New UK Bill Requires More Females, Blacks & Gays On Staff
Marissa Brassfield — April 30, 2009 — World
According to the UK’s new Equity Bill from Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman, state-funded organizations like the BBC must diversify their staff with more black, female and gay individuals so as to more accurately reflect the population.
In their piece about the UK’s Equity Bill, the Daily Mail spoke quite extensively about the car show “Top Gear,” which features three men and their love of cars. The show has been cited by women’s studies and sociology professors as sexist, with a need to be more female-friendly. Under the Equity Bill, the triumvirate of Clarkson, Hammond and May would have to be amended to include a more diverse team of presenters.
Thankfully, there’s some common sense from the other end of the aisle, courtesy of Autoblog:
What do you think about the Equity Bill? Weigh in below.
In their piece about the UK’s Equity Bill, the Daily Mail spoke quite extensively about the car show “Top Gear,” which features three men and their love of cars. The show has been cited by women’s studies and sociology professors as sexist, with a need to be more female-friendly. Under the Equity Bill, the triumvirate of Clarkson, Hammond and May would have to be amended to include a more diverse team of presenters.
Thankfully, there’s some common sense from the other end of the aisle, courtesy of Autoblog:
Top Gear’s producer Andy Wilman released a statement in response, calling out the mandate and its supporting egg-heads by saying “our regular viewers know, on account of them normally having more common sense than politicians or academics, Top Gear is a male show, in that it revolves around three males enjoying their love of cars.”
Wilman went on to say, “this sort of claptrap is very patronizing to women, because it assumes women can’t enjoy a show’s presenters on merit, but can only appreciate a program if spoken to by one of their own sex.”
What do you think about the Equity Bill? Weigh in below.
Trend Themes
1. Workplace Diversity - The Equity Bill from the UK Labour Party highlights the growing trend for diverse workplace environments, raising opportunities for companies to change their hiring practices and reflect the diversity of their communities.
2. Inclusivity - The Equity Bill's mandate for gender, racial, and sexual diversity highlights the increasing importance of inclusivity in all industries, presenting opportunities for businesses to develop innovation designed to be more inclusive for a broader range of people.
3. Gender Equality - The Equity Bill emphasizes the need for greater gender equality, indicating the potential for businesses to develop practices that support women's leadership and career advancement opportunities.
Industry Implications
1. Media - The Equity Bill and its impact on Top Gear highlights changes in the media industry toward diversity and inclusivity, creating opportunities for businesses to develop programming that accurately reflects diverse communities.
2. Automotive - Top Gear's depiction of an all-male team reflects outdated norms in the automotive industry, presenting a need for innovation that re-evaluates traditional gender roles and advances more gender-inclusive messaging.
3. Politics - The Equity Bill's mandate reveals government's role in promoting diversity and equality, presenting innovation opportunities for policy-makers to create practical and meaningful change for historically marginalized groups.
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