Equality and diversity

Equality can be described as the fair and/or equal treatment of people who can be grouped according to one or more common characteristic(s) (such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief). Equality of opportunity is often supported by a legal framework, which makes it illegal to discriminate against people because they belong to such identity groups. Diversity relates to individual differences between people and how these are understood and/or valued. Using diversity creatively and positively can benefit people, organisations and society. Whilst there is a clear difference between equality and diversity, they are nonetheless interconnected.