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Tackling Inequalities

A group of protestors carrying a coloured flag by the Coliseum in Rome

Our passions drive our research, from tackling religious intolerance and online violence against women and girls to the inequalities LGBTQ+ people face, racial and ethnic educational disadvantages and unequal access and opportunities for disabled people.

Inequalities impact people’s lives at a structural (macro), socio-cultural, and personal (micro) level. We deliver change through multidimensional transformative research.

OU researchers work here because they believe in our social mission. They understand tackling issues such as migrant inequalities requires an intersectional approach because race and ethnicity are experienced through situated contexts, including poverty, education, gender, and geopolitics.

Our academics are campaigners and changemakers. They seek to understand and tackle inequalities by working together to bring the best knowledge and expertise to bear on our world's existential challenges. Our interdisciplinary team of researchers build long-term active collaborations with people, communities, non-governmental organisations and policymakers to transform lives, institutions and policy through robust research evidence that makes a difference.

Our passions drive our research, from tackling religious intolerance and online violence against women and girls to the inequalities LGBTQ+ people face, racial and ethnic educational disadvantages and unequal access and opportunities for disabled people.

Tackling Inequalities news and articles

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OU funds project to break barriers for refugee women in Wales

A groundbreaking initiative, led by the Welsh Refugee Council in collaboration with Open University’s Professor Marie Gillespie, has secured £25,000 in funding to break down barriers for refugee women in Wales.

17th March 2025
A group of seven men and woman standing underneath a sign saying '2024 Global Education Meeting'

CONNECT 2030: ‘top three’ open schooling recognised by UNESCO

CONNECT 2030, an international project led by Dr Alexandra Okada from The Open University, earned UNESCO recognition as a top three global initiative in digital education transformation at the 2024 Global Education Meeting in Fortaleza.

6th February 2025
A group of African children

CHIVA Africa wins OSC grant to tackle HIV adherence issues in children

CHIVA Africa, a leading charity focused on supporting children and adolescents living with HIV, has been awarded an Open Societal Challenges funding grant to advance its project in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to address barriers to antiretroviral therapy.

16th January 2025