Equality outcomes 2025-2029: summary - easy read

Introduction

There is a law called the Equality Act 2010. It says the Scottish Government must publish outcomes about equality every 4 years. Outcomes are results we want to get from the actions we take.

The law says public bodies must make sure equality is part of everything they do. Equality means:

• everyone is treated equally.
• no-one is treated badly or unfairly because of who they are.
• everyone has the same opportunities.

Public bodies are organisations that work for the public. These include the Scottish Government, local councils, the Police and NHS.

Equality outcomes help tackle inequalities in Scotland. They help us make plans, decisions and laws.

We have the 2025–2029 equality outcomes using facts, talking with equality organisations, and thinking about the barriers that people face. That may be due to their protected characteristics.

Protected characteristics are things about a person that might cause them to be treated unfairly, like their age, disability, pregnancy, race, religion, and sex.

This is a summary of the main report. You can look at this if you want any more information, or you can contact MainstreamingEIHR@gov.scot

We have 3 main outcomes for all government areas. These aim to make long-term change. This will make equality part of the laws we make and also what we do as an employer.