TABLE OF CONTENTS When you have studied this chapter, you should be able to:
Understand the business case for equal opportunities (EO) and be able to identify how it applies in differing organisations.
Explain the outline of the legislation relating to EO.
State the main differences between a policy of EO and that of managing diversity.
Identify the signs of sexual harassment and the ways it can be countered.
Assess the implications of putting a policy into practice and evaluating the success of initiatives in this area.
In the 1970s, three new laws came into effect that were intended to bring about a 'sea-change' in the social, economic and cultural relationships in the workplace. There has been no doubt that the Equal Pay Act, Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act all made a massive contribution to the reduction of discrimination and the promotion of equality. Subsequent legislation covering age, disability, religion and sexual orientation have served to fill in remaining gaps in discrimination so that a comprehensive legal framework exists in the UK. Few will argue that the change has not been significant or that it has not produced an identifiable overall improvement in the attitudes and efficiency of the average organisation. Differences of opinion continue, however, as to the amount of progress that has been made. A report by the Fire Service Inspectorate (Delgado, 1999), for example, shows evidence that fire brigades remain white, male-dominated macho organisations where overt discrimination continues to exist.
Discrimination, in itself, is not...
