The Equality Act 2010

Question 1

What is the Equality Act 2010?

Answer 1

The Equality Act 2010 is the main legislation in Great Britain promoting equality and diversity.

The act provides protection against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment or victimisation based on a victims protected characteristics.

Question 2

What are the protected characteristics?

Answer 2

1. Age
2. Disability
3. Gender Reassignment
4. Marriage and civil partnership
5. Pregnancy and maternity
6. Race
7. Religion or belief
8. sex
9. Sexual orientation

Question 3

What is unconscious bias?

Answer 3

Unconscious bias is the term used to describe bias and prejudice that we are not aware of.

Question 4

What is direct discrimination?

Answer 4

Direct discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly because of a protected characteristic, such as sex or race. For example, someone is not offered a promotion because they’re a woman and the job goes to a less qualified man.

Question 5

What is harassment?

Answer 5

Harassment is unwanted behaviour which you find offensive or which makes you feel intimidated or humiliated. It can happen on its own or alongside other forms of discrimination. Unwanted behaviour could be: spoken or written words or abuse.

Question 6

What is indirect discrimination?

Answer 6

Indirect discrimination happens when there is a policy that applies in the same way for everybody but disadvantages a group of people who share a protected characteristic, and you are disadvantaged as part of this group.

Question 7

What is Victimisation?

Answer 7

Victimisation is when someone treats you badly or subjects you to a detriment because you complain about discrimination or help someone who has been the victim of discrimination.

Question 8

What is discrimination by association?

Answer 8

Is discrimination against a person because they are associated with someone with a different protected characteristic.

Question 9

What is discrimination by perception?

Answer 9

Is discrimination against a person because they are thought (or perceived) by the discriminator to have a particular protected characteristic.

Question 10

What is positive action?

Answer 10

The steps that an employer can take to encourage people who have a protected characteristic and who:

• Have a record of disadvantage connected to the protected characteristic or
• Have different needs from those who do not or
• Have disproportionately low participation in activity.

Question 11

What is positive discrimination?

Answer 11

Positive discrimination might involve offering a job to a candidate, not because they are the best candidate for the job, but merely because they possess a specific protected characteristic (for example race, gender, sexual orientation, disability). This is unlawful.

Question 12

What is a hate crime?

Answer 12

Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a persons race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.