Diversity, equality and the law in the UK

Topic 5: To what extent have changes in the law to promote equality been successful?

How can we make society more equal?

Equality and Inequality in the UK

Introduce students to some recent facts and statistics about equality and inequality in

the UK using resource sheet 7 ‘Equality and Inequality in the UK’.

For example:

In 2016 a government report found while 14% of the UK population identify

themselves as black, Asian and minority ethnic, just 1.5% of directors on the

Boards of FTSE100 companies are from a minority background and more

than half of FTSE100 Board are exclusively white.

In 2016 there were 494 male MPs and 195 female MPs in the UK Parliament.

Girls consistently outperform boys in GCSEs with 71.3% of female entries

awarded a grade C compared to 62.4% of males in 2016.

Ask students to read and review the statements on resource sheet 7. Were any of

the statements a surprise? What do these facts suggest about the success of

equality law? Further reading is available for each statistic which could be used for

an extension activity.

Next, get the students to think critically about equality issues today and the actions

that people take to achieve greater equality for all. Consider and discuss the

following questions, first in small groups and then as a class.

What is Positive Action?

Is it ever fair to give someone a head start?

When is Positive Action fair?

Remind students of the discussion in Topic 1 about equality of opportunity and

equality of outcome and the ‘climb a tree test’. If you did not use Topic 1, then see

resource sheet 2.

Thinking about equality and inequality

Give pairs of students the set of cards on resource sheet 8, which describe different

examples of inequality in society in relation to race, gender, disability and age.

For example:

As of February 2016, there are

no Black or Asian football

managers in the football premier

league

An IT company removes candidate

names from job applications during

the recruitment process for a new

role.

A school refuses to admit Roma

children because they might not

attend lessons regularly and this

would affect the schools

attendance records

A qualified nurse from Eastern

Europe is refused a job at the local

hospital because his English

language skills are not good

enough

First ask students to categorise each scenario into:

acceptable

a concern but not that serious

unacceptable

Next ask students to explain which they think are unacceptable, and explain why.

They should discuss in their pairs and then compare their responses with another

pair. Take feedback from the class.

What can we do to help make the UK become a more equal and just

place?

Share resource sheet 9 ‘Case studies of young equality campaigners’. Organise

small groups of students and ask them to read one of the young campaigner case

studies. Ask students to individually develop a response to the below questions and

then compare their responses with others in the group and add anything missing to

their notes.

Student questions:

What issues were they campaigning on?

Who is affected by the issue?

What did they do in their campaign?

Do you think this campaign made an impact?

Do you think this is an important issue?

As a class, debrief and share the responses so that all students have the chance to

hear about all the case studies.

What can you do to take action for equality?

Organise students into groups to explore, identify and plan a campaign they can use

to address issues of inequality and discrimination in society. The planning questions

and steps on resource sheets 10 and 11 provide starting points.

A more detailed action planning toolkit is available from the Association for

Citizenship Teaching to help students.

Ensure students have enough time to reflect on and consider the impact of their

campaign, as well as what they learned as individuals in terms of new knowledge

and new skills.

Resource sheet 2

The ‘climb the tree test’

Take a moment to look at the climb the tree test image above.

Describe what you see and then discuss:

Which animals have the characteristics to climb the tree?

Which cannot climb the tree and why?

What can be done to help everyone climb the tree?

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Resource sheet 7

Equality and Inequality in the UK

In 2016 a government report found while 14% of the UK population identify

themselves as black, Asian and minority ethnic, just 1.5% or directors on the

Boards of FTSE100 companies are from a minority background and more

than half of FTSE100 Board are exclusively white. Further reading:

www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-ethnic-diversity-of-uk-boards-launch-

of-the-parker-review

In 2016 there were 195 female MPs and 494 male MPs in the UK Parliament.

External sources to Parliament suggest that 41 MPs self-identify as being an

ethnic minority. Further reading: www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-

commons-faqs/members-faq-page2/

In April 2016 the gender pay gap (for median earnings) between males and

females for full-time employees was 9.4 per cent, down from 9.6 per cent in

2015. Further reading: www.equalpayportal.co.uk/statistics/

Girls outperform boys in A*-C GCSE results, with 71.3 per cent of female

entries awarded at least a C grade, compared with just 62.4 per cent of their

male counterparts in 2016. Further reading: www.tes.com/news/school-

news/breaking-news/gcse-results-gender-gap-widens-girls-pull-further-ahead

Positive Action

The Equality Act 2010 allows public bodies to take Positive Action to help some

groups of people overcome disadvantage in society.

An example of Positive Action in education is where a school provides additional

language lessons for students who do not speak English as their first language.

An example of Positive Action in politics is where a political party uses an all-female

shortlist when selecting a new MP, to try to increase the number of women MPs in

Parliament.

Discuss:

What do you think about Positive Action?

Is it ever fair to give someone a head start?

When is Positive Action fair?

Resource sheet 8

Equality and inequality cards

Race

There are no Black or Asian football

managers in the football premier league

An IT company removes candidate

names from job applications during

the recruitment process for a new

role

A school refuses to admit Roma children

because they might not attend lessons

regularly and this would affect the schools

attendance records

A qualified nurse from Eastern

Europe is refused a job at the local

hospital because his English

language skills are not good enough

Gender

A new men’s clothing shop decides to

employ all male staff

Less than 10% of the most

successful companies in the UK

have a female CEO

A political party only allows women to

apply to become a new MP in a by-

election

Girls outperform boys in GCSE

examinations

Disability

A bus driver refuses entry to a wheelchair

user because the space on the bus is

occupied by a baby in a pram

A company declines a job

application from a deaf person

where the job involves talking to the

public

New trains are introduced on the railway

line from Bristol to London but the

carriages are too small for electric

wheelchairs

A nightclub refuses entry to a blind

person saying they pose a health

and safety risk

Resource sheet 9

Young equality campaigners

Case Study 1 - AJ Selfridge

Stonewall Youth supports young people in schools,

universities, colleges and communities who lead campaigns

against the discrimination of LGBT people.

They work to empower all young people, regardless of their

sexual orientation or gender identity, to campaign for equality

and fair treatment for LGBTQ people, and against

discrimination.

Stonewall Youth runs a Young Campaigners programme and campaigners have

created videos, blogs and delivered training to others on LGBT issues.

AJ Selfridge joined the Stonewall Young Campaigners programme in 2015.

“Starting the Young Campaigners programme back in October 2015, I could not

have anticipated what was to come. The opportunities that this programme opened

up are endless, and the experiences were unforgettable…

...The idea for my campaign was non-existent until the last hour of the (residential

training) trip. I decided to replicate the work I had already done in my school and to

create an original LGBT programme that could be implemented in other schools in

my area. I created lesson plans and workshops, as well as safeguarding policies and

a formal guide to creating an LGBT student-led community – which can be found on

my website. Currently, I am working with five other schools for them to adopt my

programme.

There were a few difficulties, lots of hard work and, ultimately, a huge amount of

success. This programme taught me perseverance, dedication, and acceptance. It

also taught me a lot about myself. I was personally humbled to win one of the Youth

Volunteer of the year awards and the opportunities that have come from it have

opened many doors for my future.”

Case Study 2 - Maryam Jibril

Black Lives Matter UK (BMLUK) campaigns against all

forms of racism.

Recent campaigns have involved activists locking

themselves together on a London City airport runway

to "highlight the UK's environmental impact on the lives of

black people locally and globally". They said that “In Britain,

28% of black people are more likely to be exposed to air

pollution... being in closest proximity to the industries

causing climate change.’'

Others have made speeches and protested, for example by blocking roads to raise

awareness of the problem.

Black Lives Matter began in America following the shooting by police of Philando

Castile. Philando was an African-American who was shot by police while reaching for

his ID after informing the officer he had a gun and a permit for it. His death led to

widespread protests about the treatment of black people at the hands of the police.

BLMUK highlight the statistics that show there is inequality between black and white

people in Britain – in education, in the justice and prison systems, and in

employment.

Maryam Jibril, is a student and organiser of some London Black Lives Matter

protests.

In 2016 Maryam spoke to TimeOut Magazine about Black Lives Matter UK and her

role in organising some of the protest activities in London.

Do you think schools are good at teaching teenagers to be socially and

politically aware?

‘No! Teens have to find it out for themselves. I found out the stuff I know from social

media and reading up by myself. Schools should do better.’

How did the @BLMLDNmovement Twitter account come about?

‘It was right after I found out about the Philando Castile shooting. People were

tweeting like: “If something was to happen in London, I’d be dead down for it.” I was

like: “We should actually do this.” I put all the dates together and people started

retweeting them. It was crazy. We had like one thousand retweets by the end of the

week.’

How did you feel with so many people on board?

‘It was such a warm feeling. Everyone at the protests was there for the same

purpose. It felt very welcoming and like your ideas and everything were being taken

seriously.’

Resource sheet 10

Campaign planning questions

When you have read a young campaigners case study, respond to the following

questions.

a) What issues was the young person in the case study campaigning on?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

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b) Who was affected by the issue?

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c) What did they do in their campaign? What methods did they use?

(E.g. writing a blog, making a video, training others, attending a protest)

…………………………………………………………………………………………

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d) What impact did the campaign have? Include a scale from 1-5 (where 5 = a

huge impact and 1 = no impact)

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e) Do you think this is an important issue?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

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Resource sheet 11

Campaign planning steps

Follow these steps to help you plan your campaign.

1. Choose your issue - what is your issue? Why are you concerned about it?

2. Find out more – what more do you need to know to help you take your

campaign forward? E.g. a survey of students, friends or family or some

statistics to support your case. What kind of help will you need from others?

3. Decide on your action – what methods might you use? E.g. writing a letter or

blog, making a video, making a poster, organising an event.

4. Identify what success will look like – what kind of impact you would like to

achieve? E.g. how many people will read your blog and how you will measure

this?

5. Evaluate your success - reflect on your campaign and how it went. What did

you do well and what you could do better next time. What did you learn - new

knowledge, new skills?