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inequalities
A guide to planning
better services
Foreword
This guide is designed to help people consider inequalities from the outset
when designing projects and programme. It is intended to be used by all
partners and stakeholders in the Community Planning process.
This guide has been developed by the South Lanarkshire Community
Planning Partnership, in conjunction with Oxfam. It came out of a two
year project in which Oxfam has assisted the Community Planning
Partnership, and in particular the Community Regeneration Partnership,
to look more closely at the gender inequality implications of its
regeneration work. It has shown us that while project staff and partners
want to tackle inequality, often they lack the information about how to do
it. We hope that this booklet will go some way to redressing that.
Councillor McAvoy, Chair, South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership.
Oxfam works to overcome poverty all over the world. Millions of people in
the UK dont have enough money to live on. Oxfam believes that in a rich
country this is unacceptable.
In the UK, Oxfam supports poor communities to develop the skills and
confidence to talk to decision-makers. We also work directly with public
agencies, like local authorities, to raise awareness of the different needs
of men, women, and people from minority groups. This approach builds
stronger communities, with people better able to tackle their own problems.
Oxfam wholeheartedly recommends this booklet produced in
partnership with South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership. We
believe that if all public agencies in Scotland, England and Wales used
this approach, service provision would be better quality because it would
target the different needs of women and men.
Kate Wareing, Director, UK Poverty, Oxfam
What is inequality? 7
Section 1 8
Inequality in our communities
Income 8
Ethnicity 10
Gender 12
Disability 13
Age 14
Locality 15
Section 2 18
Project development cycle
Section 3 26
Information by sector
Appendix 30
To me, inequality is not having the same choices and access to things as others
6 Inequality is an inbalance of power and opportunities Peter 7
because of beliefs, opinions and money. Janice
Income Children brought up in areas of social deprivation or in care have the lowest
levels of educational attainment.3
There are currently an estimated 240,000 children in Scotland living
Economic inequality has become
in poverty.4
a striking feature of the UKs
socio-economic structure. Income Thirty-one per cent of women workers are low paid.5
inequality stands at historically- One quarter (23%) of people in Scotland live below the 60 per cent median-
high levels and asset inequality has income level.6
increased since the 1990s, with the Over 40 per cent of households with a disabled person have an overall
top one per cent of the population income of less than 10,000.7
now owning nearly a quarter of all
All identified minority groups had higher than average rates of poverty.
marketable assets.1
Rates of poverty were highest for Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Black
Britain is one of the wealthiest Africans, reaching nearly two-thirds for Bangladeshis. Rates of poverty
countries in the world, and yet were also higher than average for Indian, Chinese and other minority group
one-in-five people are living in households.8
poverty. Poverty is defined as The current rate of Jobseekers Allowance benefit for a single adult is 59.15
those living below the 60 per per week. This is roughly 25 short of the poverty line as defined by the
cent median household income Scottish Government.9
level. In 2004/5 this was 100 for Just under one-fifth of working age people are claiming benefits in South
Section 1 a single adult, 183 for a couple
with no dependants and 186 for
Lanarkshire. Women are more likely to be Lone Parent claimants and men
are more likely to claim Job Seekers Allowance.10
Inequality in our a lone parent with two dependant
communities children.2
Percentage of males and females on low incomes
Income, whether from paid
employment or state benefits, This chart shows that in Scotland 2005/06, women were slightly more likely to
This section of the live in relative low-income households (both before and after housing costs)
obviously is an important factor in
booklet illustrates peoples lives.
than men.11
what inequality in our
communities looks like
Income inequality, and the poverty it 20 AHC BHC: Before housing costs
causes, has many different faces. AHC
BHC
BHC
AHC: After housing costs
15
AHC
Percentage
AHC
BHC
BHC
10
0
Male Female Male Female
- Relative low income - - Absolute low income -
In Great Britain, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women with similar qualifications Indian 536 0.18% 0.30%
as white women are 30 per cent more likely to be out of work. This is despite Pakistani 968 0.32% 0.63%
the majority of women reporting that they want to be in paid employment.15 Bangladeshi 29 0.01% 0.04%
Between May 2004 and March 2007, 1,050 migrant workers from the Other South Asian 165 0.05% 0.12%
Accession 8 countries (the eight eastern European countries that joined the
European Union in May 2004) registered in South Lanarkshire. Forty-three Chinese 718 0.24% 0.32%
per cent were men and 57 per cent were women. The largest proportion was Caribbean 48 0.02% 0.04%
Polish (63 per cent), followed by Estonia (12 per cent), Slovakians (8 per African 111 0.04% 0.10%
cent) and Hungarians (7 per cent).16
Black Scottish
Over half of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Black African children in the UK are /Other Black 43 0.01% 0.02%
growing up in poverty, with 70 per cent of Bangladeshi children growing up
poor.17 Mixed Background 482 0.16% 0.25%
The ethnic population in South Lanarkshire has a younger profile than the Other Ethnic Group 304 0.10% 0.19%
population as a whole; 54 per cent of the ethnic population is under 30 years
of age as opposed to 36 per cent of the wider population.18 Total All Groups 302,216 100.0% 100.0%
Inequality is...not fair...The people who suffer most from inequality are the ones
10 Inequality is having to battle against unfair perceptions. Lorna 11
that have the most to gain and the most to give. Mark
Gender Disability
There is a widespread belief that gender equality has been achieved in There are around one million disabled adults in Scotland one-in-five of
Scotland. However, significant inequalities between men and women still the adult population. They include people with mobility, sensory and mental
persist. Mostly it is women who are disadvantaged, although in some health conditions, and learning disabilities. Disability is often combined with
instances boys and men suffer too. Womens disadvantage, arising from further disadvantage for instance, people with disabilities are often also
discriminatory attitudes and beliefs, as well as structural inequalities, can living in poverty.
be seen both economically and socially throughout the UK. Disability is usually associated with issues such as wheelchair access,
guide dogs and perhaps learning disabilities. Yet disability can include the
development of serious depression, behavioural difficulties, HIV and even
diabetes.27
Disabled persons can fully participate in society if attitudinal and physical
barriers are removed.
12 Inequality is not being able to be the person that you are or want to be. Simon 13
Age Locality
Scotland is changing in a fundamental way: older people form an It has been estimated that one in eight people in South Lanarkshire live in
increasing proportion of our population, and will play a vital role in our the most deprived areas of Scotland (as defined by the Scottish Index
prosperity and future. of Multiple Deprivation). There are differences in outcomes between
We are entering an unprecedented era in Scotland, and we are not alone. people living in these deprived areas and the wider population in South
All over the world, other countries are also beginning to consider the Lanarkshire. Often affluent and deprived communities can sit side by side,
implications of big changes in the age structures of their populations.35 but the ability to access services, and the quality of those services, can be
Population statistics indicate that the number of people aged over 65 is set quite different in each area.
to rise by nearly 60 per cent over the next 25 years. There is also a rural dimension to inequality. South Lanarkshire is not
A recent study found that older people are not often involved in the design always perceived as rural, but 25 per cent of its population lives in a rural
of services and, consequently, services may not always be tailored to their area. Within this diverse rural area there are areas of hidden disadvantage.
needs and aspirations. In addition, older people may not always be treated The effects of poverty and social exclusion can be the same as those in
with dignity and respect by the health system. some urban areas, but the causes and solutions to this exclusion in rural
areas can be very different. People living in rural communities can face
For older people from minority ethnic backgrounds, the situation can often isolation from services, job opportunities and activities that are taken for
be compounded by other inequalities; they can often live with multiple granted in urban areas. This isolation is often exacerbated by lack of public
forms of illness and disease, can be poor, socially marginalised, and have transport and local service provision.
low expectations of services. Higher personal visibility in small rural communities can be inhibiting,
leading people to hide their problems from their neighbours, instead of
seeking help.40
The prevalence of ill-health among older people seems to be increasing from South Lanarkshire has 56 areas classed as being in the most deprived 15
generation to generation.36 per cent of areas in Scotland; it has 13 areas in the most deprived five per
cent in Scotland. Therefore, approximately 45,000 people live in the 15 per
Among people aged 50-64, 54 per cent of Bangladeshis and 49 per cent of
cent most-deprived areas in Scotland, and 10,000 within the worst five
Pakistanis reported a limiting long-standing illness, compared to 27 per cent
per cent.
of the general population in this age range.37
Job Seekers Allowance claims in rural South Lanarkshire were slightly
Older people struggle with everyday household activities such as bathing,
higher than in the whole South Lanarkshire area in 2005, although Income
using the stairs and tending the garden. One in five (22 per cent) finds it
Support and Disability Living Allowance claim levels were lower.41
increasingly difficult to get around their own home.38
In one of the more deprived areas of South Lanarkshire, the percentage of
Scotland has the lowest life expectancy for women in the European Union,
S2 pupils attaining level E or above in reading is 28.6 per cent, compared to
and the second lowest for men (after Portugal).39
71 per cent of S2 pupils across South Lanarkshire.42
6 2
What did we learn?
What were the successes How will things change?
and failures of the project? What difference are you
Do you know how you could going to make?
improve the project? What is in place now and how
Can you factor improvements does it need to change?
into your design?
5 3
Is it working? Who will benefit and how?
Do you know who is actually using your service? Have you consulted with people who
Impact will be using your service?
Is the service reaching those people you intended? assessment Will they use the service in the
Are they satisfied with the service? time way you intend?
What is the take up amongst different parts Have you tried to contact people who
of the community? arent usually consulted?
4
What needs to happen?
In delivering this service or project, will a group or people be adversely
affected by it?
Are there different options tailored to meet the needs of different groups
or individuals?
How are you taking responsibility to ensure contractors incorporate
gender, race, age, income, locality and disability issues into their work?
By asking yourself a series of 1. What is the need? (Identification)
questions, you can ensure that
youre targeting the right people Unless statistics are collected and disaggregated, it is almost impossible
and getting the best results, without to understand how a service will impact on different groups of women and
compounding inequalities. men. Ideally, you should have access to statistics disaggregated by sex,
race and disability. [See Appendix for suggestions about where to look for
These six questions are: this.]
1. What is the need or problem? It will be equally difficult to set meaningful targets and indicators and to
2. What needs to change? measure the success of any service without base-line statistics.
3. Who will benefit and how? Ask yourself:
4. What needs to happen? What needs or gaps will be filled by this project or service?
5. Is it working? Is the need the same for everyone in the community?
6. What did we learn? Are there particular people or groups that need help?
What do I need to know to make sure this project is of benefit to
There are four simple but important the right people?
principles:
We must plan and act according
Helping people back into work
Section 2 to need;
We must be clear about what One of South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnerships key
Project we hope to achieve and responsibilities is to help people back into work. So the Council is
development cycle whether weve achieved it; developing projects and services that will help people wanting to
We must plan, act and find work.
This section explains how evaluate in partnership with For this to be efficient and targeted, it is vital to know:
our legal duties interlink communities; Who is unemployed in South Lanarkshire? Are there more
with tackling inequality. We must be committed to unemployed men than women? Are people with disabilities more
learning from what we do likely to be out of work?
and applying this learning to What are the different reasons why these people are not working?
improve our effectiveness. Is it because of caring responsibilities or because they have health
difficulties themselves?
What are the different benefits they receive? Are the benefits linked
to their barriers to work? Will they lose entitlement to those benefits
if they start working?
What jobs are available? Where are they located would they need a
car? Are they compatible with other responsibilities such as caring?
Inequality is the divide between rich and poor which economically threatens the
22 provision of health, education and social trends for the weaker and older parts of 23
society. Julie
6. What did we learn? (Evaluation) Impact assessments and tackling inequality
Evaluation is the task of assessing the data collected throughout the life Impact assessment is a process of systematic assessment and
of projects in order to identify its successes and failures. Service delivery consultation to find out what effect a policy, service or strategy is likely to
should be a learning process that involves finding out what works and what have on different groups in the community.
does not and taking action to redress problems. This information can be The assessment structure should be in place right from the start and
both qualitative and quantitative. should extend to monitoring the actual effect once it is put into practice.
Ask yourself: Impact assessment, monitoring, and consultation should be seen as
Can you measure the changes that have taken place because of integral parts of policy and service development processes. (As illustrated
the project? on the diagram on page 16 and 17).
Do you know if one group receives a greater benefit than others? If This booklet is designed to complement impact assessment processes. It
so, how will the imbalance be addressed? can be used in tandem with partners own impact assessment forms.
Is there a need for additional data collection and do targets and
indicators need adjusting?
Procurement and contracts
What lessons are there for improving future services? Who needs to
be informed of this? Public agencies must comply with their equalities duties throughout the
procurement of a contract, from planning it through to monitoring it. They
must consider the relevance of the equalities duties and incorporate
Best-fed Babies appropriate terms into their contract documentation to ensure that they
meet their statutory duties.
Best-fed Babies was a programme aimed at improving mothers nutrition
during pregnancy and among women on low incomes, to increase Public authorities need to make it clear to tenderers and ultimately
numbers of those breastfeeding. The mothers received vouchers to buy contractors what is expected of them, including that if contractors are
healthy food to encourage better eating in pregnancy. regarded as carrying out a public function in performing the contract, they
themselves will also be subject to the equalities duties.
This scheme was introduced after a study showed that babies born in
the Hamilton/Blantyre area were almost twice as likely to be born with a If in doubt, seek legal advice.
low birth weight as those in the rest of Lanarkshire. Health professionals
believe that birth weight is an early indicator of health in later life.
However, when statistics were analysed of who was accessing this
scheme, the project managers discovered that mothers in high-income
brackets were using this programme. So, the project managers changed
the eligibility criteria to make the scheme better targeted at those who
needed it most women on low incomes.
26 Inequality is people not getting what they need or have a right to. Kay 27
Boys are more likely than girls to have particular support needs for Decision-making
educational or behavioural reasons.
At the present rate, the House of Commons will not be representative of
Financial inclusion the United Kingdom until 2085.
A third of low-income households have no home contents insurance, Fifteen per cent of council leaders are women.
compared with virtually no households on above-average incomes. The number of women elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2007 was
Men owe twice as much money as women, but women are more likely to reduced to 33 per cent, from 39 per cent in 2003.
struggle with debt. Women are less likely than men to think that the government is good at
Women are more likely to use sub-prime credit than men credit which listening to people.
is easier to access, but costs more in interest rates, sometimes up to 100 While women are under-represented at decision-making levels across
per cent. the board, this is even more pronounced for women of black and
There are four groups of women who have particularly high levels of minority ethnic origin. Most BME representatives in decision-making
debt problems; young women, lone mothers, women who have gone bodies are men.
through relationship breakdown, and black and mixed race women.
Crime and safety
Sustainability Young men are most at risk of being a victim of violent crime. Thirteen
In one survey it was found that men appear to place more importance per cent of young men were victims of crime in the past year, compared
on living sustainably than women. Seventy-two per cent of men were to seven per cent of women.
making small changes in their daily lives to live in a more sustainable A female victim of domestic violence has an average of 11 contacts with
way, for instance by walking rather than driving, buying local produce, agencies before getting the help she needs. This rises to 17 if she is
saving energy and recycling. The majority of women were carrying out black.
only one regular action, predominantly recycling.
Women are more likely than men to perceive crime as a problem and to
More women than men died in the 2003 European heat wave. be worried about crime.
Scotland is expected to have warmer, wetter winters and increased
storminess, including intense rainfall events likely to lead to flash
Young people
flooding. Young people aged 16 to 19 classed as not being in education, training
Global warming needs to be taking into account when designing new or employment are not a homogenous group; they have different levels
infrastructure, but any sustainability planning will have to consider of engagement with the labour market. This can be for reasons such as
accessibility issues. disability, long-term sickness and caring responsibilities.
There is little difference in the rates of between men and women who
Leisure and sport arent in education, training or employment despite being seen as an
After age, gender is the key factor in participation in sports and physical issue predominately relating to young men. The rate of men classed
recreation. Womens levels of participation are, in general, lower than this way in South Lanarkshire is 9.2 per cent, compared to women at 9
mens. per cent.
Areas with a better-educated population with higher incomes and good- The number of men considered as Young People Needing More
quality facilities have higher levels of participation in sport than those Choices and More Chances has been falling since 2002-2003 and is at
areas with lower incomes. the lowest level ever, but for women it is different, showing no consistent
There is a wide variation in sports participation across Scotland; the patterns.
lowest levels of participation are concentrated in the west of Scotland.