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Respect, Identity and Multiple Identities in the UK

Who are we? Explore identity and the idea that everyone holds several identities at once, and learn why mutual respect holds a diverse society together.

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What you'll cover

Who are we? 🇬🇧

The UK is a **diverse** society, home to people of many backgrounds, faiths and cultures. Two big citizenship ideas help us live together well: **identity** and **mutual respect**. This module explores what identity is, why we each have several, and why respect matters.

Identity 🪪

Your **identity** is how you see yourself and the groups you feel you belong to. Crucially, people have **multiple identities**: you might be, all at once, a Londoner, British, a sister, a Muslim or Christian, a teenager and a footballer. No single label captures a whole person.

Multiple identities

What does it mean to say people have "multiple identities"?

  • A person can belong to several identity groups at the same time
  • Everyone has exactly one fixed identity
  • Identity does not really exist
  • You must choose a new identity each year

Match each type of identity to an example

  • National identity
  • Religious identity
  • Regional identity
  • Cultural identity
  • Feeling British, English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish
  • Belonging to a faith such as Christianity, Islam or Judaism
  • Feeling connected to a local area, like being a Londoner
  • Shared customs, food, language and traditions

Ways to define identity

Select the THREE things that can be part of a person's identity.

  • Ethnicity
  • Religion
  • Nationality
  • Shoe size
  • Today's weather
  • House number

A diverse United Kingdom 🌍

The UK is a **multi-ethnic** and **multi-faith** society, made up of four nations: England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Its population varies in age, ethnicity, religion and disability. This diversity is why living together well takes effort and understanding.

Mutual respect 🤝

**Mutual respect** means treating other people, and their beliefs and rights, with consideration, **even when you disagree** with them. In a diverse society it is essential: it lets people with very different lives and views live together peacefully.

What is mutual respect?

What does mutual respect mean in a diverse society?

  • Treating others and their beliefs with consideration, even when you disagree
  • Always agreeing with everyone else
  • Making everyone live in exactly the same way
  • Ignoring people who are different from you

Discrimination and the law ⚖️

Sometimes people are treated unfairly because of a characteristic such as race, religion, sex, disability or age. This is **discrimination**. The **Equality Act 2010** is a UK law that protects people from discrimination and makes it illegal in areas such as work and education.

The Equality Act 2010

What does the Equality Act 2010 do?

  • Protects people from discrimination and makes it illegal
  • Bans people of different faiths from working together
  • Sets the rate of income tax
  • Decides who can vote in elections

Diversity, integration, cohesion 🧩

Three linked ideas underpin living together: - **Diversity**: the variety of people, cultures and beliefs in society. - **Integration**: different groups mixing and taking part in society together. - **Community cohesion**: a shared sense of belonging where different groups get on well.

Match each term to its meaning

  • Diversity
  • Integration
  • Community cohesion
  • Tolerance
  • The variety of people, cultures and beliefs in society
  • Different groups mixing and taking part together
  • A shared sense of belonging where groups get on
  • Accepting views and lifestyles different from your own

Build a stronger community

An interactive activity.

Living together summary

A person can hold _____ identities at once, defined by things like ethnicity, religion and nationality. The UK is a diverse, multi-_____ society. Living together well needs mutual _____, and the Equality Act 2010 protects people from _____.

multiple faith respect discrimination single national conflict integration