Definitions
Learn more about the diversity dimensions and how the University is working to celebrate and integrate diversity into its business to become a better place to learn and work.
What does diversity mean to different people?
Equality and diversity have relevance to each member of the University community:
- staff to make you a better colleague, teacher, manager;
- students (current and prospective) so that you have every opportunity to fulfil your ambition and potential;
- stakeholders so you know that we are a vibrant and exciting community and that we value our staff, our students and our suppliers and are working to meet national goals and standards;
- suppliers, partners and community who work with us to make the most of our diversity.
Equality versus diversity
Diversity and equality are not interchangeable, they are supportive of each other.
Equality
Equality is about treating other people fairly. Equal pay for equal work for example. Not treating people fairly is wasteful, as eventually they will feel undervalued and leave an organisation, department or subject discipline. Equality is supported by legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate, victimise or harass some one because of a real or believed difference. Legislation covers sex, sexual orientation, ethnic background, religion and belief, disability, and age.
Diversity = Difference
The mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values and beliefs as assets to the groups and organisations with whom they interact.
Although the term is often used to refer to differences based on ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, national origin and sexual orientation, diversity encompasses an infinite range of individuals' unique characteristics and experiences, including communication styles, physical characteristics such as height and weight, and speed of learning and comprehension.
Diversity is about…
- Putting individuals at the heart of the business
- Creating a learning environment that respects, includes and values difference
- Treating people the way they want to be treated
- Nurturing potential
- Increasing, not dumbing down standards
- Recognising that we have prejudices and challenging them before we act
- Taking positive steps to address inequality
It’s not just about language and political correctness.
To fail to celebrate and use diversity means that we compromise on quality.
Diversity Involves
- Organisational change
- Sustained and long term strategic action
- Leaders leading by example
- Everyone - up, down and across the institution
- Integration
Diversity Delivers Positive Outcomes & Benefits
- Improved retention, progression and achievement rates
- Learning take place in an inclusive, vibrant, nurturing environment
- Graduates better prepared for the global world of work
- Better appreciation and respect for difference
- Comprehensive understanding of needs and wants of staff, students and other stakeholder groups
- Encourages contrasting perspectives and averts ‘group think’
- Improves team productivity as differences in perspective contribute to team success
- Improves employee morale and raises motivation
- Enhances LSBU’s corporate image
- Improved standards of delivery
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Difference
Difference covers a wide spectrum of personal attributes, characteristics or beliefs. Some of these might be physical, or inherited traits. We each also have our own attitudes, images and perceptions in our mind, of the world, shaped by our experiences, education and the social environment in which we have grown up.
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Diversity dimensions
Each labelled “diversity dimension” is probably more diverse than the rest of the population. Some dimensions are physical differences, others are about beliefs, preferences or attitudes. Each labelled dimension or “diversity group ” is probably more diverse within itself than the rest of the population.
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Positive discrimination
It is unlawful to choose someone (for example for a job or a committee position) because they come from an under-represented or disadvantaged group. Although at first presentation positive discrimination could be a quick and effective way of increasing the diversity of a pool of students or staff, in practice it causes resentment and devalues the post or the person that is recruited in this way.
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Discrimination
Direct discrimination occurs where a person is treated less favourably, on grounds of some difference, than another person would be in the same or not materially different circumstances.
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Indirect Discrimination
Indirect discrimination can occur where a requirement or condition is applied equally to one or more groups. Such a requirement or condition may nevertheless discriminate indirectly because the proportion of the group which can comply with the requirement is much smaller than the proportion of the other group which can comply with it.
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Hetero-sexism
Hetero-sexism is any prejudice and discrimination against individuals and groups who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans-sexual (LGBT) or are perceived to be so. It is based on the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual. Expressions of dislike, contempt or fear based on hetero-sexism are usually known as homophobia, although lesophobia and biphobia are also coming into use.
Whether through institutional practice or personal behaviour, the prevalence of hetero-sexism is likely to mean that LGBT people feel excluded and unsafe.
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Positive action
This refers to actions taken to create a more diverse workforce and help eliminate stereotyping related to any of the key diversity dimensions (sex, race, disability age, ethnic origin, religious belief, sexual orientation).
Positive action measures include:
- including the statement in job advertisements: “applications are particularly welcome from suitably qualified ….”;
- placing adverts in specialist newspapers or on email groups;
- encouraging applications from under-represented groups through writing personally to appropriate senior people asking them to nominate people from a particular group to apply;
- holding an open day or seminar for the under-represented groups to help them find out more about a course, job opportunities and to meet staff and students;
- holding interview practice sessions prior to interviews.
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Institutional Racism and Sexism
Institutional racism is defined in the Macpherson Report as:
“The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in the processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people.”
Institutional Sexism was referred to in the report by Baroness Greenfield to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, SET Fair, which considered the continued under-representation of women in science, engineering and technology.
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Stereotypes
Merriam-Webster defines a stereotype as "a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment." Racial or ethnic stereotypes are labels or categories that people use to define or describe others.
“Usually considered to be oversimplified, rigid, and generalised beliefs about groups of people in which individuals are regarded as having the same set of leading characteristics. Stereotypes of members of a national, religious or racial group affect the impressions people form of individuals who are identifiable members of this group”
Source the Dictionary of Personality and Social Psychology
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Attitudes and Perceptions
The following definitions are derived from project implicit at Harvard University.
Implicit attitude
Attitude is a positive or negative evaluation of some object. An implicit attitude is an attitude that can rub off on related objects. Example: The company for which your spouse works is attacked in a legal suit. An inclination to believe that the company is guiltless could be a reflection of your positive attitude toward your spouse -- your positive attitude toward the company provides an indirect (implicit) indicator of the positive attitude toward your spouse. (If you believe the company guilty, the marriage may be in difficulty!) The word 'implicit' is used because these powerful attitudes are sometimes not obvious, and you may not even be aware of them yourself.
Implicit stereotype
A stereotype is a belief that members of a group generally possess some characteristic (for example, the belief that women are typically nurturing). An implicit stereotype is a stereotype that is powerful enough to operate without conscious control. Example: Try answering this question: Is John Walters the name of a famous person? If you suspect yes, and especially if you were more likely to think yes than if the question had been about Jane Walters, you might be indirectly expressing a stereotype that associates the category of male (more than that of female) with fame-deserving achievement. And this may be the case even if there is a famous female with a similar sounding last name (e.g., Barbara Walters). This type of judgment was used in one of the first experimental studies of implicit stereotypes (Banaji and Greenwald, 1995).
Explicit attitudes or beliefs
Explicit attitudes and beliefs are ones that are directly expressed or publicly stated. For example, if you've ever responded to opinion surveys, the responses you typically gave there would be considered explicit attitudes or beliefs.
What is the difference between 'implicit' and 'automatic'?
Unconscious, automatic and implicit are closely related. They all refer to mental associations that are so well established as to operate without awareness, or without intention, or without control.
What is the difference between 'preference' or 'attitude' and 'association'?
An 'association' is the degree to which one concept is connected to, or associated with, another concept. For example, a person may associate science with males more than females because of beliefs about different competencies or an observation of different participation rates in science. This type of association would reflect a stereotype: the association of a concept (science) with an attribute (male or female).
A 'preference' or 'attitude' is a specific type of association. An attitude is the association between a concept and an evaluation such as good-bad, positive-negative, or pleasant-unpleasant.
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