Equality and diversity | Central Bedfordshire Council

Protected characteristics

Protected characteristic: age

A person belonging to a particular age (for example 32 year olds) or range of ages (for example 18 to 30 year olds). You must not be discriminated against because:

you are (or are not) a certain age or in a certain age group
someone thinks you are (or are not) a specific age or age group, this is known as discrimination by perception
you are connected to someone of a specific age or age group, this is known as discrimination by association

Age groups can be quite wide (for example, ‘people under 50’ or 'under 18s'). They can also be quite specific (for example, ‘people in their mid-40s’). Terms such as ‘young person’ and ‘youthful’ or ‘elderly’ and ‘pensioner’ can also indicate an age group.

Protected characteristic: disability

A person has a disability if she or he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

An individual has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Physical or mental impairment includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing.

Using the widest definition, there are more than 11 million disabled people in the UK, that’s more than one in five of the adult population and one in 20 children. 80% of people experience a year of being disabled at some point in their lives and 66% of disabled people develop impairments during working age. The majority of disabled people have impairments that are not easily visible.

Protected characteristic: gender reassignment

People who are proposing to undergo, are undergoing, or have undergone a process (or part of a process) to reassign their sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex are protected from discrimination.

It is estimated from national research that 1 in 10,000 people experience the recognised medical condition known as gender dysphoria, generally referred to as being transgender or transsexual. In any school of 1,000 pupils, there are likely to be 6 who will identify as transgender.

Protected characteristic: marriage and civil partnership

Marriage is a union between a man and a woman or between a same-sex couple.

Same-sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as 'civil partnerships'. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where permitted by the Equality Act).

Protected characteristic: pregnancy and maternity

Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding. This protects women from discrimination because of their pregnancy and maternity. The health and wellbeing of women before, during, and after pregnancy is an important factor in giving children a healthy start in life and laying the groundwork for good health and wellbeing in later life. Children and young people who are already disadvantaged have an increased risk of teenage pregnancy. Therefore, targeted interventions aim to reduce the risk factors by tackling the underlying causes.

Protected characteristic: race

A race is a group of people defined by their colour, nationality (including citizenship) ethnicity or national origins. A racial group can be made up of more than one distinct racial group, such as Black British. Includes dimensions such as colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins. There are 2 essential characteristics that an ethnic group must have: a long shared history and a cultural tradition of its own. In addition, an ethnic group may have one or more of the following characteristics: a common language; a common literature; a common religion or common geographical origin; or being a minority or an oppressed group.

Protected characteristic: religion and belief

Religion means any religion and includes a lack of religion. The term ‘religion’ includes the more commonly recognised religions in the UK, such as the Baha’i faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Rastafarianism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism. A religion need not be mainstream or well known to gain protection as a religion. However, it must have a clear structure and belief system. Denominations or sects within religions, such as Methodists within Christianity or Sunnis within Islam, may be considered a religion for the purposes of the act.

Belief means any religious or philosophical belief and includes a lack of belief. A belief which is not a religious belief may be a philosophical belief. Examples of philosophical beliefs include Humanism and Atheism. A belief need not include faith or worship of a god or gods, but must affect how a person lives their life or perceives the world.

Protected characteristic: sex

Refers to a male or a female of any age.

Protected characteristic: sexual orientation

Relates to how people feel as well as their actions in terms of their sexual orientation towards people of:

the same sex (that is, the person is a gay man or a lesbian)
the opposite sex (that is, the person is heterosexual)
either sex (that is, the person is bisexual)

Additional factors which impact on life chances

There are 4 key areas in which equality gaps are most likely to produce further waves of inequality for particular groups of people. They are early years and education, employment, health, and criminal justice. The Equalities Review 2007 identified three types of extreme, chronic, and persistent inequalities:

different groups of people experience different outcomes in common aspects of life, such as education or employment
different needs may mean that we have to enjoy different treatment from others in order to gain a more equal outcome – most clearly in the area of healthcare
circumstances which could apply to anyone, but which disproportionately tend to afflict some groups; and which can trigger substantially divergent outcomes in life chances

In particular, skill level, employment, health, caring responsibilities and deprivation can all impact on people’s life chances.