Small wins - Company changes policy wording!

[Pixilicious]

Last Tuesday I emailed our Director of Compliance and Ethics:

"Hi Director

Detailed in Corporate Policy xxx - Human Rights - there is a statement, as below, that lists all the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, plus others, but excludes Sex. Can you tell me why this has been omitted please?

"COMPANYNAME promotes diversity and equality and does not unfairly discriminate on any ground, including (but not limited to): race, caste, religion, colour, ancestry, marital status, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity, age, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, veteran status or any other category protected by applicable law."

I do find it concerning that more and more sex and gender are being used interchangeably when they are not the same thing. The language we use is important, as sex, the biology of male and female, is what is protected in law, not gender, the social construct/stereotypes of masculinity and femininity.

Is there an opportunity to review our policies to ensure we use the word sex where we actually do mean sex?

Thanks, Pixilicious"

After a short email conversation, he's emailed me today to say they have changed it to Sex and it has been approved and will be published shortly!

Woo Hoo!!!

Now for me to go through some more poicies and scrutinise the wording....

Still waiting on my complaint...

Well done Pixi

Well done Pixi!

That is outstanding. Well done - your message was perfect and a great result.

Well done Pixi 😊😊 excellent email

Great stuff

Well done

Well done! x

Well done.

Well done!

✊✊

I'd like to be brave enough to try this at the company I work for.

Great result - well done you!

Well done!

Pleased to report that DH in his diversity and inclusion training in the NHS today was able to tell the trainer that 'Sex(gender)' is not actually a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

Good to know he has been listening!

Commenting to make sure this thread is in my watching list as I noticed recently that sex had been replaced with gender in something at work & I need to find it again and send a similar message.

I was watching the beeb the other day when they used the word gender in the context of an animal. Is that a thing? Wish I could remember what I was watching.

well done.

I notice one of the universities who I've written to and 'have passed it on to the department responsible to make the updates needed' is on the Stonewall Champions List as is another, who has now changed theirs. I wonder if Stonewall hand a hand in writing their policies and if anything will arise from it

Eyes Stonewall have definitely had a huge part (via the EHRC) via their diversity training in removing the word sex and replacing it with gender.

It's part of their drive to remove 'Sex' from the EQ Act 2010 to be replaced with 'Gender Identity'. Every single 1st, 2nd, 3rd sector company that has had diversity training will have had (from the top) gender written in to their EDI material which will have cascaded throughout companies. Younger employees running EDI services in companies who may have been through University recently will have been indoctrinated with the use of 'Gender'.

It needs to be challenged, everywhere.

Well done you for your win on this!

@Galvantula - honestly, I was crapping myself!

Brilliant! Well done

I commented on another thread to this in similar vein. I cannot see what basis there could be for disciplinary action by an employer against an employee who simply requests that the employer’s equality and diversity policy includes all protected characteristics specified in law. It would not be a ‘good look’ for an employer who declines to include sex for example if that employer were later to find itself in a tribunal accused of sex discrimination.

We're also Stonewall "champions" and have trans education in inclusivity week. 😕

I'm going to download the equality policy for a look. I know they have put gender instead of sex, but I'm going to look at the wording.

I have put a meeting in next week with our diversity lead (and stonewall champion!) for a conversation on reviewing all relevant policies to replace sex with gender when referring to discrimination. And if they won’t I’ll raise a complaint. I am seizing the day!

Well done!