Defining equity, diversity and inclusion

This glossary lists key terms and concepts you can build on to start creating a more inclusive workplace.

Key terms

An ally is someone who is not from a marginalised or oppressed group but who supports and takes action to stand up and tackle the inequalities and discrimination faced by those groups.

Anti-racism is the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes that promote racial equity in society.

In its broadest sense, discrimination is when anyone is treated differently to someone else. In the equity space, it considers how people are treated differently based on their protected characteristics, such as age, race and disability. There are several different types of discrimination which are explained in the following section. 

Diversity is the range of people in an organisation or profession. For example, this means people of different ages, ethnicities, genders, religions, sexualities and people with disabilities.

Equality means each individual or group is given the same resources or opportunities.

In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protections in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone. 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the statutory body established to help eliminate discrimination and reduce inequality. 

Equity recognises that to reach equal outcomes, individuals need different levels and kinds of support. Learn more about the difference between equity and equality.

There are many different interpretations of what language should be used to discuss race and ethnicity. The term 'Global Majority' is used to refer to the people in the world who do not consider themselves or are not considered to be white. This term can be useful because it is said to decolonise language: people who are not white are often referred to as 'ethnic minorities', although they make up approximately 85% of the global population.

Inclusion is about individuals and groups belonging to – and being valued by – an organisation or profession. It means the thoughts, contributions, presence and perspectives of different people are actively valued and integrated into the working environment. 

An inclusive workplace is characterised by active cultures, processes and practices which ensure individuals and groups are psychologically safe, free from discrimination, properly supported, empowered to collaborate and inspired to innovate. This allows everybody to perform at their highest level.

Intersectionality is about recognising how an individual’s race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and other characteristics or identities may overlap and compound each other when facing discriminations and disadvantages. 

LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer or Questioning and any other identities under the sexual orientation and trans umbrella.

Protected characteristics are the characteristics which are protected under the Equality Act 2010 (England, Scotland and Wales). These are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex sexual orientation.

Northern Ireland’s equality legislation covers disability, religion or belief, gender reassignment, sex, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, age, sexual orientation, political opinion, race and carer status.

The Public Sector Equality Duty is the legal framework from the Equality Act that requires public bodies to consider all individuals when carrying out their day-to-day work. This includes shaping policy, delivering services and their treatment of their own employees. 

Representation of a group within an organisation or profession means their perspectives, experiences and issues are understood and they’re able to make meaningful contributions at every level.

What is discrimination?

The Equality Act 2010 lists four types of discrimination:

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Hate crimes

The law recognises five types of hate crime on the basis of:

• Race
• Religion
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Transgender identity 

Any crime can be prosecuted as a hate crime if the offender has either:

• demonstrated hostility based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity
  
  OR
  
  
• been motivated by hostility based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity

Someone can be a victim of more than one type of hate crime.

The police and the Crown Prosecution Service have agreed the following definition for identifying and flagging hate crimes: 

"Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person's disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity or perceived transgender identity.”

There is no legal definition of hostility so we use the everyday understanding of the word which includes ill-will, spite, contempt, prejudice, unfriendliness, antagonism, resentment and dislike.

For more information about reporting hate incidents, please visit the True Vision 'Report it' website .

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment occurs when a worker is subjected to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.

Unwanted conduct can include a wide range of behaviours, such as:

• spoken words
• written words
• images
• ‘banter’
• social media posts
• physical gestures
• facial expressions

On 26 October 2024, the new Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force. The Act introduced a new positive legal obligation for employers to take reasonable steps to protect their workers from sexual harassment.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced technical guidance on sexual harassment and harassment at work.

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