Equality and diversity highlights from last week’s news: Birmingham Metropolitan College in controversy for banning (and then reversing the ban) on face coverings including veils, launch of parliamentary inquiry on race and higher education, and interesting findings on changing social attitudes to gender roles in the new British Social Attitudes report.

Last week, Birmingham Metropolitan College landed in controversy for banning face coverings, including religious veils, so that individuals are fully identifiable at all times. However, the ban was reversed after the College received criticism for discrimination on the grounds of religion. It has decided  to allow individuals to wear “specific items of personal clothing to reflect their cultural values”. Lib Dem Home Office minister, Jeremy Browne, has taken the opportunity to suggest that a debate is needed on veils in some public places.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Race and Community has launched an inquiry entitled ‘Race and Higher Education’ to look into the black and ethnic minority community’s interaction with higher education. The inquiry will run until November 2013 and will focus on –

• Initiatives or responses to data regarding access to higher education for black and minority ethnic communities;
• The long and short term value of higher education for black and minority ethnic students; and
• The representation of black and minority ethnic groups in university faculties.

The 30th British Social Attitudes report has been released. Among various other topics, it has an interesting section on social attitudes towards gender roles. The report reveals that today though only 13% people subscribe to the view that a woman’s place is in the home (as compared to 48% in 1987), women still undertake a disproportionate amount of unpaid labour within the home (women reported spending 13 hours and men only 8 hours on housework each week).

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