ABSTRACT
Introduction The development of approaches to equality policy in the UK has been strongly influenced by legislation. The sex and race equality legislation, outlined in Chapter 6, has existed since the 1970s, whilst legislation concerning disability is more recent (1995). More recently still, a government-initiated code of practice concerning age discrimination has emerged. Thus, the unequal labour market outcomes we highlighted in Chapter 2, exist within the context of formal equality of opportunity. (Equality for lesbians and gay men is the exception – this group is not explicitly covered either by legislation or a code of practice.) The equality legislation of the 1970s was, arguably, pivotal in drawing attention to inequalities in employment and in placing equality issues on the policy agenda of employers (Liff, 1995). However, the legislation is essentially liberal and as such, minimalist in nature. By this we mean that it focuses on issues of equal access to and equal treatment in employment, avoiding the more sensitive issues involved in the radical approach of ‘redistributing rewards’ or in shaping labour market outcomes. In other words, there is little scope within the law for positive action or radical policy
measures. We discussed theoretical and conceptual approaches to equality and diversity in Chapter 5 and the present chapter draws on these discussions.
