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Equality and Diversity Equality Act 2010 Understanding Legislation
Understanding Legislation

Equality Act 2010 - what's new?

The Equality Act 2010 streamlined the approach to equality and diversity by integrating all the earlier individual pieces of legislation into one Act. Watch this video for a guide to understanding the Act.


Or you can read the icon Guide to What Equality Law means (514.75 kB) means to providers of Further Education.


Previous equality law included six equality strands. The current Equality Act includes nine protected characteristics.


Click on the links for further information about each characteristic.


Age

Disability

Gender reassignment

Marriage and Civil Partnership

Pregnancy and maternity

Race

Religion and/or belief

Sex

Sexual orientation


Further and Higher Education institutions are not obliged in law to include marriage and civil partnership as a protected characteristic for students but all others must be protected. All nine are protected characteristics for staff.

Going further

A key element of the new Act is that providers of services must go further than protecting individuals from discrimination. They must actively pursue an environment which is inclusive, promotes equality and fosters good relations.To do this effectively, institutions are using the term mainstreaming equality to describe a move towards a practice that embraces equality for all in its policies and procedures.


Try this quiz to check your knowledge.


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