This chapter discusses anti-discrimination law in the UK in the employment sphere. After providing a brief history of the development of UK discrimination law, it introduces the Equality Act 2010, explaining the forms of discrimination it covers and how it works. Key concepts of equality law are then discussed, including direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimization. The chapter examines each protected characteristic in turn, highlighting the issues specific to each, including equal pay, sex-discriminatory dress codes, the additional protections against discrimination afforded to disabled people, compulsory retirement ages, and the apparent clash between protections against sexual orientation discrimination and religious discrimination.
Chapter
4. Discrimination in employment
Ian Smith, Owen Warnock, and Gemma Mitchell
Chapter
15. Religious discrimination
This chapter deals with religious discrimination law under the Equality Act. It discusses the historical background of religious discrimination law, protected characteristics, prohibited conduct on grounds of religious discrimination,. Religion and belief is not specifically defined in the statute, and is left for the courts to define. Atheists are protected, but beliefs which ‘conflict with the fundamental rights of others’ are not. Dress codes are one of the most contested topics in this area of law. There are also specific exceptions for religious employers. The chapter also considers the conflict and competing interests between religious discrimination and other protected characteristics, such as sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
Chapter
17. Sex-related characteristics (gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation)
This chapter discusses the law on discrimination due to the protected characteristics of gender reassignment, marital status and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. The Sex Discrimination Act as originally drafted only prohibited discrimination on grounds of sex and marital status. However, civil partners are now treated in the same way as married people. Transgender people, who live as someone of the opposite gender, are protected from discrimination. They can also change their birth certificates so that their new gender is reflected there. Pregnant women have a right not to be discriminated against, and this is a free-standing right. People are entitled not to be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. The prohibition against sex discrimination covers heterosexuals as well as homosexual people.
Chapter
11. The Equality Act 2010: key concepts
The Equality Act was passed to harmonise the myriad of statutes and regulations that previously combined to make the body of discrimination law. The Act therefore brings all the disparate legislation together, and purports to establish a consistent body of anti-discrimination law. This chapter discusses the scope of the Act and the protected characteristics and explains prohibited conduct such as direct discrimination (including associative and perceived discrimination), indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation, positive action, burden of proof, remedies if discrimination is proved, and debates over the issue of direct and indirect discrimination, such as whether each should be capable of justification
Chapter
12. Age discrimination
This chapter deals with age discrimination law under the Equality Act. It discusses the history and background of age discrimination law, protected characteristics, prohibited conduct on grounds of age discrimination, and key debates about how the law operates and how it might be improved in the future. There is no longer a default retirement age in the UK. If an employer wishes to retire an employee at a particular age, he has to have objective reasons for choosing that age. Unlike other protected characteristics, direct age discrimination can be justified, and there are a number of exceptions, such as length of service benefits, which have been kept from the Age Regulations of 2006.
Chapter
4. Discrimination in employment
This chapter discusses anti-discrimination law in the UK in the employment sphere. After providing a brief history of the development of UK discrimination law, it introduces the Equality Act 2010, explaining the forms of discrimination it covers and how it works. Key concepts of equality law are then discussed, including direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimization. The chapter examines each protected characteristic in turn, highlighting the issues specific to each, including equal pay, sex-discriminatory dress codes, the additional protections against discrimination afforded to disabled people, compulsory retirement ages, and the apparent clash between protections against sexual orientation discrimination and religious discrimination.
Chapter
4. Equality in Employment
This chapter considers those provisions of the Equality Act 2010 that relate to employment law. These generally are to be found in Parts 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the Act, together with provisions found in various schedules. Topics discussed include key concepts of the Act; various types of prohibited conduct such as direct and indirect discrimination; the protected characteristics in the Equality Act (namely age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation); defences such as justification and occupational requirements; discrimination in employment; provisions in the Equality Act that are common to all of the protected characteristics; comparators; occupational requirements; submitting a complaint; enforcement powers of the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and other protected groups. It also covers ex-offenders and rehabilitation periods.
Chapter
4. Discrimination
The protected characteristics
Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on ss 4–12 Equality Act 2010. The Act protects people from discrimination in relation to nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. It also protects people from discrimination by association with someone who has one of the protected characteristics and from discrimination by perception (eg discrimination because of sexual orientation includes discrimination against those one perceives to be gay, even if they are not).
