What is it about?
Equality monitoring (EM) involves collecting diversity data of job applicants or employees to assess the current state of diversity and inform practices to increase it. We surveyed UK and Swedish adults, finding that EM was viewed positively overall by ethnic minorities and majorities, though more so by women than men, and more so in the UK than Sweden where EM is less common. UK white males who felt they had experienced employment discrimination in the past were less positive. The results suggest a need for clear communication to avoid confusion of EM with positive discrimination, and reassure about data confidentiality.
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Why is it important?
Equality monitoring (EM), or the collection and use of data on the background of employees, job applicants and service users, is widely used in countries such as the UK, Finland and Ireland, but less so in others (for example Sweden). The data can be used to help organizations monitor representation and inclusion, help with devising policies to aid diversity management to increase inclusion, and to provide statistics to government on representation in society. Though it is used a lot in some countries, and bodies such as the EU and UN have called upon members to do more of this in the fight against discrimination, public perceptions of equality monitoring have not been studied. This study is therefore the first, to our knowledge, to investigate in detail public opinions of it, whether it makes an organization more attractive as a potential employer, and if there are group and national differences in how people react to it. If this data collection is recommended widely, then it is important to know if the public has confidence in the process, and in particular to find out the views of those for whom the data collection is intended to help - under represented and minority groups. In countries where it is uncommon to collect personal data (like religious background, ethnicity and sexual orientation) such as Sweden, but where there are strong calls to collect such data, what are attitudes towards it and are people comfortable in providing it to organizations? If EM is to taken up by more EU member states, it will be important to know how cultural differences influence the reception of it and this can inform how we implement it.
Perspectives
Equality data on representation of groups in our society can be a powerful aid in creating a fair and equal society. It can raise public knowledge about where inclusion is not happening, and help us find ways of increasing inclusion. I come from the UK, the country that collects the most equality data, and so I had seen it as a normal thing, that organizations and government would use to assess the state of equality and inclusion in society. When I moved to another European country, however, I became aware that such data was not collected routinely and even seen as controversial, despite calls from major equality bodies and the EU to collect more. When I looked into this further, I could not find academic research on how the public perceived equality data collection or if people are happy and comfortable in providing personal data in the form of questionnaires about the characteristics protected in anti-discrimination law (ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so on). If we are to do more of this data collection, then as a starting point, I believe it is important to ask the questions.
Amanda Heath
Linneuniversitet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Is employer collection of diversity data attractive to potential job seekers? Ethnicity and sex differences and a UK–Sweden comparison, Personnel Review, August 2022, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/pr-10-2021-0735.
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