Gender and Equality of Opportunity in the Public Service

Author(s): Adrian Hallmark and John Kremer with Research and Evaluation Services
Commissioned by: Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland
Document Type: Report
Year: 1994
Publisher: Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland
Place of Publication: Belfast
ISBN: 09066 4634 0
Subject Area(s): Employment, Gender, Equality Issues


Background to the Research

  • This project was directed towards the 106 public service organisations in Northern Ireland which were represented by their Chief Executives on the Chief Executive's Forum at that time. The research addressed four primary issues: (1) The extent to which equal opportunities policies had been developed, the length of time they had been in existence, the length of time they had been in existence and the origin, availability and scope of policy statements. (2) The level of resources committed by organisations to the promotion of equality between men and women. (3) The extent to which the organisations had examined the position of women employees and barriers, both to and in employment. (4) The range of physical steps taken to promote equality of opportunity and planned actions.

Research Approach

  • A database containing summaries of all equal opportunities documentation from the sample was compiled.

  • Structured and semi-structured interviews were carried out with a range of individuals, including Equal Opportunities Officers, Chief Executives and Trade Union Representatives.

  • Focus Groups were held with selected staff from certain organisations

Main Findings

  • A diversity of organisations are subsumed under the banner of public service and a complexity of relationships exist between a great many of these bodies. This complexity makes the task of identifying structures and responsibilities a difficult one. Consequently, on certain occasions officers within organisations (and in particular small organisations) appeared to be unsure as to which equal opportunities, if any, applied to their department or division.

  • There are diverse responses to the issue of equality of opportunity within the public service in Northern Ireland and this diversity naturally made the task of drawing general conclusions troublesome. Fortunately, there were policy issues common to a significant number of organisations, thus such themes could be reported on.

  • Equality of opportunity, whether in terms of gender or any other dimension of equal opportunities, will never become a reality so long as it continues to be regarded as a stand-alone management function. The management of equal opportunities must be seen as an integral part of day-to-day running of any organisation.

  • There were very different perceptions of each organisation as seen through the eyes of people working either in them at different levels or within them in different roles. From a management perspective, and irrespective of the research brief, large variability in the perceptions of organisational values, structures and cultures by employees must be a cause for concern and must raise fundamental question marks about communication and coordination within a great many of these public service bodies.
 

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