Equal Opportunities Commission
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The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is an independent non-departmental public body, (NDPB) in the United Kingdom, which tackles sex discrimination and promotes gender equality. It was set up under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and has statutory powers to help enforce this Act, the Equal Pay Act and other gender equality legislation that exists in Britain. Due to the ability of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly to vary the law in this area, separate EOC sub-agencies exist for Scotland and Wales. The EOC does not cover Northern Ireland, where instead these matters are dealt with by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
The EOC is sponsored as an NDPB by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Its current chair is Jenny Watson.
Similar agencies exist for other categories of equality law in Great Britain. In October 2007 these will all become part of a new single equality body, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).
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The EOC's current priorities are to:
- close the 'pay gap' so that women's and men's earnings are the same
- open up job choices so that women and men can find well-paid work and vocational training based on their skills and aspirations. This includes improving job opportunities for ethnic minority women
- improve support for parents and carers and help employers deal positively with pregnancy, so that it is easier for women and men in all jobs to have the flexibility to combine paid work, childcare and other caring commitments
- secure a decent pension for everyone so that carers don't suffer financially in their older years because they have spent time looking after children or others
- promote equality in public services so that health, education, transport, policing and other public services take women's and men's differing needs into account when they plan and deliver services
- investigate unlawful practices at work, help individuals to secure their rights, and campaign for modernisation of the law to help tackle deep rooted inequality
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