July 2023 Parenta magazine

Equality, diversity and
inclusion - EDI
The UK in the 2020s is diverse,
multicultural and constantly changing.
Although most British people still fall into
the category of “white British” at 74.4%
(2021 census), this percentage has gone
down since 2011, from 80.5% to 74.4%.
The Government website reports the
Asian group as 9.3% of the population
followed by black (4.0%), mixed (2.9%) and
other (2.1%) ethnic groups. Within these
classifications, however, there are many
sub-groups such as Travellers, Africans
and Irish, to name a few. In fact, there are
19 standardised ethnic classifications on
the census form.
The census revealed other changes
too – for the first time in England and
Wales, only 46.2% (less than half) of the
population described themselves as
“Christian”, down by 13.1%. Over one third
of the population sited “No religion”.
What about sexual orientation? In the
census, 92.5% of respondents aged 16+
answered questions on this topic, with
approximately 90% of those identifying as
straight or heterosexual. 1.5 million people
identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or
another sexual orientation (LGB+). Others
identified as pansexual, asexual and
queer.
But why do we collect these statistics
and what relevance do they have to early
years? The answer lies in understanding
whether this diversity is accurately
reflected in our everyday media and
culture, and the opportunities we all have
access to. Do we see an inclusive example
of diversity represented on TV, in our law
enforcement agencies, or in our schools
and hospitals? Are the top jobs really
available to different groups of people,
regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation or religious beliefs? If the
answer to THAT question is ‘no’, then we
still have a lot of work to do to ensure that
there are equal opportunities for everyone,
and people can see themselves reflected
in every area of society.
The rise of diversity, equality
and inclusion (EDI) issues
It’s not that long ago that schools were
directing young male students into
traditional ‘male’ activities such as
woodwork and metalwork, whilst filtering
off the girls to do typing and home
economics. Thankfully those times have
changed, and whilst there are more
women in science for example, or more
males in early years work, there is still a lot
more that can be done.
For many companies nowadays, having
effective policies related to diversity,
equality and inclusion is vital as it allows
them to set up, measure and judge their
efforts, identifying areas of success and
also areas for improvement. Another
reason is that research shows that
organisations that are strong on diversity,
produce benefits in their bottom-line
profits.
Understanding the difference between the
three closely-related topics is key, although
there are still philosophical and legal
debates about them.
Diversity – this relates to the differences
between people, such as ethnicity, age,
gender, socioeconomic class, sexual
orientation, or married status. It’s about
recognising what makes us all unique.
Equality – this means recognising and
responding in a fair way to everyone
regardless of diversity. One website says:
“First used in the early 15th century,
equality is ‘the state of being equal’. In
modern usage in the UK, equality is about
ensuring equality of access, treatment,
outcomes and impact in both employment
and service delivery. It is rooted in ideas of
justice and fairness and enshrined in the
United Kingdom Equality Act 2010 (EA10)
which highlights that every individual must
have an equal opportunity to make the
most of their lives and talents. It is also
the belief that no one should have poorer
life chances because of their background,
personal identity or experience.”
Equality also relates to how we handle
discrimination and prejudice related to
diversity which then affects:
Inclusion – this is “the practice or policy
of providing equal access to opportunities
and resources for people who might
otherwise be excluded or marginalised,
such as those who have physical or
intellectual disabilities and members of
other minority groups.”
When these issues are not pro-actively
and positively addressed, then there
is potential for prejudice, racism,
homophobia and all manner of negative
outcomes for some sections of society.
A report by the Equality Human Rights
Commission in 2018 found that:
⭐ 54% of people from ethnic minorities
reported they had been a victim of
ethnic or racial prejudice
⭐ 46% of lesbian, gay or bisexual
people said they had experienced
prejudice based on their sexual
orientation
⭐ 44% of respondents stated they were
openly negative about Gypsy, Roma
and Travellers
⭐ 29% of respondents stated that they
felt strong discomfort with the idea of
a connection to a family member with
a mental health condition
⭐ 25% of disabled people with a
physical impairment reported they
experienced prejudice because of
their impairment
So, best practice with EDI aims to redress
some of the imbalances and prejudices in
our society and make sure that everyone
has an equal chance of thriving.
What does this mean for
early years practitioners and
settings?
Children form opinions early on, many
of which are based on observing adults
around them. If an adult fears wasps, then
the chances are that the child may ‘learn’
to fear wasps too. This is also true of
attitudes and behaviours, so it is important
that early years children are exposed to
positive role models and positive attitudes
about diversity, equality and inclusion
issues.
Things that settings can do:
⭐ Ensure you write a policy for EDI
issues that sets out how your setting
will address EDI issues including
how you will pro-actively promote a
positive approach to these issues,
and how you will tackle prejudice and
inequality
⭐ Conduct an audit into how EDI issues
are being addressed (or not) in
your setting – there are some free
resources on the internet (See https://
www.theequalgroup.com/educationhub-home
for more information)
⭐ Train all staff in EDI issues and
regularly revisit this and tackle any
discretions so that the message is
consistent
⭐ Engage parents in things surrounding
EDI. You could get involved in
awareness days or invite people in to
talk about different cultures
⭐ Pro-actively encourage participation
in different activities for all genders in
all subjects to counteract some of the
gender stereotyping that still exists in
society
⭐ Challenge stereotypes and
assumptions - read the children
stories about different cultures,
inspiring people who have
achieved great things from different
backgrounds such as people with SEN
focusing on their achievements
⭐ Normalise and celebrate difference
so that it becomes embedded in your
culture
⭐ Tackle any bullying issues with a
strong and robust protocol
⭐ Record and measure your efforts so
that you can revise and improve them
and provide evidence of your setting’s
actions
References and more
information
⭐ https://www.affirmity.com/diversityequity-inclusion/
⭐ https://www.equalityhumanrights.
com/
⭐ https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/
⭐ https://raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/
⭐ Lifting Limit’s pilot report on
challenging gender stereotypes and
promoting gender equality
⭐ Gender Eye report and resources
⭐ Alliance blog: Equality in the early
years
⭐ https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.
service.gov.uk/uk-population-byethnicity/national-and-regionalpopulations/population-of-englandand-wales/latest
⭐ https://www.ons.gov.uk/
peoplepopulationandcommunity/
culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/
religionenglandandwales/census2021
⭐ https://commonslibrary.parliament.
uk/2021-census-what-do-we-knowabout-the-lgbt-population
⭐ Equality, diversity and inclusion in the
Workplace | Factsheets | CIPD
22 July 2023 | parenta.com
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