The nine protected characteristics
The Equality Act 2010 protects:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
Types of discrimination
- Direct — less favourable treatment because of a protected characteristic.
- Indirect — a policy or practice that applies to everyone but puts people sharing a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage (and is not objectively justified).
- Discrimination by association — being treated worse because of someone else's protected characteristic (e.g. you're a carer for a disabled relative).
- Discrimination by perception — being treated worse because of an assumed (even wrongly) protected characteristic.
- Harassment — unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that violates dignity or creates an intimidating environment.
- Victimisation — being treated worse because you complained about discrimination or supported someone who did.
What to do
Keep a contemporaneous diary — dates, times, witnesses, exact words. Raise it informally first if safe, then formally via a grievance. Tribunal time limit: 3 months less one day from the act (or the last in a series of acts), starting ACAS Early Conciliation first.
Reasonable adjustments
If you are disabled, the employer has a positive duty to make reasonable adjustments. Failure to do so is itself unlawful disability discrimination.