Equality Act 2010
Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.
It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
Equality Act provisions which came into force on 1 October 2010:
The basic framework of protection against direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimization in services and public functions, work, education, associations and transport
Changing the definition of gender reassignment, by removing the requirement for medical supervision
Providing protection for people discriminated against because they are perceived to have, or are associated with someone who has, a protected characteristic
Clearer protection for breastfeeding mothers
Applying a uniform definition of indirect discrimination to all protected characteristics
Harmonizing provisions allowing voluntary positive action
Age discrimination
The Equality Act 2010 includes provisions that ban age discrimination against adults in the provision of services and public functions. The ban came into force on 1 October 2012 and it is now unlawful to discriminate on the basis of age unless:
The practice is covered by an exception from the ban
Good reason can be shown for the differential treatment (‘objective justification’)
The ban on age discrimination is designed to ensure that the new law prohibits only harmful treatment that results in genuinely unfair discrimination because of age. It does not outlaw the many instances of different treatment that are justifiable or beneficial.
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.
It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
Equality Act provisions which came into force on 1 October 2010:
The basic framework of protection against direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimization in services and public functions, work, education, associations and transport
Changing the definition of gender reassignment, by removing the requirement for medical supervision
Providing protection for people discriminated against because they are perceived to have, or are associated with someone who has, a protected characteristic
Clearer protection for breastfeeding mothers
Applying a uniform definition of indirect discrimination to all protected characteristics
Harmonizing provisions allowing voluntary positive action
Age discrimination
The Equality Act 2010 includes provisions that ban age discrimination against adults in the provision of services and public functions. The ban came into force on 1 October 2012 and it is now unlawful to discriminate on the basis of age unless:
The practice is covered by an exception from the ban
Good reason can be shown for the differential treatment (‘objective justification’)
The ban on age discrimination is designed to ensure that the new law prohibits only harmful treatment that results in genuinely unfair discrimination because of age. It does not outlaw the many instances of different treatment that are justifiable or beneficial.