Sex Discrimination

Discrimination can be direct, indirect, deliberate or accidental. If you feel you are being discriminated against in the workplace because of your sex, marital status or gender, it is unlawful and your employer should stop the sex discrimination at once.

Under the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act it's unlawful for an employer to discriminate against you because:

+ of your gender
+ you are married
+ you have had, are having or intend to have, gender reassignment.

Sex discrimination laws cover almost all workers (men and women) and all types of organisations in the UK. It covers:

+ recruitment
+ employment terms and conditions
+ pay and benefits
+ status
+ training
+ promotion and transfer opportunities
+ redundancy
+ dismissal
+ Equal pay

The 1970 Equal Pay Act makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate between men and women in terms of their pay and conditions where they are doing either:

+ the same or similar work
+ work rated as equivalent in a job evaluation study by the employer
+ work of equal value

Genuine occupational qualifications
In some cases, a job can be offered to someone of a particular sex, because of what is called a 'genuine occupational qualification'. Examples could include:

+ some jobs in single-sex schools
+ jobs in some welfare services
+ acting jobs that need a man or a woman

If you think you are being discriminated against you may be able to bring a claim to an Employment Tribunal for workplace discrimination. However, it's best to talk to your employer first to try to sort out the matter informally. You are entitled to write to your employer if you think you have been discriminated against or harassed because of your age.