The job advert
A company puts this advert online: "Wanted: young, energetic developer. Must be under 25."
Maria is 38. She has ten years of experience. She is the best person for the job. She does not get an interview.
Is this fair? Is it legal? In the UK, a law decides.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Equality Act 2010 | The UK law that protects people from unfair treatment. | It covers work, shops and schools |
| Protected characteristic | A feature of a person that the law protects, such as age or race. | Age |
| Discrimination | Treating a person worse because of a protected characteristic. | Not hiring someone because of their age |
| Harassment | Unwanted behaviour about a protected characteristic that makes a person feel hurt, scared or insulted. | Insulting jokes about a person's religion |
| Victimisation | Treating someone badly because they complained about discrimination. | Giving a worker worse shifts after a complaint |
| Tribunal | A special court that hears work disputes. | An employment tribunal |
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Quick check: the advert
Have a go
Quick check: the advert
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 brings many older laws together. It says it is against the law to treat people unfairly because of a protected characteristic.
There are nine of them.
The nine protected characteristics
| Characteristic | Example |
|---|---|
| Age | A team leader says a 60-year-old is "too old to learn new apps" |
| Disability | A website that a screen reader cannot read |
| Gender reassignment | A trans worker is refused the use of their new name on the staff system |
| Marriage and civil partnership | A bonus that only goes to staff who are single |
| Pregnancy and maternity | A developer loses a project after she says she is pregnant |
| Race | Insulting messages in a team chat about a worker's accent |
| Religion or belief | A key release meeting set on a day a worker must pray |
| Sex | A pay gap between a woman and a man doing the same job |
| Sexual orientation | A manager makes jokes about a worker's partner |
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Four types of unfair treatment
Direct discrimination: a person is treated worse because of who they are.
Indirect discrimination: a rule for everyone hurts one group more. There is no good reason for it.
Harassment: unwanted behaviour about a protected characteristic. It makes the person feel hurt, scared or insulted.
Victimisation: a person is treated badly because they complained. Or because they helped someone else to complain.
Four types with examples
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Direct | A boss says "no women in the server room" |
| Indirect | A rule says all staff must attend a meeting every Saturday. It puts some religious workers at a disadvantage |
| Harassment | Group chat messages mocking a colleague's disability |
| Victimisation | A worker complains about harassment. Their manager then gives them the worst jobs |
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