Equal-Works

Background

The images of far too many jobs are still falsely stereotyped: mechanics are men, carers are women, and so it goes on.

Even though anti-discrimination legislation is in place to ensure that women can become first-rate motor mechanics and men the perfect carers, they often don’t take up the jobs because working cultures and environments are hostile to their gender or ethnic background. More importantly the perceptions of employers, fellow workers, friends, families and surprisingly careers advisers and teachers, often reinforce the stereotypes.

The expectation of others is often the biggest barrier preventing people pursuing their chosen career.

So whilst legislation is in place to promote equal opportunity, the reality is that barriers still exist and when a job has an image of traditionally being done by people of a particular gender or ethnic background then suitable non-traditional applicants simply don’t apply.

Aims

The principal aim of the GERI DP is to tackle the problem of under utilisation of females’ skills. GERI
aims to challenge outdated concepts of gender and ethnic occupational stereotyping.

Objectives:

The project will delivered the folowing activities:

1. Research: The project conducted one to one interviews with young people and other targets, to collect research information.
2. Identification of individual and organisational role models: Project research and publicity harvested a range of role models whose help we will seek to obtain, to achieve improved awareness of opportunities in occupations dominated by men or women and to encourage others to follow through any aspirations to pursue non-typical career choice.
3. Publicising individual and organisational role models: This will be done through the production of a suite of materials to include a DVD, an Internet site, a suite of teaching materials, leaflets, posters, adverts, newsletters, exhibition panels, workshops, seminars and conferences. Role models will be incorporated into new guidance materials.

Main Outcomes

Upon completion of the EQUAL Round One funding programme the GERI (Gender Equality Race Inclusion) Project Ltd was established as a not-for-profit company.