Promote people not stereotypes

The Equal Opportunities Commission’s new Promote people not stereotypes campaign aims to bust myths about ethnic minority women at work. Designed to take the messages from our recent Moving on up? investigation into Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black Caribbean women’s employment out to a bigger audience, our campaign resources include:

• Mythbuster leaflet
• Be inspired booklet of positive role models
• Key statistics report
• A3 posters featuring a fire officer, an engineer and a chief executive

Visit www.eoc.org.uk/bme to find out more about the campaign and download these resources.

Who inspired you? Many people said they would like to see more positive role models of black and Asian women. Our campaign features a few, but the Equal Opportunities Commission would like you to tell them about the women who inspired you. Visit www.eoc.org.uk/bme to find out more.

A related project: The Fawcett Society has set up a three year programme to promote the voices, needs and interests of ethnic minority women so that changes in policy and practice deliver real improvements to their lives. For more details search ‘Seeing Double’ on www.fawcettsociety.org.uk

Black Minority Ethnic (BME) women’s experiences in the workplace in the North West

Aim of the study:
The Centre for Equality and Diversity at Work, Manchester Business School in collaboration with the European Social Fund are conducting a research study, specifically aimed at examining the experiences of Black Minority Ethnic (BME) women who have either experienced or witnessed (of another BME woman), the following sexual harassment behaviours at work in the past five years:

• visual (leering);
• verbal (sexual teasing, jokes, comments or questions);
• unwanted pressure for sexual favours or dates;
• unwanted touching or pinching;
• unwanted pressure for sexual favours, with implied threats of job
• related consequences for non co-operation;
• physical assault;
• sexual assault.

Sexual harassment can take many forms including face-to-face, over the telephone, (verbally or text based), and via email (Stanko, 1988)

Despite the importance of sexual harassment as a barrier to employment, very little is known about the experiences of Black Minority Ethnic (BME) women. In today’s diverse society, an understanding of these issues is imperative, to ensure that all vulnerable groups in the workplace are protected. It is essential to understand BME women’s experiences of sexual harassment as developing this insight will help to ensure that effective workplace policies an training are implemented and delivered, and that the largely ignored issues of sexual harassment and BME women in UK organisations are addressed.

Who are we looking for and what does it involve?
We are looking for Black Minority Ethnic (BME) women who live or have worked in the North West who have experienced or witnessed (i.e. of another BME female) any of the behaviours at work listed above in the past five years to take part in a face to face interview or telephone with a trained, experienced researcher, to discuss their experiences. We appreciate this is a sensitive area and we are keen to assure participants that all information will be confidential and anonymous. If you would like to participate in this important, groundbreaking study, one of the project team will contact you to arrange a convenient date, time and place to conduct the interview. We very much value your participation and as an appreciation of this, we will make the final report and recommendations available to you upon request.

If you are interested in participating in this rewarding study please contact the research team on:

Tel: 0161 306 3499 or email jackie.kan@mbs.ac.uk