EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity
Unit 1: Exploring Equality and Diversity

Assessment

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Please note that this Assessment document has 11 pages and is made up of 5 Parts.

Name: BELAGIE ABANG AYUK

Part 1: Living in a diverse world

1. What is meant by diversity?

To me the word diversity is DIFFERENT and VARIED. People are different and unique in character and thoughts. Gender, Ethnic groups, Religion, Culture, class, Age, etc.

2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of:
Interests
Beliefs
Ages
Lifestyles
Personal, social and cultural identities.

The community I live in is very diverse with people of different ages(young , elderly) we have lots of people from different ethnics like Africans( Somalia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Egypt morocco Algeria etc.) people from the European countries, and Asia. and we enjoy a lot of different cultures, like cuisines, lots of different churches (beliefs) .we have all sorts of different churches from Methodist to catholic to Baptist , evangelic. Lots of talented people with different hobbies like, swimming, football, etc.The community offers a lot for the children during summer vacations and other holidays. Like football tournaments, sports week, cake bakes competitions and many others. .

3. Explain how the variations in question 2 contribute to the diversity of the community.

It enhances and benefits the community in so many ways. The people have a wide range of experiences and opportunities. The young learn from the old and the old too from the young. A variety of friendships and relationships is incurred. We have the possibilities of learning different languages and other cultures.

4. Give some examples to explain how diversity:
Enhances your life
Enhances the local community
Enhances this country.

I have learnt new languages, met people from different ethnics and exchanged ideas.
The community has benefited in lots of ways like, having a variety of different restaurants, different activities for all ages, different religion,
Multiple opportunities, the luxury of different cultures ( different cuisines, beliefs, relationships and friendships) Different personalities and interests( likes and dislikes).

5. Describe what it means to respect people’s differences and why it is important to respect differences.

Respecting people’s differences is accepting everyone for who they are. We must not be or think the same way. The same way we could gain positively from our similarities, it is the same way we could gain positively from our differences.
It could enhance our society in many different ways.

Once you have completed this Part of your Assessment, save the work you have done so far – you will need to send your work to your tutor for marking when you have completed all five Parts of this Assessment.

Part 2: Describing yourself in a diverse society

1. For a person you know, describe the individual factors that make him / her who they are.

Name: RUTH

Defining factors
Brief description
Physical characteristics

She is a smartly dressed girl with her hair always pulled back. She is always on heels.
Emotions

She is always happy, kind and loving.
Likes

She is a brilliant student and a mother.
Dislikes

She doesn’t like football.
Values and beliefs

She is devoted and attends mass every Sunday and also helps out in her community.

2. Describe yourself in terms of:
Personal interests
Religion / culture
Geography.

I love music, sports and also jogging. My husband and I go jogging every evening and once or twice a month, we go climbing. Once or twice a month I also go clubbing with girls and we have a lot of fun. On Sundays I go to church and say my daily prayers every day. Sometimes I go on retreats with my church community. I love everything about my home town limbe in Cameroon. I love the smell of roasted fish in the evenings, the smell of roasted meat and most of the sound of the sea at night.

3a. Explain what is meant by having multiple identities.

People identify or describe us based on what they see or know about us( information they have on us). So by doing so, we turn out to have multiple identities.

3b. Give three examples in relation to people you know.

Example 1:
Bertrand is a loving husband, a parent, a work colleague and a footballer.

Example 2:

Ben is a student, a footballer, and a work colleague.

Example 3:

Ruth is a mother, a dancer, a work colleague. She is a member at PTA and the gym club. She is a devoted church member too.

4. What is meant by shared identity?

Shared identity is when two or more people share the same characteristics. (Personal interests, religion/culture and geography. )

5. Explain and give examples of how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups.

A person belonging to different groups means being a member of one or two groups in the society.
Example: Gym club, age, coming from the same home town, sharing the same culture and interests, etc.

6. Describe yourself in terms of your multiple identities.

I am a proud mum to my son, a loving wife to my husband, an elder sister to my sisters and brothers. A Colleague and a dedicated student.

Once you have completed this Part of your Assessment, save the work you have done so far – you will need to send your work to your tutor for marking when you have completed all five Parts of this Assessment.

Part 3: Stereotyping and labelling

1a. What is meant by stereotyping?

Stereotyping is fixed, commonly held, usually simplified and generalised idea over a group of people or class who share the same characteristics..

Example: Some years back, women were stereotyped of being not intelligent, so they were not allowed proper education and given opportunities to work in high places.

1b. What is meant by labelling?

Labelling is similar; it happens when you assign a person or a group of people to a particular category because of the way they look, the religion they belong to, etc. Once a person is labelled they are often judged with the assumptions that go along with stereotyping.
Example: all blacks are criminals.

2. Explain why some people stereotype others.

The reason why people stereotype others is because, they feel the need of making a quick sense of the world, for social and class comparisons and most of all to be able to fit in.

Stereotyping gives them a sense of life and also makes them feel secure in the society.
Example: Linda having to lie about how are parents is rich just to be part or fit into the riche children’s club.

3. Provide two examples of the damaging effects that stereotyping and labelling can have on people.

There are several ways that stereotyping and labelling can have damaging effects on people. For example:
Accepting negative labels: When people accept negative labels found in many stereotypes, then they may become self-fulfilling.
Eg: if Ruth believes because she is coming from a poor background, gives her no opportunity of going to university then she will not try and do so. If people around her share this view then little will be done to encourage poorer people to attend university.

Conflict: If someone holds strong negative views about someone else, then this can lead to an unwillingness to cooperate, verbal conflict and physical conflict. The ability to logically and sensibly resolve differences are often ignored instead insults and violence will be used.
If I know that Ruth is violent, I wouldn’t want anything to do with her because I have it in my head that she is violent.

4. Provide at least two examples of the way stereotyping is perpetuated in society.

Stereotyping is perpetuated in the society by:
The views of parents / family ‘taught’ to young children.
Examples:
The views found in the media.

Once you have completed this Part of your Assessment, save the work you have done so far – you will need to send your work to your tutor for marking when you have completed all five Parts of this Assessment.

Part 4: Prejudice and discrimination

1. Define prejudice and discrimination.

Prejudice is an unfair or an unreasonable preconceived view or judgement that is formed without being based on any specific grounds or sufficient knowledge.

With prejudice, the views held about certain groups of people are negative and they are applied to an entire group and they are strongly held.
Example: a group with different gender / race / ethnic origin / sexual orientation or with a disability, will be described in negative ways

Discrimination means treating a person or a group differently often or mostly in a negative manner, based upon a number or numbers of characteristics. These are a few key terms that are used when talking about discrimination
Direct and indirect discrimination
Dual discrimination and multiple discrimination
Positive discrimination
Discrimination arising from disability
Discrimination by association
Protected characteristics

2. Explain how people may develop prejudices.

People may develop prejudices in many different ways. But the most common ways are by socialisation and over generalisation.

Socialisation: The way people may develop this type of prejudices is by learning them from other people, such as family and friends. A person will experience the views of these people on a daily basis, and there will also be the influences of the media and the views of high profile people.

Example: Brandon, being brought up in a household, family and community that shares the same ethnic background (all white), may assume another ethnic group is less intelligent, less hygienic and are all criminals.

Over generalisation: This type of prejudices occurs when a person has a powerful experience and then generalises it to a particular group. This is usually caused by their strong negative experience. It may well be very sensible to dislike or distrust, but the over generalisation is not always accurate.

Example: Brenda (white girl) was molested by an African man 10 years ago, and now she hates all African men because she thinks they are all molesters.

3. Describe the following types of discrimination.

Type of discrimination
Description
Dual discrimination

Dual discrimination, is when a person faces a direct discrimination on two grounds.

Example; Alice is not allow to get into the gym because she is black and a Muslim too.

Multiple discrimination
Multiple discrimination, is when a person faces discrimination on several grounds.

Example; Alice is disable, lesbian and a Muslim. So she may face, religious, disability discrimination, homophobia and gender prejudice

Positive discrimination

It is a practice of giving a form of advantage to a group of people in the society / community often subject to discrimination and prejudice.

Example; Alice can attend the gym at the community centre for because she is disable.

Discrimination arising out of disability

This is when a person, is denied any opportunities to enhance their lives.

Example; Alice is denied to the opportunity of studying at the university of Bristol because she is disable and needs much more attention than the other students
Discrimination by association
Discrimination by association is when one is faced with decimation and prejudices because of the people they are associated with.

Example; Alice’s partner faces harassments, because Alice is black.

4. What is meant by the term protected characteristics?

The term protected characteristics is to seek to legally protect people who may suffer discrimination. In a diverse society, people will possess a wide variety of characteristics and qualities. If one or more of these characteristics are used as a reason for treating a person unfairly, then it is call discrimination. These protected characteristics are:
Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief (including lack of belief)
Gender
Sexual orientation.

5. What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination? Give two examples to illustrate your point.

Direct discrimination is when a person is treated less favorably than the way other people are or would be treated. Just because of who they are (personal characteristic).
Example: Alice being denied an apartment because she is black.

Indirect discrimination is when rules or practices, which are applied equally to everybody, put certain people at a disadvantage.
Example: Alice not being able to have a school meal because she is Muslim and the school meal is made with pork.

6. Describe the effects that discrimination and prejudice can have on people.

Discrimination and prejudice has sometimes been a matter of life and death in some countries and cultures, because people facing discrimination and prejudices usually end up with a low quality of life.

People being killed because of their race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.
People being subjected to physical attacks and verbal abuse.
People being deprived of legal rights.
People being denied education, jobs and opportunities.
People being generally treated as outsiders and second class citizens.
People accepting the negative views of themselves.
People being denied the rights to vote or express themselves.
Communities and whole societies having greater conflict and being less efficient and missing out on the gift everyone can bring to communities.
Communities and societies built on hatred and contempt.

Once you have completed this Part of your Assessment, save the work you have done so far – you will need to send your work to your tutor for marking when you have completed all five Parts of this Assessment.

Part 5: Having an equal opportunity

1. Describe what equal opportunities means in relation to:
Education:
1. People from poorer back ground, being able to have or offered the same opportunities to study at the highest and best universities like any other riche people. By having this type of education, they enhance their lives.
2. Women having the same opportunities as men to attend the best universities.
Housing:
People, who are deprived of the opportunity to get access to appropriate housing, can have an impact on the quality of their lives. This means that public, social and private housing cannot be allocated on the grounds of discrimination. Before, landlords could choose the races or ethnic groups that could not live in their properties. But it is no longer the case.
Healthcare:
People should not be denied or get les treatment opportunities because of their races, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Treatments should be based purely on the medical condition that is being treated. This way, people have a more equal opportunity to receive appropriate healthcare. There must also be sensitivity to the needs of particular groups when they are being treated.
Employment:
Without legislation in place to encourage equal opportunities at work, many people would be economically and socially disadvantaged. There are lots of legislation for the preventing discrimination in the workplace and encouraging equal opportunities. Examples:

1. People being treated unfairly in the workplace because of their sexual orientation
2. People being treated unfairly because of their ethnicity
3. Women being paid less money than a man for doing exactly the same job.

2. Outline the inequality problems that persist in terms of pay for men and women.

Manager positions are mostly offered to men
Less pay for women for the same position.
Higher wage for men on the same similar skill level to a woman’s job.
Women being unable to provide for their families, because of low income.

3. Describe two other signs of inequality that haven’t already been covered in this Assessment.

Height: there are certain jobs that require certain heights. Like the military, the police force, basketball, and some few others requires a person with a certain height of minimum of 1m60. While some other jobs like jokey horse riding require a petit persons. However I think anybody can do well in all the jobs listed above, if given the chance to.

Size: some jobs or places requires or specify the exact shape and sizes they are looking for. The media portraits pictures of skinny girls saying it is the ideal size and causing every little girl to go extreme miles wanting to be like the girls on TV.

Example:
1. Alice staves herself because she wants to be like the girl on D&G’s publicity.
2. Judith can’t work at the fashion magazine because the required size is maximum 75kg and she weights 90kg.

Now that you have completed all five Parts of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.