40 Years of Race in Britain: Progress, Challenges, and the Path to Eradicating Racism

Introduction

For more than four decades, Britain has sought to address racial inequality through legislative, social, and institutional interventions. Yet, despite these efforts, racism continues to persist in workplaces, communities, and institutions.

The Stuart Hall Foundation’s Race Report: 40 Years of Tackling Racial Inequality in Britain highlights that while progress has been made, structural inequalities remain deeply entrenched. This blog explores how race relations in Britain have evolved, what improvements have been achieved, where more work is needed, and what employers and individuals can do to accelerate change.

The Evolution of Race Relations in Britain

Legislative Milestones

The first major legal intervention, the Race Relations Act (1965), outlawed discrimination in public places based on race or ethnicity. Over time, successive legislative updates including the:

• Race Relations Act (1976)
• Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) following the Macpherson Report, and
• Equality Act (2010)—have strengthened anti-discrimination measures.

However, as the 2017 Race Disparity Audit found, disparities persist in employment, education, health, and criminal justice, indicating that laws alone are insufficient without robust enforcement and cultural change.

Key Areas of the Equality Act (2010)

To advance racial equality, the Equality Act (2010) provides protection against:

• Harassment: Unwanted conduct related to race that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment.
• Direct Discrimination: Treating someone less favourably because of their race.
• Indirect Discrimination: Policies or practices that disadvantage a racial group.
• Victimisation: Punishing individuals for making or supporting a complaint about discrimination.
• Discrimination by Association/Perception: Treating someone unfairly due to their association with a racial group or because they are perceived to be of a particular race.

Employers must ensure that anti-racism policies are live documents embedded into daily practice. This means co-producing policies, processes, procedures, and training with employees and communities to make them meaningful and impactful.

Key Areas of Improvement

1. Increased Representation in the Workplace
   Over the past 40 years, diversity has increased across industries. The McGregor-Smith Review (2017) highlighted the economic benefits of a racially diverse workforce, estimating a £24 billion boost to the economy if businesses fully leveraged ethnically diverse  talent.
2. Education and Awareness
   Efforts to diversify the curriculum and challenge institutional biases have gained traction. The Swann Report (1985) and subsequent educational reviews have stressed the importance of inclusive teaching materials and anti-racist training for teachers.
3. Public Recognition of Institutional Racism
   The Macpherson Report (1999) following the murder of Stephen Lawrence was a pivotal moment, exposing institutional racism in policing and beyond. It led to policy changes and increased scrutiny of law enforcement practices.

Where More Work is Needed

Despite progress, significant racial disparities remain. The Stuart Hall Foundation’s Race Report outlines persistent inequalities in key areas:

Employment

• Ethnically diverse individuals continue to face higher unemployment rates (1 in 10 for Black, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi workers, compared to 1 in 25 White British workers).
• There is still a lack of representation in senior leadership, with only 7% of NHS Trust board members from an ethnically diverse background.
• The Parker Review (2016) set a target for all FTSE 100 boards to have at least one non-White director by 2021, but many companies had yet to meet this goal.
• As of December 2023, 96% of FTSE 100 companies have met the Parker Review’s target of having at least one director from an ethnically diverse background on their boards. This figure has remained consistent since 2022. In the FTSE 250, 79% of the 222 reporting companies have achieved this target ahead of the December 2024 deadline, marking a 12-percentage point increase from the previous year. Overall, individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds now hold 19% of all director positions in the FTSE 100, up from 18% in 2022. ey.com
• However, recent data indicates a slowdown in progress. In the 12 months leading up to April 2024, only 4% of the 196 new director appointments in the UK’s top 150 companies were individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds, a significant decrease from 15% the previous year. This suggests that while many companies have met the initial targets, efforts to further enhance board diversity may be stalling.  (ft.com)
• It’s important to note that the Parker Review’s target encompasses all ethnically diverse groups, not solely Black directors. The term “non-White” includes individuals from various ethnic backgrounds, such as Asian, Middle Eastern, and others.

Education

• Exclusion rates for Black and Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller students remain disproportionately high.
• There is a lack of representation in higher education leadership, with Black professors making up less than 1% of the UK’s total.
• Calls to decolonise the curriculum have been met with resistance despite growing support from students and academics.

Criminal Justice and Policing

• Black men are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested than White men.
• Stop and search policies continue to disproportionately target ethnically diverse individuals/groups despite a lack of evidence that they reduce crime.
• Sentencing disparities persist, with Black offenders receiving longer custodial sentences than their White counterparts for similar crimes.

Health and Housing

• Ethnically diverse individuals have worse health outcomes, particularly in mental health, where Black adults are more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
• Housing inequality remains a major issue, with Black, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani households more likely to live in overcrowded and substandard conditions.

What Employers Can Do

Employers play a critical role in advancing racial equality. Key actions include:

1. Implement and Enforce Anti-Racism Policies
   1. Move beyond ‘unconscious bias training’ to anti-racist interventions that hold individuals and teams accountable.
   1. Establish clear reporting mechanisms for racism and discrimination in the workplace.
   1. Ensure policies are live regularly reviewed, embedded into practice, and co-produced with staff.
2. Improve Representation and Career Progression
   1. Set targets for hiring, retention, and promotion of ethnically diverse staff.
   1. Use blind recruitment processes to eliminate name and racial bias.
   1. Provide mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for employees from underrepresented backgrounds.
3. Cultural Competence and Awareness
   1. Employers and employees must develop cultural competence to understand the lived experiences of ethnically diverse people.
   1. Stop looking at race inequality through a White lens listen to and learn from those with direct lived experiences of racism.
4. Move away from minimising and dismissing lived experiences instead, seek to understand and empathise.

Conclusion

While 40 years of race relations in Britain have brought progress, much work remains to be done. Structural inequalities in employment, education, healthcare, and policing continue to disadvantage ethnic minorities. Laws and policies alone will not end racism it requires active participation from employers, policymakers, and individuals. By embedding cultural competence, ensuring policies are co-produced and active, and truly listening to ethnically diverse voices, we can move from discussion to action.

Now is the time for action not another report.