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Barriers to Diversity in Film – A Research Review – Aug 07

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university courses, and other tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g which provides skills related <strong>to</strong><br />

work. The new law makes it unlawful <strong>in</strong> most circumstances for an<br />

employer <strong>to</strong> treat people less favourably than younger colleagues on<br />

the grounds of age. But the new law provides limited protection for<br />

people over 65, particularly when it comes <strong>to</strong> recruitment and forced<br />

retirement.<br />

2.5.4 Multiple identity and equality legislation<br />

Official approaches <strong>to</strong> equality are seen <strong>to</strong> divide us up by ‘race’,<br />

ethnicity, gender, age, disability, religion and sexuality. Therefore<br />

people are treated with<strong>in</strong> the system as black or gay or a woman,<br />

rather than as one person (Mirza and Sheridan 2003). The legal<br />

discourse on equalities arguably cuts across our natural multiple<br />

identities as experienced <strong>in</strong> daily life. In reality we experience our<br />

gendered, racial and other identities <strong>in</strong> a cont<strong>in</strong>uous flow of one<br />

through the other (Brah 1996; Mirza 1997; Mirza and Sheridan 2003).<br />

This ‘<strong>in</strong>tersectionality’ currently characterises our official equalities<br />

debate. ‘Intersectionality’ is the systematic rationale with<strong>in</strong> the legal<br />

discourse that addresses the artificial separation of our comb<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

racial, gendered and other identities (Crenshaw 1993: UN 2000).<br />

Multiple identities are a lived reality and it is important that people are<br />

seen as ‘holistic <strong>in</strong>dividuals’ not be ‘objectified’ <strong>in</strong> terms of<br />

preconceived political and social categories (Mirza and Sheridan 2003).<br />

C:\Documents and Sett<strong>in</strong>gs\mcorless\Desk<strong>to</strong>p\Intranet\<strong>Barriers</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Diversity</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Film</strong>_DS_RB 20 <strong>Aug</strong><br />

<strong>07</strong>.doc<br />

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