Equal Opportunity Commission Research Articles

Headships for Women: long‐term effects of the re‐entry problem[1]

[1] Quotes from teachers presented in this article were originally supplied as evidence to the enquiry into the reduction in part‐time teaching funded by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Assistant Masters’ and Mistresses’ Association (Trown & Needham, 1980).

Minority Male Participation in Educational Research and Development: A Recruitment Selection Dilemma

Equitable participation by minorities in educational research and development (R & D) is a subject that has been of increasing concern in recent years. Two recent studies document the barriers inhibiting minority participation in significant educational research programs.1 The reasons cited for their low participation include: (1) their exclusion from research traineeships while doing graduate work, (2) isolation from R & D networks, and (3) the lack of timely access to critical information regarding opportunities to participate in funded R & D activities. To recruit minorities and women to fulfill Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) and Affirmative Action requirements, the Bureau of National Affairs2 found that in industries the most effective recruitment sources for minorities were, in decreasing order: community agencies, present minority employees, educational institutions, advertisements in minority media, and employment

The Protection Racket?

The employment of women and young people is restricted by protective legzlation. First introduced during the nineteenth century, it was designed to protect women and children from the worst excesses of exploitation at work. When the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act became law in 1975, protective legislation, as contained in the 1961 Factory ,4cts, remained in operation alongside. At the time it was argued that such limitation on women's labour was in contradiction to the spirit of the anti-discrimination legislation which sought to maximize equality of opportunity with men. How could women freely and equally compete with men on the labour market, when their labour was circumscribed by laws which prevented them from doing certain kinds of work and only within prescribed hours? The Equal Opportunities Commission had the job of reviewing the existing protective laws affecting women's employment in Great Britain and to report to parliament its findings with recommendations either to remove or revise such legislation.

Equal opportunities in f.e?

Early in the summer of 1978 widespread circulation was given to an Equal Opportunities Commission publication, “Fresh Start — a guide to training opportunities.” This booklet was apparently specially produced to help people who are in difficulties with their careers, perhaps wanting to return to work after a long period spent looking after children or an elderly relative or experiencing problems in a job with few prospects. Help was also offered to those who might wish to improve their general levels of education or training, or to tackle jobs normally done by a member of the opposite sex. For all of these categories of people, “Fresh Start” provided a clear, readable and reassuring guide to the wide range of training opportunities and sources of finance which are currently available, but it was possible to feel somewhat disappointed in the fact that the booklet failed to draw attention to the relative disadvantage under which women in general are at present placed through the very limited provision of part‐time day release utilised by them in colleges of technology and further education.

The equal opportunities commission

Synopsis The Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 outlawed discrimination over a wide field, created the Equal Opportunities Commission to act as public protagonist of the new law, and granted it considerable and unique enforcement powers. Since then the Race Relations machinery has been revised to bring it into line with the EOC model. Thus the EOC is significant both as an indigenous model and as the manifestation of recent British Government thinking on the most appropriate form state intervention in social relations should take. This article surveys the Parliamentary developments leading to the creating of the Commission, examines its organization and work to date, and concludes that its achievements have been slight. Its immobilism is explained by reference to its decision-making structure, the inhibiting influence of vested interests within the Commission and weaknesses in the original legislation.

Some Comments on Current Labour Law

Since 1970 the British industrial relations system has been injected with an unprecedented volume of law relating to employment. We have had the Equal Pay Act, 1970 and Sex Discrimination Act, 1975 which have spawned an Equal Opportunities Commission; the Industrial Relations Act, 1971 was passed and subsequently repealed by the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act, 1974 (TULRA); the provisions of this latter act have been further buttressed by the Employment Protection Act, 1975 (EPA); dealing with a very much neglected area of industrial relations we have had the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974; finally the Bullock Commission which was set up to inquire into the way worker directors could increase employee participation in industrial affairs reported to the Minister in February, 1977. The government have promised legislation on ‘industrial democracy’ sometime in 1977 or 1978.

Written Evidence by the Society of Occupational Medicine to the Equal Opportunities Commission on Protective Legislation as it applies to Women at the Workplace

Journal Article Written Evidence by the Society of Occupational Medicine to the Equal Opportunities Commission on Protective Legislation as it applies to Women at the Workplace Get access Occupational Medicine, Volume 27, Issue 2, April 1977, Pages 78–80, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/27.2.78 Published: 01 April 1977