The DWP have fallen

[sashh]

I've just received a letter from the DWP.

At the end it says

Equality and diversity

We treat people fairly, regardless of their disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, transgender status, marital or civil partnership status, age, religion or beliefs.


I'm wondering if this is direct discrimination against me because of my sex. Any lawyer want to take a case?

[VickyEadieofThigh]

I stopped reading, because I collapsed in hysterical laughter at:

We treat people fairly

[Agrona]

"We treat people fairily" except women.

[sashh]

Picture

[weepingwillow22]

The DWP treat all groups equally poorly

[ShiveringCoyote]

Identify as transage and demand your pension. All about diversity.

[TheShoesa]

I would email and point out that they have wrongly listed the protected characteristics. transgender status is a new one for me, I've seen gender identity before but not that.

(I have a separate email for communications like this and only ever use mobile data)

[Kit19]

its depressing that even government depts cant get the protected characteristics right!

[sashh]

email sent


I have received a letter today from the DWP. At the end it states,

"Equality and diversity. We treat people fairly, regardless of their disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, transgender status, marital or civil partnership status, age, religion or beliefs."

I am seriously concerned at this wording. The Equality Act has 8 'protected characteristics' , they are:

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Race
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation

Due tot he nature of the benefits system more women than men claim benefits, yet the DWP has seen fit to remove the protected characteristic of 'sex'. Sex is not the same as gender and many people want to see the end of 'gender' as a social construct.

The commission of @sex' directly discriminates against women and girls. The omission of 'gender reassignment' also directly discriminates against those undergoing reassignment.

Under the equality act there are sections where discrimination is legal, eg a swimming pool can offer a women's only session but not one for men if there is a request from women but not from men. The intricacies of the law rely on actual legal definitions and from a government department the ignorance of the law is shocking.

Please consider this a formal complaint under the equality act that you are discriminating against me, directly, because of my sex by not including that in your statement.

[TheShoesa]

Have they all been trained by Stonewall by any chance?

[LastTrainEast]

They get it right on their page for their own employees so I've contacted them too suggesting it's a mistake.

[Ooof]

OP Are you staff or a claimant?

[sashh]

@Ooof

Claimant. Does it matter?

[CrazyToast]

SO many places use sex and gender interchangeably. They probably think gender is sex. Email them to ask.

[Igmum]

Great response OP. Here's hoping they pay attention to it

[SarahTancredi]

Isnt there a 9th?

Pregnancy and maternity or am I remembering wrong?

[Ooof]

Well yes it matters. You have absolutely no idea of equality within DWP then do you?

[salsa899]

I think they're mistaking Stonewall law from the actual law.

[terryleather]

Isnt there a 9th?

Pregnancy and maternity or am I remembering wrong?

You're correct Sarah...and it's one that only affects women, strange that....

[BaronessSnippyPantsofCroneArmy]

Well done OP, we all need to push back against this nonsense whenever we can.

[sashh]

Pregnancy and maternity or am I remembering wrong? That's a section in the 'sex' category. It's because you can discriminate in favour of a pregnant or breastfeeding woman like allowing breaks and a space
to express milk but not offering the same to men.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

It's considered a separate protected characteristic. There are nine.

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/protected-characteristics

[sashh]

I've had a reply

The use of the word gender, as opposed to sex, does not imply that the Department treats either sex (female or male) differently.



Gender means either of the two sexes (male and female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female. Thus gender includes both sexes as well as all other identities, so is more inclusive not less.



If you wish to complain about the way DWP has treated you or failed to treat you in delivering its services, details of how to do that are set out here - //www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure#how-to-complain.



You will need to give specific instances of the instances you wish to complain about.



John





John Herron

Department for Work and Pensions

[sashh]

If anyone wants to complain with me

Complaints about the department
If you have a complaint about the Department for Work and Pensions itself, write to:

DWP Complaints
Post Handling Site B
Wolverhampton
WV99 2GY

[TehBewilderness]

Send them a copy of the law and or a link and advise them they are in violation of law.
Then report to www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/contact-us

[sashh]

That's what I was thinking, you can't just decide to ignore the law. I'm also thinking I might point out that the term, 'coloured' was once thought to be more inclusive, but only from the outside, the current BLM movement would not think it was inclusive.

The entire tone is annoying me, it's in the tone of, 'silly little women needs educating', I mean I've taught this stuff for years.