Equality Act 2010
(EA 2010)
The consolidated statute prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and victimisation on nine protected characteristics — age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Covers employment, services, education, housing, public functions, and associations.
The Equality Act 2010 brought together previous discrimination legislation into a single framework. Four main types of discrimination: direct (treated worse because of a protected characteristic), indirect (a policy that disadvantages those with the characteristic), harassment (unwanted conduct related to the characteristic), and victimisation (treated worse because they raised a discrimination concern). Section 19 covers indirect discrimination; section 26 harassment; section 27 victimisation. Public sector equality duty (s.149) imposes duties on public bodies. Reasonable adjustments duty (ss.20-22) requires anticipation and removal of barriers for disabled people.