Diversity In Practice Updates 6 - Equity is Fundamental

Bringing together a range of Diversity Professionals from various sectors and specialisms, to provide support and share good practice.

Fundamentally Equity is about human rights. Inclusion is a humanitarian act, not a political one. Diversity is not about making concessions at the expense of others but instead recognising the value in our differing experiences, thought processes and perspectives... This is Equity.

Equality or Equity

Language and definitions in diversity work become essential to ensure we all have the same understanding of the terms of reference. In the UK the Equality Act 2010 is the core legislation aimed at protecting people with specific identities and lived experiences, which are referred to as ‘Protected Characteristics’.

The definition of Equality is often taken at face value “being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.” But this dictionary definition is not accurate in articulating the breadth and depth of what was meant by ‘equal opportunities’ back when the Equality Act was created i.e. creating systems and pathways to ensure everyone, regardless of their protected characteristics had equal access to all aspects of society and opportunity. The word Equality was not used to suggest we approach inclusion by giving everyone the same or equal amount of support but to denote the equality of outcomes which the legislation aimed to achieve.

The definition of Equity is – “the quality of being fair and impartial” but this dictionary definition is both vague and subjective. My definition highlights Equity as action focused - “the recognition of an individual’s unique value”, which requires recognition of the individual’s current circumstances, followed by allocation resources and opportunities specific to the individual's needs. This is a newer term in the diversity space, which better reflects the variants and differentiation required to ensure high quality inclusion and accessibility as the aim.

The constant evolution of language and terminology in the professional diversity arena, can seem relentless. But as the phrasing changes and we grow our ability to express and describe the richness of diverse human experience and identity. Beyond the limited parameters of colonial, patriarchy, ablest and heteronormative descriptors. We will begin to see shifts in society.

Changes in language and thinking, lead to behaviour changes and normalisation of the new narrative. The pro-social modelling of identity-led inclusive language has already seen diversity conversations increase across different communities and sectors. Ethics and inclusion are higher priorities for younger generations and quiet acceptance of poor practice is disappearing.

Pushback and Resistance

There are still significant numbers of people who are determined to argue against improvements to diversity and inclusion. The arguments are usually based on victim blaming i.e. claims of ‘reverse racism’ (or twisting of another ism to deflect onto the victim). These statements highlight a lack of cognition regarding socio-economic, historic or political parameters, which can be easily researched to dismantle and disprove such arguments. Sadly, no amount of evidence is likely to change some people’s minds. This is a huge topic and will be explored further in future articles.

But using well researched data and evidence to support your inclusive leadership strategy, is not only good practice it also provides structure on which to build a business case. It is essential to ensure representation of lived experiences are central to your data and research processes – you can find out more about how to engage co-design by joining our Diversity in Practice community for Diversity Professionals.

Human Rights Conventions

The UK and UN conventions regarding human rights identify core expectations which ALL human beings should be able to live safely and with basic protections from discrimination and harm. These conventions form the basis of Equality legislation and define the characteristics which are protected in the Equality Act 2010.

I suggest everyone should have a working knowledge of the Human Rights Conventions, as understanding the legislation is vital when violations of human rights occur. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in the UK, being responsible for governance in this area. However, there have been questions raised over their approach to enforcement and the impact of their interventions. With calls for the EHRC to improve the experiences of individuals and groups who identify as having one or more protected characteristics and who have experienced discrimination, being able to easily access to necessary routes to justice.

As an inclusive educator for many years in the public sector, I spent a lot of time teaching young people about their legal human rights, responsibilities and freedoms. Understanding our human rights, is empowering and effective as part of our drive towards equity. Human rights are easily identified and clearly stated in legislation. We can list them and teach them, ensuring people understand that these rights have been fought for over centuries, through unions, women’s rights movements, racial justice direct action, disability action groups, LGBTQ+ activism, among many, many other groups and causes. People lost their lives to secure the rights and freedoms which we enjoy today.

Continuing Battle

It is also important to remember people are still fighting to have their human rights appropriately recognised. From the Grenfell disaster to the Windrush Scandal, to the failures of the Department of Work and Pensions to support disabled applicants, to the confusing double standards between Ukrainian and other refugees or asylum seekers entering the UK.

The battle does not stop and we see regular challenges in the specific area of employment rights, through the increase in unionisation and workers strikes happening across the globe. Identifying that fighting to attain human rights is not the end, people have to actively fight to maintain their rights and this is a significant issue for people everywhere. Human rights in the UK, particularly as they pertain to our protected characteristics and intersectionalities can and have been shifted away from ‘equality of opportunity’ and towards more oppressive systems of gatekeeping and limiting of access to resources.

A specific example would be the changes to the entire system of welfare support for people with disabilities, under the pretence of ‘reducing false claims’ when false claims were actually less than 1% of all claims made. Changing the system has seen the privatisation and deregulation of much of the assessment process for disability benefits, with multiple public scandals regarding substandard and discriminatory practices. Meanwhile, disabled people’s support, protections, access to facilities and living conditions have declined. With multiple court defeats the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) has a poor track record regarding its treatment of disabled claimants as well as its own disabled employees.

Similarly, the continuing hostile environment being experienced by members of the Caribbean diaspora caught up in the devastating Windrush Scandal, has seen UK citizens striped of their human rights, access to services and dignity, due to deliberate destruction of documentation by government agencies. People born in the UK and rightfully living and working here, were suddenly having their ‘right to remain’ questioned. Often resulting in their identification documents being ‘lost’, bank accounts frozen, right to work revoked and tenancy agreements withdrawn. This situation continues and many families are still suffering the long-term impact of the hostile environment, trying to rebuild their lives, while waiting to receive compensation for the losses and damages caused by years of systematic barriers and failures.

Learn more about the real work impact of Windrush Scandel by registering for our Building Excellence Open Webinars. In lesson 5, I speak with the inspiring Lisa Lovell about her journey and experiences.

The compounding effects of socioeconomic factors, such as limited resources, discriminatory gatekeeping practices and a lack of affordable routes to pursue justice through legal systems, have seen an increase in inequalities. Accessing justice and fair treatment, is closely linked to an individual’s access to financial resources.

Equity Focused

Although these examples (and the plethora of other examples I could have shared), feel bleak and disheartening, there are actions we can take as individuals and as inclusive leaders.

But by educating ourselves and others, we can actively hold leaders to account when people’s human rights are breached or ignored. Raising awareness and having conversations about the importance of human rights and equity focused approaches helps highlight poor practice and establish routes to improvement. It also helps us listen to and better understand the lived experiences of others.

Being Equity Focused means being a person-centred leader, establishing systems which support engagement and communication for historically marginalised under served groups. Equipping people to effectively identify and voice their needs and opinions, to achieve equitable outcomes. Which will lead to developing opportunities for representative leaders to direct the strategies and processes, ensuring those with the relevant lived experience have the autonomy to lead and determine the appropriate solutions.

The successful implementation of Equity Focused work will see individuals and groups being empowered. As inclusive leaders we are responsible for using our skills, resources, platforms and privilege to establish the necessary conditions. Enabling our teams, communities or stakeholders to explore and evolve their empowerment, in a safe and protected environment.

To learn more about being an inclusive leader or active anti-discriminatory practitioner, you can visit our website, join one of our monthly diversity focused group calls or join our on of our training initiatives.

Best wishes,

Sabrina