|
SCVO Equalities Briefing - October 2005
INTRODUCTION
Multiple-discrimination is the situation whereby
an individual suffers from discrimination for
more than one reason, based on their belonging
to more than one type of social group.
On any given occasion it could be supposed that
such discrimination can happen simultaneously or
separately. For example, on Monday an incident
occurs whereby ‘Jane’ is discriminated against
because she is both disabled and a woman, on
Tuesday its just because she’s a woman and on
Wednesday its just because she’s disabled. While
this undoubtedly can happen, (as prejudicial
attitudes can be as all encompassing or as
specific as their holder chooses) thinking about
multiple discrimination in this way distracts
from the fact that, for individuals, their
identity is constantly with them 24/7. They do
not necessarily carve up their own characters to
suit the bureaucratic division of identity
largely shaped by legislative categories.
Multiple-discrimination is therefore connected
to the fact that each individual has complex
multiple identities and is not simply ‘a woman’
or ‘ a disabled person’ or subject to any other
single definition.
This briefing highlights some issues with
respect to multiple-discrimination using two
example areas from gender equality work: i)
violence against women and ii) poverty. It goes
on to suggest how the voluntary sector might
engage with the issue.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
The Zero Tolerance campaign began in Edinburgh in November 1992. It was founded by
Edinburgh District Council’s Women’s Committee.
This was the first crime prevention campaign in
Britain to tackle the issue of male violence
against women and children.
It focused on the multiple identities of those
women and girls who experience male violence in
order to structure what was widely regarded as a
highly successful initial campaign. It has
continued to do so in subsequent campaigns.
Zero Tolerance does feature images of women who are also members of what are
sometimes called ‘equality groups’, for example,
ethnic minorities, but it also uses wider
concepts of multiple identity to tackle a
problem that is primarily defined in relation to
gender.
The images, text and messages of the campaign
challenged the notions that abuse was
perpetrated by strangers, was rooted in certain
classes; more commonly enacted against younger
women or did not affect educated, materially and
financially successful women. For example, it
“deliberately
challenged the prevailing view that child sexual
abuse is a working class problem and linked to
poverty and unemployment”
Zero Tolerance
website (2005)
The campaign produced learning materials that
were easily available, accessible and affordable
to allow them to be made use of as widely as
possible. This included material aimed at men
and boys designed to help them consider the
issue anew building on the different ways the
campaign dealt with it.
In approaching the issue in these ways the
campaign reinforced the nature of multiple
identity as a way of drawing attention to a
particular form of discrimination. Furthermore
it required its audience to consider the
experiences of violence against women from the
point of views of different types of women and
understand that, while it was appropriate to
tackle the issues seriously and appropriately,
it was necessary to consider these differences
when doing so.
In this it proved very successful and the Trust
set up after the initial campaign continues to
work to tackle violence against women.
POVERTY
There is a sizeable body of research that has
made quite plain the interaction between gender
and poverty and the effect of other
characteristics. Findings include:
-
Lone mothers working full-time have a higher
poverty rate than lone fathers working
full-time
-
More than twice as many older women as men
are reliant on income support
-
Women from ethnic minorities feel that two
main factors contributed to their
disadvantaged position: 'external' racism,
emanating from the majority white community;
and, 'internal' cultural pressures, which
affected some of the minority ethnic women
more than others.
-
Access to services and benefits for people
with disabilities varies according to their
ethnicity or gender. For example, there is
very low take up of benefits and support
amongst Asian disabled women and carers.
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has
stated:
We recognise that women and men are not
homogenous groups: race, age, disability, sexual
orientation and other factors all have a big
influence on the way in which sex discrimination
operates.
EOC (2003)
In the various governmental policy responses to
this situation some commentators believe there
is something of a paradox in that there is a
degree of neglect of material inequality and its
effects (both singly and in combination with
other factors) as compared to the increasing
recognition of equalities and issues of multiple
discrimination as addressed in
anti-discrimination law. For example, the
Disability Discrimination Act makes no provision
for the problems associated with benefits for
disabled people, which operate in a way that can
place non-working disabled people in a situation
of dependency and working disabled people at
risk of poverty. These commentators point out
that when overall poverty is reduced those at
risk of most extreme poverty through
multiple-discrimination remain disadvantaged.
This has been described as ‘the people at the
back of the bus not changing their seats’.
Such commentators go on to argue that a policy
of reduction in overall income inequality must
be part and parcel of an attempt to overcome
poverty, which is related to – but not
exclusively reliant upon – a persons individual
characteristics. They identify that a barrier to
such a policy is the spurious perception that
there exists both a ‘deserving’ and an
‘undeserving’ poor. (Those who have such a
perception would advocate that measures to
alleviate the poverty of the former (who are
victims of circumstance) should not benefit the
latter (who are architects of their own
circumstance)). Upon the rock of this perception
sensible policy formulation runs aground.
However, there are those who point to the
inroads that have been made into tackling
poverty overall and in relation to
gender. Policy makers have recognised the links
and are acting to help ameliorate the problems.
Equal pay and sex discrimination law has been in
place for some time in the UK. Recent measures
introduced through the European Union (and
championed in its
For Diversity, Against Discrimination
campaign) are, amongst other things, designed to
address inequality in employment, which will
benefit both women and men. Furthermore, strong
economic growth has reduced poverty for
everyone.
Needless to say, the argument continues and all
sides can lay their hands on statistics to
support their case.
ISSUES FOR THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR
·
The sector, working at a community or individual
level, reaches the parts of society that other
sectors cannot reach. It has a degree of freedom
that they do not. Consequently it is well placed
to help people articulate their identity and
build coalitions of those who suffer from
discrimination. If it understands the nature of
multiple-discrimination this will enable it to
be more effective when making these connections.
·
The sector can make use of one area of work –
for example ethnicity – as a way in to explore
others - for example, gender and poverty –
allowing it to enable people to understand their
own multiple identity better and the issues
connected with it - even if those people
initially become involved with the work of a
voluntary organisation because of a single
issue.
·
If services offered to different groups are
sensitive to multiple identities they will be
more holistic, inclusive and effective. The
voluntary sector sometimes categorises people in
the same way as the law but, for example,
shouldn’t a project set up to help disabled
people tackle their issues be able to address
issues connected to their sexuality as much as
to their disability?
·
The awareness within the sector of these issues
enables it to ‘mainstream’ them throughout its
activities (for example employment, training,
service development, research, involvement in
community planning, contracting for public
service delivery and contracting services in)
when these activities are not specifically about
‘equalities issues’.
·
An appreciation of multiple identity builds the
strength of an argument it does not diminish it.
Organisations making these links, who then link
with other organisations and who can demonstrate
that their solutions will benefit a wider cross
section of society may find their endeavours to
convince policy makers prove more successful.
An example
As part of its UK Poverty Programme Oxfam has
been working, in cooperation with Glasgow Women
and Social Inclusion Working Group and Greater
Govan Social Inclusion Partnership, with
regeneration decision makers in the city to
raise awareness of gender issues and to use
gender impact assessment tools to support
improved regeneration.
Challenges
§
Funding criteria can create groups that are
obliged to focus on ‘single issues’ and who find
it hard to then work outside of whichever
category they have been funded under. This is a
mirror of government organisation where issues
are ‘silo-ed’ and disconnected form one another.
§
We live in a society characterised by
individualism and this sometimes causes people
to limit their own self-definition, which makes
it harder to help them appreciate the connection
their experience has with those of other people
or groups. This is reinforced by the media,
which tends to deal in thumbnail sketches and
one word definitions of what a person is, not
merely perpetuating stereotypes but
oversimplifying what is means to be an
individual.
§
Some groups do fear that addressing
multiple-discrimination
will
dilute the message specific to their cause and
this can make joint work a challenge.
§
New communities, for example immigrant
communities, may take time and need a lot of
help to build (or rebuild) social capital to the
degree that any of these issues can be
addressed. While the sector is well placed to
help build that capital it must recognise that
it has to start working with people using the
position that they are currently at, before it
can address issues that may not
seem so
immediate.
§
The sector spends a lot of time ‘fire fighting’.
The fact is that tackling the problems of
discrimination associated with one ‘equality
characteristic’ (for example, physical access
for disabled people) often take up so much time
it is difficult to see beyond that work.
CONCLUSION
The reality of multiple identity and
discrimination is the reality of people’s lives.
The attendant discussion is not simply a
theoretical activity. It is the place where
ideas are formulated that directly influence the
work of organisations dealing with the effects
of discrimination day-to-day. As such it is
worth keeping up with.
Perhaps the Commission for Equality and Human
Rights may bring the government-driven approach
to equalities issues together in new and more
effective way, which in turn will have an affect
on how the voluntary sector needs to work. This
development, and others, as well as the ongoing
debate will provide fresh challenges to the
sector. But it is a sector widely acknowledged
to have made inroads into tackling inequality in
way unlike any other and it has never been
afraid of a challenge.
RESOURCES
Scottish Poverty Information Unit, Caledonian
University
http://www.povertyinformation.org
International
Centre for Gender and Women's Studies,
University of Glasgow
www.gla.ac.uk/centres/icgws
Zero Tolerance
www.zerotolerance.org.uk
Engender
www.engender.org.uk
Equal Opportunities Commission
www.eoc.org.uk
Scottish Executive Equality
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality
For Diversity, Against Discrimination
www.stop-discrimination.info
Oxfam UK Poverty Programme
www.oxfamgb.org/ukpp
www.oxfamgb.org/ukpp/resources/downloads/ReGender%20leaflet_lowres_72dp.pdf
SCVO
Equalities Briefings
www.scvo.org.uk/equalities/resource_base/index.htm |
