| Back to Menu |
Background Revision Outline
Key Words
- Prejudice
- - making a pre-judgment about someone, usually on the basis of a stereotype of a group they belong to - without even knowing them.
- Discrimination
- - acting towards someone (usually unfairly) on the basis of prejudice.
- Racism
- - discrimination against people because of their race or skin colour.
- Sexism
- - discrimination against people because of their gender.
- Multi-ethnic
- - many different races and people from culturally diverse backgrounds living together in a society.
- Multi-faith
- - many different religions being practised in a society.
- Mono-faith
- - a society where only one religion is tolerated.
- Religious Pluralism
- - where all faiths are accepted as having an equal right to co-exist.
The Race Relations Act 1976
- it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone because of their race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins in the area of jobs, training, housing, education and the provision of services;
- it is unlawful to use threatening or abusive or insulting words in public which could incite racial hatred;
- it is illegal to publish anything likely to cause racial hatred.
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000
This new Act came into force in April 2001.
- It provides new laws for race equality
- It strengthens The Race Relations Act 1976
- It also complements the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which made racist violence and harassment specific offences.
The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry stressed that "If racism
is to be eliminated from our society there must be a co-ordinated effort
to prevent its growth. This needs to go well beyond the police services...
it is incumbent upon every institution to examine their policies and practices
to guard against disadvantaging any section of our communities."
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 is the first significant amendment to The Race Relations Act 1976 in almost 25 years.
- It meets a recommendation made in the Inquiry Report that the full force of race relations legislation should apply to the police;
- It goes further, strengthening the 1976 Act by outlawing race discrimination in all public functions; and
- It places a positive duty on public authorities actively to promote race equality - that is - to avoid race discrimination before it occurs.
|
The Commission for Racial Equality
The Commission was set up by the Government in 1976 to ensure that The Race Relations Act 1976 was enforced.
- to fight against racial discrimination
- to ensure people understand the importance of giving everyone an equal chance, whatever their race, colour, ethnic origin or nationality;
- to monitor how the law is working and make suggestions for improvement.
|
The Roles of Men and WomenOver a hundred and fifty years ago, women did not have as many rights as men in Britain. During the twentieth century, women have gained equal rights with men.
They are now able to possess property in their own right, vote, have equal pay for equal work and have the same opportunities for jobs and careers and provision of services.
In 1994, almost as many women as men were in paid jobs. This also means that men and women are more likely to share responsibilities for running the home and raising children.
Britain as a Multi-ethnic SocietySince World War 2, a shortage of workers led to the government of the 1950s inviting people from Commonwealth countries, people from different cultural backgrounds,
to come to this country - Afro-Caribbeans, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Chinese from Hong Kong and so on. The 1991 Census revealed that only 4.8% of the British population came from ethnic minorities,
and half of these were born and brought up in Britain. It will be interesting to see what this year's census (2001) reveals.
Britain as a multi-faith societyAll religions have equal rights (although Christianity - and in particular, the Church of England - is the State religion).
A multi-faith society has many benefits:
- it increases tolerance and understanding;
- it gives people an insight into other people's beliefs;
- it helps people to think seriously about their own beliefs.
On the other hand there are problems in a multi-faith society. The nature of faith is such that each may believe that his/her own beliefs are the only truth or superior to others (otherwise, presumably, they would not believe).
Some are so convinced of this that they openly try to convert believers in one religion to their own faith.
There are people and organisations in Britain that work together to show consideration and respect for each other.
|