This book aims to provide a clear analysis of the complex and interrelated concepts of equal opportunities and diversity, usefully abbreviated by the author throughout as ‘EO&D’. Building on her earlier and well-established work in the field, this text is aimed at a broad audience, including academics, policy makers and EO&D professionals. Given the recent developments in the British context, with the reconfiguration of previous equality bodies such as the EOC (Equal Opportunities Commission) and the CRE (Commission for Racial Equality) into a single organisation, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), alongside the Equality Bill 2009, this book is undoubtedly a timely and necessary addition to the literature in this field.

The accessibility of the text is aided by the inclusion of various ‘signposts’ to guide the reader, including a glossary of terms, a boxed overview and summary of each chapter in bullet point format, and further boxed sections within the text relating to key concepts addressed, such as the concept of ‘intersectionality’ drawn from feminist theory. Key ideas and themes are further emphasised through emboldening within the text, and the ‘questions for discussion’ posed towards the end of each chapter are a particularly useful teaching resource.

Following the introduction, chapter 2 clearly outlines the statistical evidence of disadvantage in relation to gender, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation and age within the UK. Here, the author makes clear the limitations of such data, yet nevertheless constructs a convincing and well-informed analysis of the current situation using reliable and up-to-date sources. Chapter 3 provides a useful discussion of the theoretical and ideological approaches to EO&D, including a lengthy discussion of the value of intersectionality and diversity as a framework to help move away from a ‘mono focus approach’ (p. 5) to EO&D. Chapter 4 presents an analysis of the historical, political and economic background of EO&D in the British context, in which the author succinctly outlines five key eras in the development of EO&D from the ‘moral era’ of the 1940s and 1950s through to the ‘fairness tempered with economic efficiency era’ of the present day. Chapters 5 and 6 are rather dense, but detail a necessary discussion of the EO&D legislative and policy context, whilst chapters 7 and 8 provide an interesting comparative aspect to the text, with a discussion of EO&D in the EU in chapter 7, and a comparative analysis of EO&D in EU member states in chapter 8. The book concludes with a consideration of the future agenda for EO&D, particularly in relation to the newly formed EHRC and Equalities Bill.

There is no doubt that the aims of the book are ambitious and this is partly a reflection of the topic itself. As the author establishes early on, this is an immensely complex area, and many other works in this field tend to focus on one particular aspect of social differentiation, rather than attempting to include the spectrum covered here: gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and age. Anyone involved in work relating to the intersecting nature of disadvantage and discrimination will recognise the difficulty of trying to encompass all these areas in any coherent way. However, Bagilhole does a good job in making the case for this ‘intersectional’ approach as both a theory and method for analysing and developing our understanding of EO&D. For example, throughout each chapter, attention is given to the various aspects of social differentiation, along with some discussion of the intersections between these, such as in relation to age and gender, or gender and race. The author emphasises the need for such an approach in order to adequately understand and respond to ‘multiple identities and the inequalities that arise from them’, as well as the ‘sometimes conflicting experiences and interests, both between different categories of disadvantage and even within these categories themselves’ (p. 5). Nevertheless, often, the more established dimensions of inequality are given the most attention in this text, partly, as Bagilhole argues, as there is less established research relating to the ‘new kids on the block’ (p. 40), covering discrimination on the grounds of homophobia, Islamophobia or ageism.

Indeed, on reflection, one of the key strengths of the book is its ability to serve as a useful reminder of the continued state of inequalities (both ‘old’ and ‘new’), whilst also clearly signalling the progresses made. In this respect, the book firmly establishes the ongoing need for an EO&D agenda, informed by an analysis that looks at ‘whole people rather than breaking them up into component parts’ (p. 4).

The notion of ‘intersectionality’ as used in the book enables the author to engage with the broad spectrum of EQ&D, whilst also making explicit the need for recognition of the complex nature of contemporary discrimination and disadvantage as experienced by certain groups. Nevertheless, at times I wanted a fuller and more critical analysis of some of the issues raised in the book. In particular, the notion of community cohesion is dealt with rather lightly, and without adequate attention to the problematic aspects of this policy agenda (see, for example, Worley, Reference Worley2005). Similarly, it would have been good to see the inclusion of some discussion about the authors use of equally contested terms such as ‘black’, as I remain unsure of who this categorisation includes. The inclusion of work by writers such as Lewis (Reference Lewis2000) and more recently, Hunter and Swan (Reference Hunter and Swan2007), would also have enriched this work further. Nevertheless, overall, this is an important book which will be extremely valuable for those interested in issues of social justice and equality.