From Access To Equality

This book combines analysis of policy and empirically based studies on gender, education, and development.

From Librarian of Congress, James Billington, to founding director of the Center for the Book, John Cole, the leading-edge information specialists of the day share their insights on the role libraries play in advancing democracy.

In a world where basic human rights are under attack and discrimination is widespread, Advancing Equality reminds us of the critical role of constitutions in creating and protecting equal rights. Combining a comparative analysis of equal rights in the constitutions of all 193 United Nations member countries with inspiring stories of activism and powerful court cases from around the globe, the book traces the trends in constitution drafting over the past half century and examines how stronger protections against discrimination have transformed lives. Looking at equal rights across gender, race and ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, social class, and migration status, the authors uncover which groups are increasingly guaranteed equal rights in constitutions, whether or not these rights on paper have been translated into practice, and which nations lag behind. Serving as a comprehensive call to action for anyone who cares about their country’s future, Advancing Equality challenges us to remember how far we all still must go for equal rights for all.

Includes evidence taken before Sub-committee G (Social and Consumer Affairs)

The Committee's report examines the EU Commission's proposals to extend EU sex discrimination legislation to cover the supply of, and access to, goods and services. The proposals are essentially limited to commercial transactions (excluding aspects such as education, public health care, media and advertising representation), and will therefore be less comprehensive that current UK sex discrimination laws. The main impact on existing UK legislation will be the proposal to ban the use of gender as a factor in calculating insurance premiums and benefits. Although this suggestion has aroused considerable controversy in the UK, the Committee believes that the onus must be on insurance companies to justify any departure from the principle of equal gender treatment, based on objective risk assessment. More research and consultation is required before these proposals are implemented. Sound practical guidelines need to be devised, taking into account the implications on future annuities for men and women in the UK market. Overall, the Committee argues that it is a reasonable objective to move away from using gender as a criterion to assess motor insurance premiums, and to seek to achieve a fair and competitive pricing based on other factors.