From municipal feminism to the Equality Act – Legislation and gender equality work in UK local government 1980-2010

Abstract

For decades local government has been an important site for the development of gender equality practice, and the implementation of legislation attempting to address inequality in the UK. The rise of 'municipal feminism' during the 1980s marked a particular instantiation of gender equality work. Yet at the time the relationship between this phenomena and legislation was not given significant attention. The Equality Acts of 2006 and 2010 have been key milestones for local government gender equality work subsequently, yet little work has considered the detail of their implementation at the ground level by council employees. This article contributes to addressing this gap by examining the influence of legislation on local government gender equality practice at this level, and how this has changed over three decades. It draws on findings from a comparative historical study of three sites within the UK.

The Drop in Worry about Crime and Its Gender Gap: Trends in England and Wales from 1998 to 2019/2020

“…The last few decades of UK history have been shaped by an increase in initiatives and policies enacted to tackle gender inequality and address issues of women's rights or lack thereof (Ross, 2018). Policies such as the Equality Act 2010 or Shared Parental Leave and Pay have contributed to the rise in gender equality.…”

“…The gender gap in worry about crime indicates that women are more likely than men to restrict their everyday behaviour, making the gender gap in this area a marker of gender inequality (May et al, 2010;Van Eijk, 2017). As other areas characterised by gender inequality have changed significantly over the decades, the gender gap in worry about crime may have undergone similar changes (Government Equalities Office, 2019;Ross, 2018). Haynie's (1998) study, which ended in 1994, found a narrowing trend in the gender gap of worry about crime.…”

The Relationship between Islamic Law and the Concept of Gender Equality Based on Maqasid Sharia Perspective

“…This verse provides an overview of the equality between men and women both in the dimensions of worship and in social activities such as career, work and profession. This verse also completely erodes the view which states that there are differences between men and women, thereby discriminating between the two (Conley & Page, 2018;Johnson Ross, 2018;Mateos et al, 2022;Pierotti et al, 2018). This can be seen from the dimension of worship, anyone who performs worship will get a reward regardless of gender.…”

A holistic approach on workplace risk assessment through methodological consideration of human characteristics

“…In that sense, they were excluded from taking part in public life, politics, education and certain professions. However after the Second World War and especially at the late 1980's, when the campaign for gender equality entered the "third wave" many have changed regarding gender equality (Ross, 2018;U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1980).…”