What are protected characteristics?
They are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
(the above are the 9 protected characteristics under current UK and Wales-specific Equalities legislation)
- Language (Welsh, British Sign Language, other spoken languages)
- Nationality
- 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.