Home / Community & Living / Equality / Gender equality
Gender equality
The gender equality duty came into force on 6 April 2007. This new legal duty is part of the Equality Act 2006 and requires local authorities to be proactive in ensuring that men and women experience equality of opportunity. The duty has been introduced to target gender inequality which still occurs, despite the existence of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. In line with this duty, the Council will identify and tackle discrimination, prevent harassment and promote equality of opportunity for men and women in the way we operate our business.
Our vision for gender equality
Our vision for gender equality in Sevenoaks District is that:
Everyone should be able to live in safe and caring communities, free from discrimination and harassment, regardless of their gender or marital status;
Long-lasting changes that meet the needs, and improve the quality of lives, of men and women are identified;
Barriers to social inclusion are removed;
Men and women experience equality of opportunity when applying for employment and working for the District Council; and
All services delivered by us, and on our behalf, are accessible to men and women.
Priorities for the next three years
We have produced an action plan that shows what each of the Council's services intends to do to eliminate discrimination and promote gender equality over the next three years.
We will also be working, with partners where appropriate, to achieve the following priorities:
Actively promote the involvement of local communities in the further development of this scheme;
Continue to ensure that our services are appropriate for the needs of men and women in the community;
Increase awareness and use of Council services where men or women are under-represented, ensuring that service users with caring responsibilities, receive appropriate support;
Ensure a fair and transparent pay framework for Council staff that is based on objective criteria; and
Contribute to the delivery of these priorities through our programme of equality impact assessments and delivery of our Corporate Equality Plan.
07 September 2008
PDF 187K