30th April 2013

Equality law – vital, especially in times of austerity

A vital piece of equality law is currently under review. The Public Sector Equality Duty came into force in 2011, replacing the previous race, disability and gender equality duties. This requires that all public authorities – from the government, your local council, to the NHS - pay ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations between groups. In practice this means the way they do everything from spending money to recruiting new staff should reflect the duty. Fawcett thinks this duty is a crucial tool in making equal rights real - any move to remove it would be a major step backwards in work to advance women's equality. Learn more