Difference between revisions of "Gender equality"
(give stats, leave out editorializing) |
(Added new section about recent Gender Equality Duty legislation in the UK) |
||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. It was 81% in 2005.<ref>http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat39.pdf</ref> Various explanations have been given, such as men holding higher-skilled jobs and working longer hours. | In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. It was 81% in 2005.<ref>http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat39.pdf</ref> Various explanations have been given, such as men holding higher-skilled jobs and working longer hours. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Gender Equality duty 2007== | ||
| + | |||
| + | On April 6 2007 the Gender Equality Duty came into effect in the UK. It was designed to be pro-active in tackling polices and practices that superficially appear gender neutral but can contribute to greater inequality. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The law deals with disadvantage to both genders generated by work patterns adopted by employers. Women are disadvantaged by systems that take no account of caring responsibilities, different patterns of working life, or greater vulnerability to domestic violence and sexual assault. Men are disadvantaged when workplaces do not recognize their family or childcare responsibilities or when family support services assume they are less involved in parenting, or when health services do not take into account their different needs. For example, research shows that men are less likely to visit their GP, and so may progress further into diseases such as lung cancer before being diagnosed. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Gender Equality Duty also applies to transsexual men and women in terms of employment and training. The European Directive on equal treatment protects them from discrimination and harassment after the end of 2007 transsexuals. | ||
| + | |||
| + | To comply with UK law, all public bodies, and private or voluntary sector bodies who carry out public functions, must: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Gather information on how their work affects women and men | ||
| + | * Consult all stakeholders | ||
| + | * Assess impact of policies and practices on both sexes | ||
| + | * Prioritise and set gender equality objectives | ||
| + | * Plan and take action to achieve objectives | ||
| + | * Publish a gender equality scheme | ||
| + | * Review progress every three years | ||
| + | |||
| + | The criticism has been leveled that this will increase bureaucracy, but the CBI Public Services Directorate has asked its members to look beyond bureaucratic processes to deliver better equality outcomes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The element of proactivity in Gender Equality Duty means that it is now a statutory requirement for public organizations to consider the effects of its employment patterns on gender equality. In late 2007 a body called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will take over responsibility from the current Equal Opportunities Commission for promoting and enforcing legislation on gender, disability and race.<ref>http://www.equalpaylawyer.co.uk/questions/q-a-gender-equality-duty/view</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 13:41, May 8, 2007
Equal Pay Act 1963
The Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 (effective June 11, 1964) made it illegal to pay women less than men for doing the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. This had been commonplace before. There had to be demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations in order to merit different pay.[1]
Two landmark court cases, Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974), U.S. Supreme Court tightened and refined the language of the act.
In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. It was 81% in 2005.[2] Various explanations have been given, such as men holding higher-skilled jobs and working longer hours.
Gender Equality duty 2007
On April 6 2007 the Gender Equality Duty came into effect in the UK. It was designed to be pro-active in tackling polices and practices that superficially appear gender neutral but can contribute to greater inequality.
The law deals with disadvantage to both genders generated by work patterns adopted by employers. Women are disadvantaged by systems that take no account of caring responsibilities, different patterns of working life, or greater vulnerability to domestic violence and sexual assault. Men are disadvantaged when workplaces do not recognize their family or childcare responsibilities or when family support services assume they are less involved in parenting, or when health services do not take into account their different needs. For example, research shows that men are less likely to visit their GP, and so may progress further into diseases such as lung cancer before being diagnosed.
The Gender Equality Duty also applies to transsexual men and women in terms of employment and training. The European Directive on equal treatment protects them from discrimination and harassment after the end of 2007 transsexuals.
To comply with UK law, all public bodies, and private or voluntary sector bodies who carry out public functions, must:
- Gather information on how their work affects women and men
- Consult all stakeholders
- Assess impact of policies and practices on both sexes
- Prioritise and set gender equality objectives
- Plan and take action to achieve objectives
- Publish a gender equality scheme
- Review progress every three years
The criticism has been leveled that this will increase bureaucracy, but the CBI Public Services Directorate has asked its members to look beyond bureaucratic processes to deliver better equality outcomes.
The element of proactivity in Gender Equality Duty means that it is now a statutory requirement for public organizations to consider the effects of its employment patterns on gender equality. In late 2007 a body called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will take over responsibility from the current Equal Opportunities Commission for promoting and enforcing legislation on gender, disability and race.[3]