The Equality Act
The nutshell
The Equality Act 2010 is the main UK law against discrimination. It makes it against the law to treat someone worse because of things like age, race, sex, religion or disability.
Every fact on this page comes from official equality law and non-partisan explainers. Each source tag — like GOV — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What the Equality Act is
The Equality Act 2010 is the main UK law against discrimination. Discrimination means treating someone worse because of who that person is, not because of anything that person has done. Before 2010 there were many separate equality laws. The Equality Act brought most of those laws together into one Act, which the House of Commons Library says made the rules easier to follow.HoC
The nine protected characteristics
The Act protects people because of nine things called protected characteristics— parts of who a person is that the law protects. The nine are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.GOV The Act protects people in many parts of life, from work and school to shops and services.GOV
What the law counts as unfair treatment
The Equality and Human Rights Commission says the Act covers everyone in Britain. It protects people from discrimination and from harassment, which means unwanted behaviour that is upsetting or threatening. It also protects people from victimisation, which means being treated badly for complaining about discrimination.EHRC
Who makes sure it is followed
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent body that can enforce the Act.EHRC The Act applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Most of it does not apply in Northern Ireland, which has its own equality laws.LEG
- The House of Commons Library says the Act brought many older equality laws together into one place, which made the rules easier to follow
- GOV.UK explains that the Act protects people in many parts of life, from work and school to shops and services
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent body set up to enforce the Act
- The Act lists nine protected characteristics, so it does not cover every kind of unfair treatment
- The Act applies in England, Scotland and Wales, and most of it does not apply in Northern Ireland, which has its own equality laws
- A right in law is not the same as an outcome, because enforcing the Act usually means a claim to a court or an employment tribunal
The deep end6 min
Where the Equality Act came from
The Equality Act 2010 received Royal Assent — the monarch's formal approval — on 8 April 2010, and most of it came into force on 1 October 2010.LEG Its long title says it exists to reform and harmonise equality law and to restate most of the earlier laws on discrimination. The House of Commons Library records that it brought together earlier laws such as the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.HoC
The nine protected characteristics in full
The nine protected characteristics are listed in section 4 of the Act.HoC The nine are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.GOV
The kinds of unfair treatment it bans
The Act bans several kinds of unfair treatment. Direct discrimination is treating a person worse because of a protected characteristic. Indirect discrimination is a rule that applies to everyone but puts a group with a protected characteristic at an unfair disadvantage. The Act also bans harassment and victimisation, and it creates a duty to make reasonable adjustments so that a disabled person is not put at a disadvantage.HoC
The Act also places an extra duty on public bodies, such as councils, schools and the NHS. The House of Commons Library explains that public authorities must have due regard to equality when carrying out public functions. This is called the Public Sector Equality Duty.HoC
Who enforces it, and where it applies
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body that can enforce the Act.EHRC The Act applies across Great Britain — England, Scotland and Wales. Under section 217, with only limited exceptions, it does not apply in Northern Ireland, which has its own separate equality laws.LEG