Sex

Did you know that in certain situations, such as at work, the law says that you can’t be treated less favourably, or put at a disadvantage, because of your sex?  This is because Sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. Sex refers to whether you are (or are not) a particular sex; a man or a woman.

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This unfair treatment is called discrimination. There are several types of discrimination, including direct and indirect discrimination.

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Direct discrimination is when you are treated less favourably because of your sex.  For instance, if a woman is getting paid less than a male colleague for doing the same job.

 

Indirect discrimination is when an arrangement that affects everyone has an unfair effect on some people because of their sex. For example, if a role is advertised internally and therefore the only people who can apply are men.

 

People can be treated differently because of their sex where there is a good reason to do so, such as when a role is advertised for a position in a women’s refuge and the applicants must be women.

 

It’s important to know and understand equality law, but it can be complex.