Showcases

CASE 1 

Promoting equality and diversity policies and practices in employment in Higher Education and other key sectors of the UK economy

Research undertaken at the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice has demonstrably shaped employment policies and practices in Higher Education both at sector and at an institutional level. It has promoted better understanding of equality issues and ensured more effective compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty in the 2010 Equality Act, which requires the HE sector to place equality considerations at the core of their activities. The Centre was established in 2004 and brings together academics, professionals, representatives of civil society and policy makers to identify ‘real world’ situations where change is needed to achieve greater equality and inclusion and to frame research accordingly. The significant research expertise on equality issues developed by academics within the Centre has also been applied to other sectors, like the horse racing industry. Research investigating gender and diversity issues in this sector has resulted in evidence-based interventions to drive transformative change for the people working in horse racing. 

The findings from the body of research outlined above have led to the development of new standards and guidelines, and to the establishment of new sector-wide committees to achieve greater equality and inclusion in Higher Education and the horse racing industry in the UK and beyond. The changes instigated by the research have benefitted, and will continue to benefit, large numbers of individuals working in these sectors by removing barriers that can cause disadvantage and instead promote equality of opportunities.  

Achieving greater inclusion in REF 2014 and 2021: Manfredi and Vickers’ research (R1) has been instrumental in enabling the UK Funding Councils to develop clearer and more robust equality guidance. This has led to the adoption of better practices at HEIs to facilitate self disclosure of equality-related staff circumstances and create institutional submissions with greater inclusivity. 

Setting new standards to achieve greater diversity in the governing boards of HEIs and in other sectors: The research examining the role of Executive Search Firms (ESFs) in the selection and recruitment for senior appointments in HE has resulted in the development of accountability frameworks that have ensured more effective compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty within the 2010 Equality Act, which requires the HE sector to place equality considerations at the core of their activities. 

Women in horse racing: The research on women’s under-representation in senior roles in British horse racing was defined by the Racing Foundation as a “catalyst for change”  and resulted in the establishment of a national steering group to promote gender and other diversities by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), as recommended by the research. The research was instrumental to the establishment of the first Diversity in Racing Steering Group, as stated in a press release by the BHA and reinforced in its first action plan. This also led to the appointment of a Head of Inclusion and Diversity and drove a cultural shift by taking action to achieve a better gender balance in British Racing’s governance to promote greater inclusion. The developments instigated by the research findings have far-reaching implications as British horse racing employs 85,000 people and it is estimated that 40% of its spectators are women. Moreover, beyond the UK context, the research findings were shared with the Asian racing community by a representative of Women in Racing at the 2018 Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, South Korea.