One Long Struggle Upward To Equality

American activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, once said that "the history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality" and with the consultation of the Equality Bill in the Isle of Man now well underway, the Island moves one step closer to enacting one of the most important pieces of social legislation in recent times.

The draft Equality Bill 2015 is largely based on the England and Wales Equality Act 2010. Whereas this legislation saw the consolidation of pre-existing equality legislation, the Equality Bill will lead to a complete overhaul of existing equality practices (or lack thereof) on the Island, both in the provision of goods and services and employment. The Bill will repeal 12 current pieces of legislation, to include the Employment (Sex Discrimination) Act 2000, which is arguably the most developed of the Island's equality legislation. In place of the practices of old, the Bill introduces various 'protected characteristics' upon which