Key principles
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the study and 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.
The Equality Act 2010 places a general duty on public bodies, including higher education institutions, to:
- advance equality of opportunity;
- foster good relations between people of different protected characteristics (including racial groups); and
- eliminate unlawful discrimination.
Protected Characteristics
The Equality Act covers groups that were protected by previous equality legislation.
There are nine protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act:
- age;
- disability;
- gender reassignment;
- marriage and civil partnership;
- race;
- religion or belief;
- sex;
- sexual orientation; and
- pregnancy and maternity.
