Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
DSPI has always championed, through its research, the voices and experiences of complex and marginalised individuals and organisations. We are committed to doing the same for our staff, students and partners through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.
Reflecting on how social processes such as systemic racism, hetero -and neuro-normativity, class, sexism, citizenship and religion shape life chances and opportunities, we especially want to encourage, support and learn from the experiences of individuals who self-identify as belonging to a minoritised group.
How we are supporting Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Our EDI strategy embraces three broad interrelated areas of focus: Visibility, Voice, and Vocation.
Visibility
Our visibility strategy focuses on celebrating and supporting everyone’s achievements, accomplishments and struggles, and ensuring that our overall approach to EDI is transparent. At the core of our visibility approach is the provision of a platform/space to make diverse journeys and pathways visible, to ensure that we all take and learn from one another, and that we grow and embed best practices based on this learning.
Voice
In terms of voice, we want to encourage everyone to be involved in departmental decision-making and agenda setting. We aim to provide a safe space for everyone’s voices to be heard and opportunities for their concerns to be raised and addressed. We all have a story, and we want to listen to yours.
Vocation
Our goal with regard to vocation is to be more inclusive, not just in terms of representation, but in terms of enabling all staff and students to feel empowered to develop and progress as they would wish. To this end, we will review, reflect and monitor our hiring, teaching, managing and research practices. We will also incorporate and embed best practices with regard to communication, training, consciousness raising and social interactions.
Athena Swan Award
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework used worldwide to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research. You can find out more on the Advance HE website.
We are proud that DSPI has attained a Bronze Award of the Athena Swan Charter, confirmed with a Bronze Award certificate. Our key priorities and action points for 2024-2029 are outlined in our action plan.
University’s Equality and Diversity Unit Home | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
- University Equality Policy Equality Policy | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
- University Diversity Funds Diversity Fund | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
- Returning Carer’s Fund Returning Carers Fund | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
University Harassment Policy Harassment Policy | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
- Harassment procedure - University Staff Harassment Procedure - University staff | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
- Harassment procedure- Students Harassment Procedure - Student | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
University Transgender Policy Transgender Policy | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
- University Transgender Guidance Transgender Guidance | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
Health and Wellbeing
- NEW: Menopause in the workplace Menopause in the workplace | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
University supporting families, parents and carers
- Family Leave Family leave | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
- Nursery/child care Information Home | Childcare Services (ox.ac.uk)
- My Family Care
Disability Support Disability support | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
Allies and Networks Networks | Equality and Diversity Unit (ox.ac.uk)
Internal
- Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Services Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service | University of Oxford
- Counselling and Mental Health- Student Counselling and mental health | University of Oxford
- Counselling service- University employee Employee counselling service | Occupational Health Service (ox.ac.uk)
- Student-led Support Student-led support | University of Oxford
- Disability Advisory Service Disability | University of Oxford
- Occupational Health Home | Occupational Health Service (ox.ac.uk)
External
- National and Local services and support Emergency contacts | University of Oxford
Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 was passed to consolidate and supplement existing anti-discriminatory laws in England, Scotland and Wales (and some parts of Northern Ireland). The Act seeks to protect people and their protected characteristics from all forms of discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief and sex.
Our duty to you
The Equality Act 2010 decrees that we must have the ‘due regard’ to the need to: eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation within our community, to advance equal opportunity to our students and staff, and to promote good relations between individuals of differing protected characteristics.
Therefore, the Act deems direct discrimination and indirect discrimination unlawful.
We regard this responsibility with utmost importance, and it is our priority to create an inclusive community for our students and staff. We are will to take initiative outside this Act to ensure this.
Direct discrimination
Direct discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of a person due to:
- Their protected characteristic
- Perceived membership to a group or possession of a protected characteristic (also known as discrimination by perception)
- Their association to a person whose protected characteristic is being discriminated against (also known as discrimination by association)
It is possible for the aggrieved person to be discriminated against by an individual who shares the same protected characteristic as themselves.
Indirect discrimination
Indirect discrimination occurs whereby a policy applies to everyone but in effect puts a certain group of people with shared protected characteristic at a disadvantage. In such situation, the individual or organisation that enforced the policy must demonstrate a good reason for the policy’s implementation.
The intention to discriminate does not need to be present in order to for a policy to be discriminatory or for the enforcing body to be liable for discrimination.
In order to prove indirect discrimination has occurred or is occurring:
- There must be a policy which has been implemented and is applied to all
- The policy must evidently disadvantage people with protected characteristic when compared to others who do not share this protected characteristic
- The aggrieved person must be able to demonstrate how the disadvantage has affected them personally, or will affect them
- The organisation that has implemented the policy cannot demonstrate a good reason for its application
Protected characteristics - further explanation, legal protection and Oxford University resources
Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits ageism and deems it unlawful.
The Act defines ‘age’ in reference to an individual’s age group, and when the law refers to a collective who share the protected characteristic this means that they are in the same ‘age group’.
What is ‘ageism’?
Ageism or age discrimination is to treat an individual unfairly due to their age which often leads to harm, disadvantage and injustice. Whilst older people are the common targets of age discrimination, young people can similarly be impacted by ageism.
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate ageism within the department. We have a range of support available to our students and staff at different life stages, listed below.
For All
Find out more about available support at Oxford University for menopause in the workplace.
Find out more about Oxford University’s policies and support for workers at different life stages, the legal context around age discrimination and how to prevent ageism in the workplace.
Disability is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their disability and deems it unlawful.
The Act seeks to protect people who have physical or mental impairment. Equality Act 2010 requires the impairment to have had a “substantial and long-term” inimical effect on a person ability to operate normal day-to-day activities.
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate discrimination against persons with disability within the department. We have a range of support available to our students and staff with disabilities to help them thrive and realise their potential, listed below.
For students
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Student Project- TABOU Disability Magazine.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Disability Advisory Service.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Assessment Centre (OUAC) and Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
Find out more about Oxford University’s Disability Advisory Service’s Unacceptable Behaviour Policy.
For staff
Find out more about Oxford University’s Disabled Staff Network.
Find out more about Oxford University’s support for disabled staff.
Find out more about Oxford University’s support for neurodivergent staff.
Find out more about Oxford University’s guide for staff on supporting disabled students.
Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their gender identity and deems it unlawful.
The Act seeks to protect people who identifies as transgender. Transgender people are individuals who do not identity with their assigned gender from birth and seeks to restore their gender identity through gender reassignment.
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate transphobic discrimination within the department. We have a range of support available to our transgender students and staff, listed below.
For All
Find out more about Oxford University’s Transgender Policy.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Transgender Guidance.
For students
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s OULGBTQ+ Society
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s The QPOCPROJECT Oxford.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Sexpression:Oxford.
For staff
Find out more about Oxford University’s LGBT+ Staff Network.
Find out more about Oxford University’s LGBT+ Role Models.
Find out more about Oxford University’s membership to Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
Marriage and civil partnership are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their marriage or civil partnership and deems it unlawful. Since the enactment of Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, marriage between two individuals of the same gender has been legalized in the UK and is protected by Equality Act 2010.
Pregnancy and/or maternity are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to pregnancy or maternity and deems it unlawful.
The Act protects people who have been untreated fairly for pregnancy, breastfeeding and for their recent childbirth. The laws find discrimination whereby the aggrieved person suffered a disadvantage due to unfair treatment.
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate discrimination against pregnancy and maternity within the department. We have a range of support available to our transgender students and staff, listed below.
For Students
Find out more about Oxford University’s policy for student parents on maternity, extended paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
Find out more about Oxford University’s services and support for Student parents.
For staff
Find out more about Oxford University’s guidance on completing risk assessments for the work of new and expectant mothers.
Find out more about Oxford University’s guidance on maternity leave.
Find out more about Oxford University’ guidance for employees and managers about paternity leave.
Race is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their race or perceived membership to a race and deems it unlawful.
The Act seeks to protect individuals from being discriminated against due to their race. The Equality Act understands race as inclusive of one’s: colour, nationality, citizenship, ethnic or national origins.
Importantly, the Act recognizes that ethnic groups and racial groups are also under ‘race’.
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate racism within the department. We have a range of support available to our students and staff, listed below.
For All
Find out more about Oxford University’s Race Equality Charter submission and action plan.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Race Equality Task Force.
For students
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Asia Soc.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Oxford Hispanic Society.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s South Asian Society.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Oxford University Africa Society.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of society’s our student union has to offer, you can find out more about Oxford Student Union’s clubs and societies, here.
For Staff
Find out more about Oxford University’s work to promote race equality.
Find out more about Oxford University’s BME Staff Network.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Anti-Racism Ally Network.
Sexual orientation is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their sexual orientation and deems it unlawful.
The Act prohibits discrimination against an individual for:
- Identifying as a gay, lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual
- Being perceived as having a particular sexual orientation (also known as discrimination by perception)
- Being connected to a person who has a particular sexual orientation (also known as discrimination by association)
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate all forms of discrimination against a person’s sexual orientation within the department. We have a range of support available to our students and staff, listed below.
For All
Find out more about Oxford University’s membership to Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Transgender Policy.
Find out more about Oxford University’s Transgender Guidance.
For students
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s OULGBTQ+ Society.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s The QPOCPROJECT Oxford.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Sexpression:Oxford.
For staff
Find out more about Oxford University’s LGBT+ Staff Network.
Find out more about Oxford University’s LGBT+ Role Models.
Find out more about Oxford University’s membership to Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
Religion, belief or absence of belief are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their religious belief or absence of religion and deems it unlawful.
For All
Find out more information about Oxford University’s provision for staff and students of different religious backgrounds.
Find out more information about on faith societies, groups or religious centres in Oxford.
For students
Find out more about Oxford Student Union's Chose Christian Fellowship.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Chabad.
Find out more about Oxford Student Union’s Oxford University Islamic Society
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of society’s our student union has to offer, you can find out more about Oxford Student Union’s clubs and societies, here.
Sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against a person due to their sex and deems it unlawful.
It is our priority to challenge and eliminate sexism within the department. We have a range of support available to our students and staff, listed below.
For All
Find out more information about Oxford University’s work to promote gender equality
Find out more information about Oxford University’s relation to Athena SWAN Charter
For Students
Find out more information about https://www.oxfordsu.org/societies/20037/
Find out more information about https://www.oxfordsu.org/societies/27661/
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of society’s our student union has to offer, you can find out more about Oxford Student Union’s clubs and societies, here.
For Staff
Find out more about available support at Oxford University for menopause in the workplace.
