Overview of the gender equality duty

Opportunity Now welcomes the new gender equality duty as a powerful tool that will deliver real change and practical improvements in the lives of women and men, through helping public services to tackle gender inequality, which remains persistent and widespread.

The duty is a key tool for public sector managers to make the sector more efficient, effective and responsive to the realities of how we live our lives. It should be a catalyst for real change in the way that public sector organisations :-

• think about their work,
• the way that public policy and public services are designed and delivered.

 The gender equality duty came into force in April 2007 and is the biggest change in sex equality legislation in thirty years, since the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act itself. It has been introduced in recognition of the need for a radical new approach to equality – one which places more responsibility with service providers to think strategically about gender equality, rather than leaving it to individuals to challenge poor practice.

Gender Equality Duty guidelines

The following employer guidelines have been produced by the Equal Opportunities Commission:

Developing gender equality objectives and a gender equality scheme (360 kb)

First steps on the gender equality duty (294 kb)

Consulting stakeholders on gender equality (315 kb)

Meeting the gender duty in employment (453 kb)

Meeting_the_gender_duty_in_procurement (628 kb)

Meeting the gender duty for transsexual staff (409 kb)

Gender Equality Duty in practice

DfID Gender Equality (Duty) Scheme 2007 - 2010 [2] (595 kb)

Open University (0 kb)

North West Development Agency Gender Equality Action PlanNorth West Development Agency (0 kb)

Dept for Transport (533 kb)

Healthcare Commission Gender equality scheme and action plan (743 kb)

Transport for London Gender Equality Scheme (2652 kb)