Characteristics
The Equality Act has brought in the concepts of equality protected characteristics:
Age
An age group includes people of the same age and people
of a particular range of ages. An age group would
include “over fifties” or twenty-one year olds. Age equality aims to ensure that in everything we do, we make every effort to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for all age groups.
This includes things like improving access to employment to younger and older people and preventing age related discrimination and bullying in services. We are bringing different age groups together as part of community cohesion initiatives.
Disability
The law says that a disabled person is someone with ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ Examples include cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart conditions; hearing or sight impairments, or a significant mobility difficulty; and mental health conditions or learning difficulties. However, only the courts can say if a particular individual is defined as disabled under legislation.
Disability can mean different things to different people, and can include:
- people who are disabled for a short time or who are disabled for a long time,
- people who have been disabled since they were born and people who became disabled when they were older
- people who describe themselves as ‘disabled’ and people who do not describe themselves as disabled.
Gender reassignment
This is where a person has proposed, started or completed a process to change his or her sex. A transsexual person also has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.
Marriage and civil partnership
People who are married or have a civil partner are in a marriage or civil partnership. A married man and a woman in a civil partnership both share the protected characteristic of marriage and civil partnership
People who are not married or civil partners do not have this characteristic.
Pregnancy and maternity
For women this is when they are pregnant or during maternity, as distinct from their sex, in specified situations outside work. It protects a woman from discrimination because of her current or a previous pregnancy. It also protects her from maternity discrimination, which includes treating her unfavourably because she is breast-feeding, for 26 weeks after giving birth and provides that pregnancy or maternity discrimination as defined cannot be treated as sex discrimination
Race
Race includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins. Peopl who have or share characteristics of colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins can be described as belonging to a particular racial group. A racial group can be made up of two or more different racial groups.
Religion or belief
This may be philosophical belief, or a which religion has a clear structure and belief system. Denominations or sects within a religion can be considered to be a religion or belief, such as Protestants and Catholics within Christianity. It also includes a lack of religion or belief. It is a broad definition in line with the freedom of
Sex
This means being a man or a woman, and that men share this characteristic with other men, and women with other women.
Sexual orientation.
This is a person’s sexual orientation towards:
- people of the same sex as him or her (in other words the person is a gay man or a lesbian)
- people of the opposite sex from him or her (the person is heterosexual)
- people of both sexes (the person is bisexual).
Links
Contact us
Equality and Diversity Team
Walsall Council
Room 16b
Council House
Lichfield Street
Walsall
WS1 1TP
Telephone 01922 653306
Textphone 0845 111 2910
This page was last updated on 25 August 2010
