Archive for equalities
How to respond to a crisis: Lieutenant General David Morrison takes to YouTube
An impressive response by the Chief of Australian Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison, to a sexual harassment scandal. Direct, personal and addressing the issue at hand – avoiding all the sorts of evasion, excuses and jargon that so often makes an organisation’s response to a crisis one that exacerbates it further.
Are senior professional posts unfairly dominated by men?
Thinking about senior professionals in Britain today, do you think they are unfairly dominated by men, or open to both men and women?
Opinion: Are you a man?
Are you a man? Have you been or might you be on a fringe meeting panel at Liberal Democrat conference? If the answer to both is yes, I’d like your help… At the Spring conference just gone in Brighton, I nearly ended up being a speaker on an all-male panel – and one taking place [...]
Majority back same-sex marriage
From the polling published this weekend: Would you support or oppose changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry? Support: 55% Oppose: 36% Amongst Conservative voters the results are 44% – 49% (which is a statistical dead heat, when you remember to factor in the margin of error). Interestingly, the majority support comes despite [...]
The business case for equality and diversity
As the headline says: Studies appear to have found evidence that firms have reaped business benefits from equality & diversity, but not all firms in all contexts at all times. The firm’s economic and organisational context is crucial in determining how equality and diversity brings about business benefits. The business case is likely to depend [...]
Women on boards: how are the UK’s biggest firms doing?
This morning our client The 30% Club marked its second anniversary with an event addressed by Vince Cable and others looking at progress on diversity in Britain’s boardrooms. Here’s our infographic to illustrate where things currently stand: That’s where things are. What about the future? Here’s what people have been saying today about what needs [...]
“I have seen many mediocre men on the boards of directors” – Featherstone in the Telegraph
Yesterday the Daily Telegraph ran a long piece on Lynne Featherstone, looking mostly at her previous job on equalities rather than her current International Development brief: “I think that it [having a baby] is a bit of a setback to women because it gives an opportunity – whether it’s in commerce, politics or wherever you [...]
Promising news from Botswana
The BBC reports: The Botswana High Court has overturned a customary law which prevented women from inheriting the family home. The judge ruled that the law contravened the constitution, which guarantees equality for men and women. Edith Mmusi and her sisters have fought a five-year legal battle after their nephew said he was the rightful [...]
Maria Miller backs equal marriage
I’ve blogged before about why I’m cautious about writing off Maria Miller in her new equalities role before we’ve had a chance to see how she actually performs in post. On the first big test for her in post, things look promising: The Conservative cabinet minister who was handed responsibility for gay marriage legislation in the [...]
Extra post for Jo Swinson, new post for Lorely Burt as final pieces of reshuffle put into place
Alongside the sorting out of new PPS appointments following the ministerial changes, there’s been one surprise addition – the inclusion of a new Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister to take over from Lynne Featherstone because the new Lib Dem Home Office minister, Jeremy Browne, did not take over Lynne’s equalities brief when she moved over to [...]
