Gender Equality Duty

The new gender equality duty came into effect on the 6 April 2007. The duty requires organisations to develop a gender equality scheme by no later than 30 April 2007. NHS organisations will also be required to address the causes of any gender pay gap and conduct gender equality impact assessments.

To support employers in preparing for the duty, we have produced some online guidance material which includes:

• An overview of the Gender Equality Duty and a step-by-step guide to producing a Gender Equality Scheme
• A presentation 'Creating a Gender Equality Scheme - Key facts and actions for NHS organisations.' The presentation includes speaker notes and may be useful for informing your relevant audiences about the duty
• A checklist to help you prepare for the Gender Equality Duty

What do NHS organisations need to do?

Health providers must think about the policies they develop and the services they deliver with the different needs of women and men in mind. You will also need to look at who uses your services, and ask questions like:

• What are the different issues and priorities for women and men who use the services we provide?
• Do they have different requirements and needs to be met by our service?
• Will women or men be put off using a service because of the lack of childcare or an unsafe or unwelcoming environment?
• Are there some services which are more effectively delivered as women-only or men-only?

NHS organisations must also look at their employment policies to see how they affect women and men. Some gender issues you may have to think about are:

• Is there a pay gap between men and women doing the same job or jobs of similar value?
• How could flexible working help staff and how will it benefit men and women?
• How do we recruit staff and are we likely to get a good gender balance of candidates?
• Do we have a gender imbalance? If so, how could we try and rectify the situation?
• Do we have a good return rate from maternity leave? If not, why and how can we improve?