This article compares the viewpoints of trade union activists in the UK and
Denmark on diversity management. While this concept is spreading rapidly across
Europe, very different attitudes are revealed among equality activists and
officials in the two countries. The article distinguishes between understandings
of diversity management as a descriptor, theoretical approach, and policy
approach. The main differences between the countries emerge with regard to
diversity management as a policy approach, which is regarded with great
scepticism in the UK and with great enthusiasm in Denmark. Explanations for
these differences are offered, involving prior experiences of
anti-discrimination activities, industrial relations approaches, and the wider
political context.
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