Equal means equal: What Equality Looks Like in Practice | Open Conversations

From the creator

What does equality really mean in practice? In this episode of Open Conversations, Open University experts explore equality, social justice, intersectionality and lived experience – and why equality on paper doesn’t always mean equality in real life. Professor Caroline Derry, an expert in criminal justice, law and gender, and social scientist Manik Gopinath, whose research focuses on structural inequality, diversity and co-production, join host Dr Karen Bowen to explore what needs to change to create a fairer society. Drawing on research, policy and lived experience, they discuss the difference between formal and substantive equality, how overlapping inequalities can shape people’s experiences, and why treating everyone the same doesn’t necessarily lead to equal outcomes. The conversation explores how lived experience and activism can expose systemic inequalities and help drive legal and policy reform, including examples from sexual offences law, Grenfell and Awaab’s Law. They also consider the limits of current legal systems, the challenges of turning policy into meaningful change, and how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence could reinforce existing inequalities and bias. 🎙️ Guests Professor Caroline Derry – Expert in criminal justice, law and gender, drawing on feminist legal theory. Manik Gopinath – Social scientist researching structural inequality, diversity and co-production, with a particular focus on older people and minority ethnic communities

Published 2026-09-02 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Availability and playback restrictions are controlled by the original channel.