Protected characteristics

What are protected characteristics?

They are:

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

(the above are the 9 protected characteristics under current UK and Wales-specific Equalities legislation)

10. Language (Welsh, British Sign Language, other spoken languages)
11. Nationality
12. Responsibility as carers for any dependents

Direct discrimination

Less favourable treatment of a person compared to another person because of a protected characteristic.

Indirect discrimination

The use of an apparently neutral practice, provision or criterion which puts people with a particular protected characteristic at a disadvantage compared with others who do not share that characteristic and applying the practice, provision or criterion cannot be objectively justified.