What is Equality Mainstreaming

1. What is Equality Mainstreaming Carole Sullivan Head of the Equality Mainstreaming Unit, Equality Authority VEC Seminar, 28th May 2010

2. Content • Equality Mainstreaming Unit • What is Equality Mainstreaming • What it requires • Some supports

3. Equality Mainstreaming Unit • Co-funded by the European Social Fund through the Human Capital Investment Operational Programme 2007-2013 • Aim - to facilitate and support institutional change within • providers of vocational education and training, labour market programmes • small and medium enterprises by strengthening their capacity to combat discrimination, to promote equality and to accommodate diversity.

4. How do we work? • Work with:- • Providers of vocational education, training and labour market programmes • develop ‘support packages’ • Small to medium enterprises • Grant Scheme • Sectoral Approaches to workplace equality

5. Structures • Human Capital Investment Operational Programme 2007-2013 • Managing Authority (Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment) • EMU Advisory Committee • Equal Opps at the Level of the Enterprise Framework Committee • Unit based at the Equality Authority

6. Equality mainstreaming • Systematic integration of an equality perspective into everyday work • Involves government departments, programme providers, equality specialists and groups experiencing inequality • Aims to change organisational cultures so that an equality perspective becomes an integral part of what we plan and provide • Long term strategy- aims to make sure that policy and provision can accommodate diversity across the nine grounds • Leads to improved policy making through better information, better transparency and openness in the policy making process

7. Mainstreaming equality - why do it • Structural Fund and European Social Fund ESF) Regulations • Article 10 of the Lisbon Treaty • Equality legislation – supports compliance with EU Directives

8. Equality Legislation • Equality legislation – framework for promoting equality • Employment and equal status legislation prohibit discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment and victimisation • Require reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities • Nine grounds - gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion and membership of the Traveller community – baseline of groups currently experiencing inequality • Sets a valuable minimum standard of non-discrimination for all organisations

9. Mainstreaming equality - why do it (cont) • Increases participation of disadvantaged groups • Tackles structures, behaviours and attitudes that sustain inequality and discrimination • Prevents policies and programmes being implemented that continue existing inequalities • Complements positive action measures • Business case for equality • Equality/ non-discrimination mainstreaming emphasised by the EU

10. Mainstreaming equality requires • Leadership and political commitment • Commitment and ownership across an organisation • Participation of groups experiencing inequality • Guidance, training and support • Data, information and research • Equality competence

11. Equality Competence Equality competent organisations are those with structures, policies, practices and procedures into which equality is embedded as a matter of course. Four ingredients which must be in place for the organisation to be equality competent: • Equality policies • Equality action plan including training • Equality committee • Equality reviews/ impact assessments

12. EMU supports • IVEA/ EA Equality Impact Assessment Guidelines • Learning from 3 pilot projects • Capacity building/ training seminars • Future development of ‘support packages’