ABSTRACT
This chapter is an exploration of the linkages between equal opportunities, staff development and assertiveness training. It will be useful, at this stage, to distinguish the normative and positive claims of the chapter. The normative link between equal opportunities and staff development seemed to me to be obvious, in that advancement, in terms of promotion or a shift in career path, presupposes ongoing development. A staff development programme that properly recognises the equal opportunities implications of what is on offer is, therefore, an important part of the implementation of an equal opportunities policy. Equal opportunities and staff development should be linked. The normative link between staff development for women1 and assertiveness training is more tenuous and, for me, more questionable. The issue of whether staff development for women should include assertiveness training is discussed in under the heading ‘Assertiveness’ on p 51. The chapter also addresses the empirical questions of whether equal opportunities and staff development are linked in practice and whether staff development for women and assertiveness are linked in practice.
