EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

Equality and diversity in health and social care

Equality and diversity in health and social care

Introduction

Equality, such as practical definition might be "total absence of discrimination between human beings, with respect to their rights. But we believe that this is not enough, but a much larger issue, which includes many factors, which may in many cases even determine our lives.

Inequality has been around since the beginning of time, and people have maintained a constant struggle against it but rarely achieved equality proposal, and it was during the French Revolution when it reached its integrity as a concept and value began to be advocated globally, represented by the slogan: "Liberty, equality and fraternity."( Alderson, 2002, 86)

There exist a range of social differences that characterize contemporary society. Payne (2006: 3) suggests we automatically perceive and pigeonhole different people, individuals and groups and behave towards them in terms of the slots we have put them into. These divisions or differences are often along the divisions of class, gender, 'race', ethnicity, age and sexuality, although this is not exclusively so and there is a degree of 'fuzziness' in these differences. The distinction between division and difference has been widely discussed. Not all differences are homogenous (or the same) and there are many difference and heterogeneity of experience between people in different social divisions. These divisions are socially, culturally, politically and economically constructed and maintained. The taken for granted idea of any biological or natural origin to these differences has been widely discounted and has been part of the difficulty of understanding social difference. However, these differences and divisions often embody or involve inequality, discrimination and oppression (Babones, 2002, 89).

Discussion and Analysis

In Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), it clearly defines the general duties of employers and self-employed persons. Section 15 of the Act, underlined the duties of employers and self-employed persons to their employees. Among the duties are to ensure, so far as practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his employees that include but not limited to, maintenance of plant and systems of work, the maintenance of its condition that is safe and without risks to health, the provisions and maintenance of a safe working environment for his employees.

All individuals have differences and there exist different groups with similarities and differences. Differences often have two sides, for example man/woman, ill health! Good health or black/white. This ignores many points in between, is often a simplistic representation and usually involves unequal relations between the two sides. These differences are often used in negative ways such as discrimination and oppression. Discrimination can be a good thing when used to identify differences, for example discrimination between red and green in traffic lights. However, it becomes more difficult when discrimination is used negatively and negative attributes are attached to differences and people or individuals are discriminated against. For example, the Apartheid regime in South Africa discriminated against black people on the basis of their race and ...