Understanding Equality and Social Diversity: Concepts and Interdependence

Introduction

Equality refers to the breaking down of barriers, and also eliminating discrimination, in order to ensure equal opportunities, as well as access for all individuals (Powell & Sang, 2013). In this regard, the concept of equality ensures that every individual is treated equally and fairly, with no form of less favorability, whilst considering their needs, especially in areas such as race, disability, sexism, religion, gender, age, amongst other areas (Thompson, 2016). In promoting equality, discrimination is more likely to be eliminated, in all these areas, and the basis of this claim is supported and also protected by the UK law, such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1975. For those seeking assistance, UK dissertation help can provide valuable support in understanding and applying these concepts effectively. On the other hand, social diversity refers to recognizing the fact that every individual is different in various ways, whether visibly, or non-visibly (Humphries, 2017). As such, it is concerned with the creation of culture, as well as practices, which purpose to recognize, value, and also respect individual differences (Harrisr & Foster, 2010). Overall, it is notable that the concept of social diversity and equality are inter-dependent, and not inter-changeable, owing to the fact that there can exist no equality of opportunities, in an instance where difference is neither harnessed nor valued.

This essay expound will discuss the issue of equality and diversity in contemporary societies. In this regard, it will begin by providing a clear understanding of social exclusion, whereby, it will provide its definition, the concept of citizenship and its implication on equality and diversity, and finally, the contributing factors of social exclusion. Following these, this essay will provide into deeper details, the concept of social diversity and equality, whereby, it will provide the effects of two social divisions (disability and sexism), the implication of disability and sexism on social diversity and equality. Finally, this paper will provide some implications for health and social care practitioners.

Social exclusion

Social exclusion refers to a complex, and a multi-dimensional process, which involves denial of resources (such as social resources, and economic/material resources), rights, goods, as well as services. Moreover, it also involves the inability to participate in normal activities, or relationships, which are available to other individuals in the society, whether based on economic, cultural, social, or even political arenas (Humphries, 2017). In this regard, social exclusion impacts negatively on an individual’s quality of life, equity, as well as cohesion of the society wholly (Rutland & Killen, 2015). Nobody should be socially excluded, especially when he or she is a citizen of the country. As such, the following section explores on the concept of citizenship.

The concept of citizenship and its implication on equality and diversity

A citizen is a person living in a country and has certain rights, privileges, and duties to his or her state, like loyalty to the government (Duffy, 2010).On the other hand, citizenship refers to the status of having the title “citizen.” In other words, it refers to a set of duties, identities, as well as rights, which link a citizen to the government (Isin & Saward, 2013). Whilst considering the concept of citizenship, the diversity principle makes it evident that differences are respected, and as such, all citizens are regarded as valuable, and also equal. Based on this perspective, citizenship poses as an ideal concept, which appropriates the issue of equality and diversity. Evidently, the citizenship concept discounts the notion of social diversity and equality, thereby, implying that an individual is not required to meet any standard or norm, in order to be regarded as an equal citizen. This is owing to the fact that all individuals have equal rights, and should not be subjected to any form of prejudice (Banks, 2014). This As such, it is evident that all citizens are lawfully equal, but also different and this brings forth diverse citizenship. The contributing factors of social exclusion are as provided below.

Contributing factors of social exclusion

It is evident that social exclusion has various contributing factors. First is the political exclusion, which can include denial of the rights of citizenship such as the right to personal security, political participation, rule of law, equality of opportunity, as well as freedom of expression. Political exclusion notes that a state should purpose to grant civil liberties, as well as basic rights (Ashley & Empson, 2013). However, it does not act as a neutral agency; rather, it causes dominant classes in the society, thereby, enhancing discrimination between different social groups. The neutral agency comes in, in an instance where the rights of individuals are not observed, because of a form of dissimilarity with others (Rutland & Killen, 2015). Second is economic exclusion, which includes denial of access to various labor markets, credit, or even other “capital assets.” The third is social exclusion, which takes the form of social discrimination against various dimensions such as gender, age, and even ethnicity (Martin, 2016). In this regard, individuals in these groups are denied access to various social services, and also their involvement in the labor market is limited. The fourth is cultural exclusion, and this refers to the manner in which diverse values, ways, as well as norms of living are not taken into account, thereby, bringing forth social exclusion (Greene & Kirton, 2015). Overall, the contributing factors of social exclusion may lead to poverty, death, or even suffering, and these are attributed to unequal power relations. Having discussed the concept of social exclusion, this essay will then focus on deeper details on social diversity and equality. The types of inclusions included in the sections below are disability and sexism.

Social diversity and equality

Effects of social divisions- Disability and sexism

Social divisions focus on specific social groups, which are discriminated upon by others and these include age, gender, sexism, religion, and ethnicity, amongst others (Daley & MacDonnell, 2011). Neither are social divisions permanent nor are they fixed. Rather, they are socially constructed, such that when there are social divisions, it is evident that their precise forms vary from one society to another (Knowles & Lander, 2011). This part of the essay focuses on two social divisions, which include disability and sexism, and such it will provide their effects.

Society may assume that people with a disability are unable to conduct various normal activities. In fact, society uses the term disability to indicate reduction, deviation from normality, or an individual’s shortcoming, which it then reckons with (Richardson & Monro, 2012). On the contrary, it is significant to note that this group of individuals is just like other individuals as they have desires, talents, and a hard-working spirit. In fact, if given chance, they can be better than non-disabled individuals (Rutland & Killen, 2015). However, the individuals with disability, having been discriminated, often feel that they are set apart from others, and this might have a negative impact on their life. As a result, this group of individuals often feels depressed, guilty, sad, and mostly, they have a feeling of emptiness (Abberley, 2013). The table below illustrates that there is a high level of disability discrimination in the UK, and this indicates that disabled individuals face difficulty in finding employment opportunities as compared to non-disabled individuals

Disability discrimination proposes that barriers, prejudice, as well as social exclusion are factors that define who is regarded as disabled in the society and who is not. The social model purposes to make a distinction between disability and impairment and it has been worked out by individuals with disability, who feel that based on the medical model, accurate results are not provided, which provide explanations for their societal exclusion (Thompson, 2011). This is because they have noted that their experiences are not caused by their individual impairments, rather, by how the society is organized. The UK decided to introduce the Disability Discrimination Act 1975, to eliminate cases of discrimination against individuals with disabilities (Powell & Sang, 2013). In addition, in ensuring that disabled individuals can access equal rights as non-disabled individuals, the UK introduced the Equality Act 2010, which mandates that disabled individuals should not be discriminated. Citizenship underpins the diversity principle and makes it clear that differences should be respected, and as such, all citizens should be regarded as valuable, and also equal (Thompson, 2017).

On the other hand, the social division of sexism leads to unfair treatment of an individual, based on sex (Valentine et al., 2014). The primary cause of sexism is that one gender may be under-represented in the society This notes that the under-represented gender are not regarded as equal to the other gender. For instance, in the present society, women face this form of discrimination, especially in male-dominated areas, such as in building and construction. In these areas, there exist a belief that women are not capable of handling tasks that men handle, and this often creates tension, conflict, as well as a negative environment (Hideg & Ferris, 2016). However, discrimination does not only exist in the male-dominated area, rather, it also crops up in other areas where females feel that men are less capable of handling certain tasks to some acceptable level. In such instances, women believe that they are superior to men. Sexism assumptions regarding men and women reinforce an unequal condition in the society, which may possibly lead to unequal, as well as abusive personal and also professional relationships, for instance in the UK, since April 2018, an average female employee earns 8.6% less as compared to an average man. This shows a high level of sexism (Gov. UK, 2019). It is significant to note that sexism enhances negative consequences to the affected individuals, as it tampers with their mental, as well as physical well-being (Valentine et al., 2014).

On the other hand, democracy implies that all citizens should feel that they are represented and also heard. This then makes the UK government to focus on the issue of sexism equality, which contributes towards active participation of all genders in the society, whereby, there should be equal power distribution, and a balanced influence between both men and women (Roseneil et al., 2012). Sexism equality brings forth the concept of diversity, which are both purposing to change the normative, as well as policies applied in the society. The UK government introduced the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, in order to combat any form of discrimination associated with sexism and through that, it purposes to reinforce gender equality, as well as diversity measures (Healy et al., 2010). In light with such trends, the society is adapting towards promoting sexism equality, as well as diversity. Having looked into the effects of disability and sexism, the following section will provide the implications for health and social care practitioners.

Implications for health and social care practitioners

The concept of social diversity and equality are regarded as vital elements of health and social care. It is evident that appropriate social diversity and equality practices make the services, which health and social practitioners provide to their clients fair, and also accessible to every individual (Richardson & Monro, 2012). In ensuring that people are treated equally in health and social care, the practitioners ensure that all individuals are treated with utmost respect. For instance, a code of practice for healthcare profession requires that health practitioners should not discriminate their service providers in any way, and they should act as advocates to those under their care, helping them in accessing relevant social, as well as health care, support, as well as information. Diversity within health and social care provides an implication that patients and healthcare practitioners have different characteristics, and are from varied backgrounds. Visible diversity such as sexism and disability may not be noted from the beginning, but they are noted to affect care. The introduction of the Equality Act (2010) in the UK purposed to replace the initial anti-discrimination legislation, using a single Act that purposed to establish protected characteristics, which cannot in any way, provide a reason behind the unfair treatment of people (Duffy, 2010).

Each individual should be valued and as such, there are protected characteristics, as well as other individual factors that need to be acknowledged, understood, and also appreciated by health and social care practitioners (Wang, 2012). In this regard, health and social care practitioners should be obligated to significantly address various barriers to effective health care, which relate to issues of equality and diversity, which may disadvantage their clients (Humphries, 2017). This is owing to the fact that as citizens, all individuals are entitled to certain common rights, equal satisfaction, as well as needs, which include dignity. However, it is evident that in the UK, there have been reports, which highlight various concerns that are related to dignity in health and social care such as the 2013’s report on the dignity for care workers. Although there are contributing factors, such as discriminatory behavior by the health practitioners, the government needs to deal with them effectively (Hearn, 2010).

Conclusion

It is evident that social divisions (such as sexism and disability) have a significant impact on social diversity and equality. In ensuring that discrimination, based on disability is combated in the UK, there was the introduction of the Equality Act (2010), which mandates that disabled individuals should not be discriminated. Citizenship underpins the diversity principle and makes it clear that differences should be respected, and as such, all citizens should be regarded as valuable, and also equal. The UK also government introduced the Sex Discrimination Act (1975), in order to combat any form of discrimination associated with sexism and through that, it purposes to reinforce gender equality, as well as diversity measures. Moreover, social diversity and equality pose as significant elements of health and social care. Healthcare practitioners are obligated to ensure that they treat their clients with utmost respect, and equally, in order to ensure that diversity and equality are reinforced. This is owing to the fact that every individual is a citizen and all citizens deserve to be treated equally and while considering the diversity perspective.

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