Equality Impact Assessment

Equality impact assessment is a way of examining policies, proposals and plans to detect and assess their differential impact on men and women so that any potential inequalities can be addressed before implementation.

Equality impact assessment provides a mechanism to build equality considerations into policy making and decision making, providing a clear and structured way to consider evidence about the needs of protected groups.

Under the public sector equality duty, public authorities are required to carry out equality impact assessment. This means that they must assess the impact of applying new, revised or existing or existing policy or practice.

Close the Gap guidance for public sector employers on the public sector equality duty includes information on equality impact assessment including a six-step process that may be used.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced guidance for public sector organisations on equality impact assessment including what is required by the Scottish specific duties, and a quick start guide.

As part of an ESRC funded research project with Women in Scotland's Economy research centre, Close the Gap has developed a tool for employers to carry out an assessment of the gender impact of skills and training programmes. It is a specialist type of equality impact assessment which includes elements of gender budget analysis.