I’ve often had a chance to reflect on the lack of diversity around me, not least during eight years as MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, sitting in Parliament surrounded by mostly white, middle-class men. But it was in a remote African village that I realised how “different” I was. I arrived with a dozen MPs and greeted the reception party: the chiefs and their entourage shook hands until they came to me.
They assumed I was a strange type of Sherpa and handed me the luggage.
Whether you’re an African chief, a captain of industry or Jamal Bloggs, it’s easy to typecast people. We make assumptions — especially in the workplace — about who is the “right type of person” for the job. As a result, many groups are under-represented or excluded.
The need for greater diversity in the media, where I work, is as urgent as it is in the professions, Parliament and the public sector. We’re further adrift than most people realise. For example, in the “real world”, just over half of British people are women. But in “TV world”, only a third of television people (fictional characters, newsreaders, chat show hosts etc) are women, and I would hazard a guess that they are disproportionately pretty and under 30 at that. Disabled people and gay people fare even worse.
Yet businesses are realising that a diverse workforce can help to recruit and retain the range of talent they need. The demographics are compelling. By 2025, nearly half the population will be aged over 50. Organisations that don’t make their jobs attractive to older workers will potentially miss a huge talent pool.
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Then there’s the younger workforce. Generation Y, we’re told, want different things from their employers: flexible work, a good work/life balance and working for something they believe in.
Even during a recession, when everyone is careful who they hire, it is talent, skills and the flexibility to cope with changing circumstances that employers say they need most. The economic situation should not be seen as an excuse to push diversity on to the back burner. Instead, it is a call to action.
The Equality Act brings all of Britain’s equality legislation into one place. It places a duty on the public sector not only to take account of race, disability and gender but also to consider areas such as age, sexual orientation, religion or belief and gender reassignment.
Yesterday, I was part of a panel at the NHS Employers equality and diversity conference in London. The subject under discussion was how to put the rhetoric of equality and diversity into practice.
Barts and the London NHS Trust, which covers my former electorate, serves a population of two million in Europe’s most diverse community. It seems obvious that the closer the workforce reflects the community it serves, the better patient care will be. And this principle extends to any business or profession.
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All leaders, no matter what their backgrounds, need to understand the importance of diversity and to drive it throughout their organisations. Beyond the employment market, we need to tackle inequality in so many other areas: schools, housing, health provision, political representation, and social mobility. And, if we’re going to be ready for the future, we need to start now.
? Oona King is Channel 4’s adviser on diversity and a former MP.