Managing Diversity and Equality in the Workplace - a Literature Review on the Development of Diversity and Equality Management, with a Focus on Gender

Managing Diversity and Equality in the Workplace:

A Literature Review on the Development of Diversity and Equality Management, with a Focus on Gender

Module Name: UMCD9W-30-3 Critical Business Enquiry Project

Supervisor: Lin Lovell

Student Number: 12040407

Word Count: 7120

Contents                                                                                

ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………………………………….2

INTRODUCTION        

LITERATURE REVIEW        

1. Early Debates/Literatures on Equality        

2. Literature after the 1990’s and shifts towards diversity        

3. Current Situation in the Gender Diversity Literature/Debate        

4. Methodology of Literatures Reviewed        

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS        

CONCLUSION        

REFERENCES        

ABSTRACT

        Equality and diversity has always been a hotly debated topic in academics, and have gained extra attention since the influx of women in the global workforce. The aim of this literature review is to look at the development of diversity and equality management with a focus on gender. The literature review will attempt to examine how debates have changed on diversity and equality over the years. Early literatures looked at defining equality, and one of the focus is on gender and legislations as a way of achieving gender equality. Criticism against gender equality began surfacing, that equality may not be sufficient to end discrimination against women, which led to the study of gender diversity and the business case for competitive advantage. By looking at current literatures, it is found that diversity is still an equally important area of study in the management field.

INTRODUCTION

        Equality and diversity has always been a commonly discussed academic topic, surrounding the question of its definition and the context which the concept is applied to. In the early debates and literatures of “equality”, equality has been about the concept that all humans are equal. The ethical aspect of Equality, which the legal principle of equality is based on, suggests the need to “consider the interests and desires of all human beings on an equal basis as all such interests and desires have an equal dignity.” (Peltzel, 2003) Diversity on the other hand, emphasises on individual differences above all else and the benefits that come from it. (Kirton and Greene, 2010)