This study examined the life of Benjamin Elijah Mays, in terms of discerning his character strengths and the role they played in addressing equality issues during his lifetime and beyond. Character was defined by the analytic framework of Peterson and Seligman's Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. An examination of Mays's written archived works as well as key secondary references served as data sources. Peterson and Seligman's Values In Action-Inventory of Strengths (derived from and based upon their classification scheme) was converted into if/then statements to identify Mays's character strengths and virtues associated with specific historical events. The historical context focused on the social setting/event of Jim Crow and legally sanctioned segregation. Addressed was how Mays's character assisted in bringing about the end of segregation in public venues, ushering in voting rights for all disenfranchised Americans, and his use of the church and academia to recruit champions for equality in worship and life. Mays undertook an 88 year journey toward equality, a journey that spanned second slavery, passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, implementation of and failure to enforce affirmative action plans, and 44 years as a leader in the fight against segregation. Despite the fact that both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously passed resolutions in 1983 and 2001(SRs 188 and 23; HRs 17 and 49, respectively) to award Mays the Presidential Medal of Freedom “in honor of his distinguished career as an educator, civil and human rights leader, and public theologian,” the Medal was denied by the Reagan and G.W. Bush administrations. The equality issues that existed during Mays's life continue to haunt American society, but Mays's importance to the continuing struggle for civil rights and the character strengths that he brought to this struggle are undeniable and provide fertile territory for future research. / Ph. D.

Yes / This paper describes a project undertaken by the University of Bradford library to assess systematically the accessibility of our electronic resources, and gives recommendations for others wishing to do the same with their collections. Since the 2001 Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA), academic libraries in the UK have had a legal duty to provide all students with information in a form accessible to them, an obligation strengthened by the 2010 Equality Act (c. 15) to include all kinds of impairments, not just visual. The change in information sources from print to electronic has raised further challenges to providing access to information for all library users. Electronic resources have the potential to address many of the accessibility needs of our readers, but concerns have been growing in the higher education sector that the way in which e-resources are delivered can make them less accessible.

No

No / Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities continue to experience inequalities within the U.K. mental health system despite major government policy initiatives. The authors examined the literature for causal factors for continued mental health inequalities facing BME groups and potential solutions. The authors selected 53 articles from 1991 to 2012 based on inclusion criteria encompassing all major policy initiatives and relevant literature detailing explanations of mental health inequalities. Although ethnic inequalities in mental health have been of concern for decades in the United Kingdom, a still‐significant gap exists between policies and methods of implementation. In comparison to White people, more BME people are diagnosed with mental health issues every year. BME communities are also facing barriers in terms of accessing culturally appropriate services, including lack of cultural understanding, communication issues, and where and how to seek help. Service providers need to work closely with people from BME communities prior to service design and delivery. Information should be made available in appropriate languages to support understanding about their illnesses and how they can seek help. Frequent reviews may further help assess BME communities' needs and make required changes and implementations.

Yes / Purpose – This research paper aims to examine the mental health needs of young adults and to discuss how well these are met from the vantage‐point of the patients. Young adulthood is identified as an epidemiological risk for developing mental health problems and so the care provided during these developmental years is investigated to assess efficacy and experience. Design/methodology/approach – After interviewing 35 young adults, it was found most people are aware of the genesis to their problems and have strong views about the level of support and types of treatments offered. Findings – Like other writings, this research finds that many of the needs presented by young adults are unique to this transitional phase in life and administratively determined age structures on which current mental health care is configured do not adequately meet these needs. Research limitations/implications – The small sample size (35) and the geographical region covered means caution should be exercised in drawing any generalisations. Further research on outcomes after the mid‐20s by reflecting on service experience during the 18‐25 transformational years would be a useful area for exploration. Practical implications – This paper makes some powerful recommendations on why service provision must meet service user needs and how the recent equality legislation may provide impetus to this. All of this needs to start with examining the age boundaries on which mental healthcare is designed.

Yes / An in-depth knowledge review and analysis of literature on the involvement of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff in NHS disciplinary proceedings from 2008 to 2017 as did 15 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The research findings indicate that BME staff are disproportionately represented in NHS disciplinary proceedings, there is a continuation of inappropriate individual disciplinary action and a failure to address organisational shortcomings. Six factors emerged: closed culture and climate; subjective attitudes and behaviour; inconclusive disciplinary data; unfair decision making; poor disciplinary support and disciplinary policy mis-application were all identified as underpinning the disproportionate representation of BME staff in disciplinary procedures. Disciplinary policy needs streamlining and greater clarity needs to be achieved regarding the difference between disciplinary, capability and performance issues and to this respect we make several recommendations.

Yes / The central aim of this chapter is to describe the policy and practice of affirmative action measures. It synthesizes findings from published studies and highlights the rationale, drivers, benefits, beneficiaries, effectiveness, and impacts of affirmative action policies and practices in different countries. The chapter will discuss the possible lessons from these studies and highlight the link between affirmative action policies and practices and contributions to achieving target 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

<p>Utifrån ett genusvetenskapligt perspektiv undersöktes i uppsatsen vilka möjligheter och hinder som finns för jämställdhetsarbete på ett IT-företag. En enkätundersökning utifrån en bearbetning av ett enkätförslag från JämO kompletterades med kvalitativa intervjuer och relaterades till koncernens jämställdhetsplan och personalpolicy. Att organisationen bestod av tjänstemän och hade en platt organisationsstruktur var två faktorer som antogs prägla dess genuskontrakt, ett begrepp som hämtades från Hirdmans teoribildning. För att undersöka skillnaden mellan det samhälleliga jämställdhetsidealet och jämställdhet som praktik användes två teman, arbetsmiljö relaterat till genus och attityder till jämställdhet. Resultaten visade en organisation där jämställdhet var ett outtalat ideal, medan praktiskt jämställdhetsarbete saknades. Stort individuellt ansvar och hög grad av informell arbetsdelning var delar av de interna rutinerna. De främsta möjligheterna för aktivt jämställdhetsarbete var att det fanns kvinnor och män på alla nivåer och att individens kompetens värderades mycket högt. När det gällde hinder för jämställdhetsarbete var det för det första komplicerat för såväl chefer som medarbetare att över huvud taget definiera problem i termer av genus- och jämställdhetsfrågor. För det andra riskerade den som påtalade jämställdhetsproblem att mista viktiga kontakter och uppdrag. För det tredje fick medarbetarna själva på grund av den ständiga tidspressen och bristen på ledningsinitiativ i jämställdhetsfrågor hantera genusrelaterade problem individuellt, i mån av egen tid och kraft. Paradoxalt nog medförde anammandet av jämställdhetsidealet och företagets fokus på individens kompetens att genus inte tilläts bli en uttalad faktor som kunde påverka arbetsmiljön. På grund av det doldes ojämställdhet och därigenom även vikten av praktiskt jämställdhetsarbete.</p> / <p>In this essay, the opportunities and obstacles of gender equality work were examined from a gender theory perspective. A survey was used, based on a questionnaire from the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman (JämO), which was complemented by qualititative interviews. The data was then analyzed in relation to the equal opportunities policy and staff policy of the corporation head quarters. The organization had a non-hierarchical structure and consisted of salaried employees, which was asumed to influence its gender contract – a concept derived from the theories of Hirdman. In order to examine the difference between the ideal of gender equality in the Swedish society and the gender equality in practice, two themes were used, the work environment in relation to gender and attitudes towards gender equality. The result showed an organization where gender equality was an unspoken ideal, while active work for it was lacking. In the company, a high degree of individual responsibility and an informal distribution of work were parts of the internal routines. The foremost opportunities for actively working for gender equality were the fact that both men and women were found at all levels of the company, and that individual competence was highly valued. Three obstacles were identified. Firstly, it was complicated for both managers and staff to define problems in terms of gender and gender equality issues. Secondly, those who called attention to problems risked losing important contacts and commissions. Thirdly, due to the constant time pressure and the lack of initiative from management in gender equality issues, the employees had to handle problems arising relating to gender on their own, depending on their own time and energy. Paradoxically, the adopting of the ideal of gender equality and the focus on individual competence prevented gender being seen as a factor that could affect the work environment. By that, inequalities relating to gender were hidden and thereby also the importance of active gender equality work.</p>

Syftet med studien är att undersöka upplevelsen av och arbetet med jämställdhet på ett mansdominerat företag, hur kvinnor i produktionen upplever jämställdhet och hur företaget arbetar med jämställdheten. För att kunna förverkliga syftet har vi gjort en undersökning på ett svenskt industriföretag med verksamhet i ett flertal länder. Inför vår studie har vi besökt en av deras arbetsplatser som kan ses som en klassiskt mansdominerad arbetsplats då de endast har 9,9 % anställda kvinnor. För att analysera studien har vi valt att utgå ifrån ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv och har därefter valt passande teorier om bland annat skapande av kön och könsmärkning av organisationer. Studien är av kvalitativ karaktär då det empiriska materialet samlades in genom elva intervjutillfällen med tio olika informanter. Sju av dem är kvinnor som arbetar inom produktionen och tre av dem representerar företagets jämställdhetsarbete. I resultatet beskriver vi hur företaget arbetar med jämställdhetsfrågor och hur kvinnorna upplever jämställdheten på arbetsplatsen. Vi kom fram till att kvinnorna tyckte om sin arbetsplats, men att de såg vissa förbättringsområden inom jämställdheten på arbetsplatsen. Därtill hade de flesta en önskan av ett mer transparent jämställdhetsarbete som omfattar alla i organisationen. / The purpose of the study is to investigate the experience of and the work with gender equality in a male dominated company, how women in production experience gender equality and how the company work with gender equality. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, we have conducted a survey in a Swedish industrial company with operations in several countries. We visited one of their workplaces which can be seen as a classic male dominated workplace since they only have 9.9% employed women. For the analysis of the study we have chosen to proceed from a social constructivist perspective and we have subsequently chosen suitable theories about, among other things, the creation of gender and gender labelling of organizations. The study is of a qualitative nature as the empirical material was collected through eleven interviews with ten different informants. Seven of them are women who work in production and three of them represent the company's gender equality work. In the result, we describe how the company work with gender issues and how women experience gender equality in the workplace. We found that the women liked their workplace, but they saw some areas of improvement in the field of gender equality at the workplace. In addition, most had a desire for a more transparent gender equality work that includes everyone in the organization.

La crainte d’une indifférenciation entre les sexes qui serait portée au nom du principe d’égalité est aujourd’hui prégnante dans les discours politiques et juridiques. L’ouverture du mariage aux couples de même sexe, la lutte contre les stéréotypes de genre ou encore la facilitation de la procédure de changement de sexe sont autant de réformes qui ont suscité de fortes réactions opposées à la remise en cause de la différence des sexes en droit. Il est vrai que le principe d’égalité des sexes a progressivement été construit, tout au long du XXe siècle, comme une exigence d’indifférenciation entre les sexes, notamment à travers l’affirmation d’un principe de non-discrimination en raison du sexe. En ce sens, le rapport du principe d’égalité à la différence des sexes a peu à peu été envisagé comme un rapport d’opposition. Toutefois, et c’est un point fondamental, ce projet politique d’indifférenciation rattaché au principe d’égalité des sexes butesur l’impossibilité pour le droit de remettre en cause la différence des sexes. Le droit ne peut en effet se passer de la différence des sexes, pour deux raisons essentielles : d’une part, le droit prend en compte la différence des sexes pour lutter contre les inégalités de fait ; d’autre part, le droit est lui-même producteur de la différence des sexes, par les règles de l’état civil et de la filiation. Les rapports entre le principe d’égalité et la différence des sexes apparaissent ici contradictoires : d’un côté, l’évolution de la conception de l’égalité conduit à admettre la différence des sexes en vue de remettre en cause les inégalités de genre (rapport d’admission) tandis que, de l’autre, la différence des sexes est exclue d’une analyse en termes d’égalité, confortant les fondements des inégalités de genre (rapport d’exclusion). / Many political and legal discourses express today the fear that the equality principle would threaten the difference of sexes. Reforms such as the opening of marriage to same-sex couples, the fight against gender stereotypes or the facilitation of the sex reassignment procedure, generated strong reactions that offer vigorous resistance in order to maintain the difference of sexes in law. It is true that the equality principle has been constructed, throughout the 20thcentury, as an exigence of neutrality between the sexes, particularly through the statement of the non-discrimination principle. Therefore, the link between the equality principle and the difference of sexes has been built as a relation of opposition. However, such a political project comes up against the impossibility for the law to put an end to the difference of sexes. In fact, the law cannot depart from gender, for two main reasons: firstly, the law takes into account the difference of sexes in order to tackle inequalities; secondly, the law itself produces the difference of sexes, through the rules dealing with civil status and filiation. The relations between the equality principle and the difference of sexes appear here contradictory: on the one hand, the evolution of the conception of equality leads to admit the difference of sexes in order to deal with gender inequalities (relation of admission) whereas, on the other hand, the difference of sexes is excluded from an analysis in terms of equality, reinforcing the basis of gender inequalities (relation of exclusion).