The Equality Act 2010 is a major UK law that protects people from discrimination. It brought together many previous anti-discrimination laws into one act.
Protected Characteristics
The Act protects people from discrimination based on nine characteristics:
- **Age** - Young or old
- **Disability** - Physical or mental impairment
- **Gender reassignment** - Transitioning between genders
- **Marriage and civil partnership** - Being married or in a civil partnership
- **Pregnancy and maternity** - Being pregnant or a new mother
- **Race** - Colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
- **Religion or belief** - Any religion, belief, or lack of belief
- **Sex** - Being a man or a woman
- **Sexual orientation** - Being heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual
Types of Discrimination
The Act prohibits: - **Direct discrimination** - Treating someone worse because of a protected characteristic - **Indirect discrimination** - Rules that disadvantage people with a protected characteristic - **Harassment** - Unwanted behaviour related to a protected characteristic - **Victimisation** - Punishing someone for making a complaint
Where It Applies
- Employment and work
- Education
- Housing
- Services and public functions
- Clubs and associations
- Transport
Reasonable Adjustments
Employers and service providers must make "reasonable adjustments" for disabled people—for example, providing wheelchair access or adjusting working hours.