About the Government Equalities Office

We lead on issues relating to women, sexual orientation and transgender equality matters; we have responsibility across government for equality strategy and legislation. We are now based within the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

Move to Department for Culture Media and Sport

In the government reshuffle on 4 Septermber 2012 responsibility for equality moved to the Department for Culture Media and Sport. Information from before then is available on this site, information since the reshuffle is available on the Department for Culture Media and Sport website. 

About our work

We support the government’s commitment to 'tear down barriers to social mobility and equal opportunities and help to build a fairer society' .

Equality strategy

The  Government Equalities Office (GEO) is responsible for the government’s overall Equality Strategy, Building a Fairer Britain. This supports the coalition government’s commitment to 'concerted government action to tear down barriers to social mobility and equal opportunities and help to build a fairer society'. 

It aims to improve equality and reduce discrimination and disadvantage for all, at work, in public and political life, and in people’s life chances.  

Equality Act 2010

We lead on the Equality Act 2010. We take the lead in government in particular on issues relating to women and gender equality, sexual orientation and transgender equality matters. 

International equality

We lead on:

• the government’s international obligations to implement the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
• the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
• the government’s obligations to implement the European Union Roadmap for Equality between Women and Men

Corporate information

A summary of GEO’s business plan for 2011-12 is published as part of the Home Office Business Plan.

We coordinate an Inter-Ministerial Group on Equalities whose role is to develop and oversee delivery of the Equality Strategy. 

Our partners 

We work across government but in particular we work closely with:

• the Department for Communities and Local Government, who lead on integration, race and faith policy and the community agenda
• the Department for Work and Pensions, who lead on disability discrimination policy and legislation and general age policy outside the workplace
• the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, who provide the broad policy framework for further and higher education and have responsibility for the Equality Act’s provisions relating to  age exceptions to the Act’s working provisions
• the Department for Education, who are responsible for the Equality Act’s provisions relating to schools and children
• the Department for Transport, who are responsible for the Equality Act’s provisions on disability and transport and in relation to ships and hovercraft

We also work closely with:

• the Ministry of Justice, who lead on human rights policy
• the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland