow increased in the last year to an average of more than three a day, according to new
figures. The Glasgow rate is the highest in Scotland and more than double that of the rest of the country. Last year,
police recorded 1301 racist crimes and incidents in the city - a rise of 7.6% - giving a figure of 22 incidents per 10,000
people. The figure for the year before was 1209 incidents. Across Scotland there were 5243 incidents - a rate of 10
per 10,000 people. People of Pakistani origin were most likely to be the victim of a racist incident, with 1654 cases
across Scotland, accounting for one-third of all cases. White British people were next highest with 1030 cases. The
most common location was either in the street or a shop, where almost 3000 cases took place across the country.
Despite the rise in Glasgow, there was slight drop across Scotland with cases falling from 5321 to 5243 last year.
The figures cover everything from verbal abuse to physical assaults which are reported to police.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8647630.stm (link to further reading about BNP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIHNJP9e9EQ BNP on BBC Question Time HEALTH WARNING: SOME PEOPLE
MIGHT FIND SOME OF THE CONTENT OFFENSIVE.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4477156.stm (link to Anthony walker story )
The BNP have now won seats on councils in England, including Bradford. They have not successfully won any seats
in the House of Commons.
Activities:
 Do you think the BNP is racist? Explain why/why not and give evidence.
 Do you think the BNP should be allowed to exist as a political party? Explain why/why not and give
evidence.
 Do you think the new Equality Act goes far enough/ not far enough to protect people against racial
discrimination? Explain your position and give evidence.
Health
Some races are more susceptible to certain diseases. Reasons – cultural differences such as smoking and alcohol
consumption have an impact and social issues such as poverty, harassment and discrimination. Smoking amongst
Bangladeshi men is twice as high as the general population. There are higher rates of diabetes in all ethnic groups
and higher rates of heart disease amongst Indian, Bangladeshi and Irish men. There are also higher rates of stroke
amongst Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi and Indian men and higher rates of heart disease amongst Irish women. Diet
has a significant role to play in these variations.
Poverty in ethnic groups also has a significant impact – Ethnic groups such as Indians have incomes closest to UK
average and their health levels are similar but Pakistanis who are on average significantly poorer are 50% worse off
than whites.
BME (Black Minority Ethnic) are 6 times as likely to be admitted to hospital for mental health issues.
Government Responses
Under the Equality Act there will be positive Discrimination on race or gender. Employers will be able to take
positive action to recruit groups who are under-represented in their workforce where they have a choice between
two candidates who are equally suitable. The Equality and Human Rights Commission will publish guidance on the
range of actions employers will be able to take. This is perhaps, the most controversial clause of all - Companies
which have an imbalance of people will be allowed to positively discriminate. This does not mean quotas, but to
select someone on the basis of gender or race (assuming all else is equal) will be legal. Good news for lawyers one
would assume!
http://www.srtrc.org/ Show racism the red card website.
Activities:
 What is ‘Show racism the red card’?
 What does it aim to do?
 Has it been successful?
Joint Government Response:
The Equality Act: the Equality Bill became law in 2010. It will bring all existing equalities legislation on gender and
race (as well as age, disability, sexual orientation and religion) up to date and under one new law. It will work
alongside the new Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which replaced the old Equal Opportunities
Commission (EOC) and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). It will legislate, for the first time, against “social
class inequalities.”
Concerns: there will be costs of training personnel departments and the bureaucracy of implementing equalities
audits. The private sector expects to spend £211m in the first year to comply. Does this represent the best use of
scarce resources in an economic recession? There has been criticism that companies will spend too much time
auditing, monitoring and tip toeing their way through equality legislation. This, it is argued, will be very costly in
terms of time and money. Supporters of the Equality Bill say that in a recession, legislation is needed more than ever
as those at the bottom are less likely to have the social networks or financial resources to fall back on.
Social Class:
There will be a new duty on Government departments, local authorities and NHS
bodies to consider what action they can take to reduce so called ‘socioeconomic' inequalities i.e. your family background or where you were born.
Education authorities would have a duty to encourage pupils from poorer
backgrounds to apply to successful schools in their area. Health authorities
would be able to allocate funds towards those with worst health records.
Development agencies would encourage more successful bids for grants from
those living in deprived areas. In the past, new labour has been very pro-active
about eliminating inequalities arising due to gender or race. But, economic
inequalities have increased under New Labour. The Government is not seeking
to make everyone have the same standard of living, but to try and give capable
people from more disadvantaged backgrounds more help. The mortality rate is double for infants whose parents are
in social class E.
Activities
Examine how the new Equality Act will take equal opportunities legislation further and assess whether it can make a
difference to equal opportunities. And Write a report.
Success Criteria:
 Title
 Date
 Recommendation (the Equality Act has /has not gone far enough)
 Body – 4 key arguments including evidence
 Conclusion
 Bibliography (reference all your research materials)
 Should be typed up, justified text, spell checked and signed by yourself.