Equality and Human Rights Commission – Is Britain Fairer?

Is Britain Fairer?, the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory five-yearly report on equality and human rights progress in England, Scotland and Wales, was published on Friday 30 October 2015.

It is the most comprehensive review ever carried out on progress towards greater equality and human rights protection in Britain, revealing that while for many life has become fairer over the past five years, for others progress has stalled and for some– in particular young people and poor White boys – life on many fronts has got worse.

Is Britain Fairer? draws on a wide range of major datasets and the Commission’s own analysis to reveal how, as the country becomes more ethnically and religiously diverse than at any point in its history, new complexities mean many existing assumptions about which  of us encounter greater challenges may no longer hold to be true.

Analysis in the review identifies eight key challenges for policy makers, statutory bodies and other groups to address over the coming years:

1. Improve the evidence and the ability to assess how fair society is.
2. Raise standards and close attainment gaps in education.
3. Encourage fair recruitment, development and reward in employment.
4. Support improved living conditions in cohesive communities.
5. Encourage democratic participation and ensure access to justice.
6. Improve access to mental health services and support for those experiencing (or at risk of experiencing) poor mental health.
7. Prevent abuse, neglect and ill-treatment in care and detention.
8. Tackle targeted harassment and abuse of people who share particular protected characteristics.

The following are available alongside the full report:

• a standalone executive summary (in English, Welsh, BSL and Easy Read versions)
• the evidence which underpins the report, in the form of 10 evidence papers (which report the evidence by domain, or area of enquiry); 3 supporting papers (a context paper, methodology paper and technical paper, which provide the necessary background to the review); and relevant data tables.

Is Wales Fairer? was published in December 2015. It identifies seven key challenges that need to be addressed in Wales over the next five years.

Is Scotland Fairer? was published in January 2016. It identifies seven key equality and human rights challenges for Scotland over the coming years.

Is England Fairer? was published in March 2016. It identifies nine key equality and human rights challenges to be addressed.

Join the discussion:

The Commission invites you to join the debate by tweeting or retweeting using the hashtag #IsBritainFairer, by liking or sharing EHRC’s posts on Facebook or by blogging about Is Britain Fairer? with links to www.equalityhumanrights.com/IsBritainFairer.

EHRC press release for ‘Is Britain Fairer?’