faith in politics 2010
equality and diversity
PLEASE NOTE: This page was for the 2010 general Election
See http://churcheselection.org.uk/ for the 2015 General Election
Background
- Recent laws, such as the Equality Act 2006 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, have resulted in significant changes to provide protection against discrimination and to promote equality and diversity.
- Equality laws protect against discrimination and promote equality on several different grounds (including age, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability and religion). It is unlawful to discriminate either directly or indirectly against a person because of their race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin and this applies to employment, housing, education and the provision of goods and services.
- In the final parliamentary session before the election, the government hopes to enact a new Equality Bill which brings together all existing equality legislation in one place, and also places a duty on public bodies to try to reduce socio-economic inequality when making decisions.
Issues
- Churches and equality - The Churches have over the years affirmed the principles of equality and diversity for all people. They have declared that racism and homophobia are contrary to the gospel. To this end we are called to work for racial justice and equity of opportunities for all within our society. However, some churches and Christian groups have expressed concern that equality laws could have an impact on freedom of religion or expression, and that a balance between different rights needs to be achieved.
- Racial justice - Estimates suggest that black and minority ethnic (BME) men are about four times more likely than white men to have their profiles stored on the police national DNA database. A disproportionate number of people from certain ethnic groups are stopped and searched. In 2007/2008, 28% of people from ethnic minority communities felt that they would be treated worse by the police or another criminal justice agency because of their race. While this percentage has declined from 33% in 2001, it is still troubling. The most recent figures show that BME groups account for 26% of the prison population, even though they constitute only 9% of the overall population in England and Wales. For BME groups caught up in the criminal justice system, this reality exacerbates their economic vulnerability and further contributes to their social marginalisation. Minority ethnic groups experience higher rates of poverty than the average for the population with the highest for Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Black Africans, reaching nearly two thirds for Bangladeshis, according to a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report from 2007.
- Gender justice - There has been a revolution in some aspects of women's lives over the past 30 years, yet for many women social and economic justice remains a distant dream. Women working full time are paid on average 17.1% less an hour than men for doing work of equivalent value. This figure rises to 20% for ethnic minority women, and to 36% for women working part time. With women making up 19.8% of our MPs, the UK is ranked a lowly 13th within the European Union (EU). Many European countries use positive action measures designed to address the under-representation of women in their legislature and this is an area of party difference within the UK with some parties having used all women shortlists to greatly increase female representation and others ideologically against measures like this.
- Sexuality and equality - Despite the huge legislative changes in the last decade to acknowledge the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, homophobia and transphobia remains a big problem in the UK. This can and does spill over into violence, and in 2008 a survey found that one in five lesbian and gay people had been the subject of aggressive homophobia over the preceding three years. There are also problems of bullying in schools and harassment and discrimination in the workplace. A survey in 2007 found that two-thirds of young gay people at secondary school - 150,000 pupils - have experienced homophobic bullying. In faith schools, that figure rose to three in four.
Questions
- What do you think about ‘multi-culturalism' and ‘integration'?
- How can the government better seek to promote equality in the UK?
- What government policies need to change so that BME people, particularly the younger generation, do not feel alienated?
- What particular initiatives have politicians been able to take or encouraged in your constituency that can develop social cohesion and help build a better society?
Further information
The Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, Secretary for Racial Justice, and Multicultural Ministry, The United Reformed Church
Contact email 
Website 
Please note: the views and analysis outlined in this paper are those of the author alone and do not constitute a statement of policy on the part of the organisation the author belongs to.
Faith in Politics: Acknowledgement and thanks
