Highlights from last week’s equality and diversity news: MPs vote against legislative protection from caste discrimination, Leicester University investigating gender segregation at public event, some interesting statistics in HEFCE report on non-continuation rates in higher education, and tips to improve workforce diversity.

Last week, MPs voted against adding caste discrimination to the Equality Act 2010, arguing that legislation will not help to stamp out the problem. As the House of Commons debated the issue, hundreds gathered to protest outside the Parliament. Caste discrimination is an issue affecting particularly the Asian community in Britain and current legislation offers no protection from discrimination on the basis of caste.

The University of Leicester has launched an investigation into a public lecture organised by its student Islamic society for imposing gender segregation at the event with separate entrances to the venue for men and women. A spokesperson for Leicester said: “The University will not interfere with people’s right to choose where to sit. If some people choose to sit in a segregated manner because of their religious convictions then they are free to do so. By the same token, if people attending do not wish to sit in a segregated manner, they are free to do so.”

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has published a report on non-continuation rates for full time first degree UK entrants to higher education institutions (HEIs). The report contains some interesting statistics – in 2010-11, at the end of year one, Black entrants had the highest percentage of no longer in HE at 11.3% (as compared to other ethnic groups) and mature entrants were more likely to leave HE at 11.6% (as compared to younger students) whereas disabled entrants and female entrants were more likely so stay in HE, as compared to non-disabled entrants and male entrants, respectively.

Finally, we came across an article on tips for improving diversity in the workforce by Helen Wells, director of Opportunity Now. Helen makes some interesting points and stresses the importance of embedding ‘agility’ through flexible working and of developing an inclusive leadership to ‘lead by example’.

Write to us: Equality.and.Diversity@lse.ac.uk.