Gender

The Equality Act 2006 gives all local authorities general and specific duties to promote gender equality for men and women.  This covers employment, the provision of goods and services and policy development.  The duty is intended to improve the situation for both men, women, boys and girls.  Gender roles and relationships structure men's and women's lives.  Women can be disadvantaged by policies and practices that do not recognise their greater caring responsibilities, the differerent pattern of their working lives, their more limited access to resources and their greater vulnerability to domestic violence and sexual assault. 

Men can also be disadvantaged by workplace cultures that do not support their family or childcare responsibilities, by family services that assume they have little or no role in parenting, or health services which do not recognise their different needs.  Both sexes suffer from stereotyping of their roles and needs.  The duty should help the public sector and those working with it, to identify and respond to stereotyping, sex discrimination and sexism, resulting in improvements for all.  Woking Borough Council now has a Gender Equality Scheme which was created in consultation with local community groups and employees of Woking Borough Council.