A man who claimed he failed to get a job as a sheltered housing manager because the residents wanted a woman for the post has settled his sex discrimination claim against a housing association. The Norwich-based Broadland association disputed the claim, but has agreed to pay 50-year-old Paul Jepson £1,000 and promised to work with the equal opportunities commission (EOC) to review its recruitment policy.
The commission says the case highlights the need for tenants and other service users to have equal opportunities training if they are to be involved in managing services and selecting staff, as the government is encouraging.
Jepson applied last March to become manager of St Katherine's Court, a sheltered housing scheme run by Broadland in King's Lynn. He made it to a shortlist of two after the first round of interviews. The final two candidates then faced a second interview, plus a meeting with a group of 18 residents - most of whom were women.
Jepson was later told that he was unsuccessful because he did not relate well to residents. He alleged that the real reason was that residents favoured the other candidate because she was a woman. When he complained about the selection process, Broadland insisted it had been fair.
After Jepson contacted the EOC, Broadland agreed to settle the matter before it reached an employment tribunal.
Julie Mellor, who chairs the EOC, says Jepson's claim raises broader issues about the growing use of residents in the selection of housing staff. She says: "It is important that housing associations make sure that residents understand what anti-discrimination law means, so that they can guarantee all candidates are treated fairly."
Many jobs in health and social care, including sheltered housing management, are dominated by women, Mellor says. "We have to challenge old-fashioned assumptions about 'women's work' and 'men's work' to ensure that no one's options are limited by these unhelpful stereotypes."
Broadland retorts that the commission is being unrealistic. Bob Prince, its director of operations, says: "The right of tenants to be involved in all aspects of the management of their homes is being compromised by the standards of the EOC. When you have a group of frail, elderly people I think you have got to draw a sensible line somewhere."
Though the association was confident of winning the case at tribunal, it agreed to settle with Jepson to save legal fees. "I can't see how he could claim discrimination when he got through to the second short list," says Prince.
Jepson, who before the interview was a sheltered housing manager for King's Lynn and West Norfolk council, now manages a sheltered scheme in Sussex for Downland Retirement Management. He says: "I've done this job for 10 years and there is always a little barrier when a man comes into post because it's historically seen as a woman's job.
"Residents should be involved in interviewing because it's their home, but they need to know the rights and wrongs of equal opportunities."
He complains that during his Broadland interview there were no set questions and no guidance was given to residents about what they asked. "They made it clear that they were not happy with a man coming into the post," he says. "Older people have old fashioned values. To them it's clear cut - a sheltered housing scheme should be managed by a woman."
Prince says it is not possible to give frail, older people equal opportunities training. "The average age of tenants in that particular scheme is over 80," he says. "They would not take kindly to equal opportunities training. If you are going to have residents involved, and then put caveats and qualifications on that, it makes it very difficult."
Seven of the association's 16 sheltered housing schemes are currently run by men, Prince points out. "We don't accept there was any discrimination - our staffing ratio speaks for itself."
As part of the settlement, Broadland has apologised to Jepson and will work with the EOC to review its involvement of residents in selection of staff. "We look forward to working with the EOC on the issue of tenant participation," Prince says.
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