Small Heath Park Multi Use Games Court Improvements

Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.  This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.

Gender interacts with but is different from sex, which refers to the different biological and physiological characteristics of females, males and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. Gender and sex are related to but different from gender identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth. (World Health Organisation definition)

Gender and Gender Reassignment are legally protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Faith & Belief

Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. (BBC definition)

Religion is a legally protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

By "disability" we mean a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Ethnicity & Race

Ethnicity is defined as “the social group a person belongs to, and either identifies with or is identified with by others, as a result of a mix of cultural and other factors including language, diet, religion, ancestry and physical features traditionally associated with race" (Bhopal 2004). Ethnicity is self-defined and may change over time, it overlaps with the legally protected racial identity but is a broader term.

Race is a legally protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Race is defined under the Act as being part of a group of people who are identified by their nationality, citizenship, colour, national or ethnic origins.

We recognise that for some of our communities tribal identity is important and yet is not routinely collected. Across the world there are over 360 recognised tribal communities with distinct customs, traditions and in some cases specific tribal laws or regulations. We have started to ask about tribal identity to better understand this aspect of identity so that we can better support the needs of our citizens and staff.