In 2004, the Equality and Diversity Forum, with the support of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Nuffield Foundation, published ‘Taking Equal Opportunities Seriously: The Extension of Positive Duties to Promote Equality’, a piece of research by Colm O’Cinneide of University College London.
In contrast to the retrospective, complaints-driven approach of the existing anti-discrimination legislation, the proactive, problem-solving approach fostered by a responsibility to promote equality has obvious appeal. But what in practice does it require from employers and service providers and what can it really deliver?
Colm O’Cinneide’s study, commissioned by the Equality and Diversity Forum, addresses the question of whether employers and service providers in Britain should have a statutory duty, not only to avoid discrimination, but to promote equality on the basis of gender, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.
In addressing that question for the public and private sectors, this paper demonstrates that an equality duty represents an opportunity for individuals, organisations and employers, not a threat, and makes an important contribution to the debate on the strategic direction of equality policy.
Click here for link to report