Direct and indirect discrimination
Direct discrimination
Direct discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly because of a protected characteristic, such as sex or race. For example, someone is not offered a promotion because they're a woman and the job goes to a less qualified man.
Asking about protected characteristics when recruiting
An employer must not ask questions about any protected characteristic when hiring new staff, except in rare circumstances.
As disability is a protected characteristic, this question is against the law. The employer should instead ask all applicants if they need any reasonable adjustments to complete the interview or any part of the hiring process.
Employers can find out more about avoiding discrimination when hiring someone.
If you believe you've been discriminated against when applying for a job
Find out what to do if you believe you've been discriminated against when applying for a job.
Being treated unfairly because of someone else's protected characteristic
One type of direct discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly because of the protected characteristic of either:
- someone they know
- someone they're associated with
This is sometimes known as:
- 'discrimination by association'
- 'associative discrimination'
Being treated unfairly because of a protected characteristic someone thinks you have
Another type of direct discrimination is 'discrimination by perception'. This is when someone treats a person unfairly because they think they have a certain protected characteristic, whether or not it's true.
Marriage and civil partnership
Marriage and civil partnership are not covered by the law on:
- discrimination by association
- discrimination by perception
Pregnancy and maternity
This can be a complex area. You can call the Acas helpline if you'd like to talk this through.
Indirect discrimination
Indirect discrimination can happen when there are rules or arrangements that apply to a group of employees or job applicants, but in practice are less fair to a certain protected characteristic.
The employee or applicant must be able to prove both of the following about the rule or arrangement:
- it's unfair to them and to others with the same protected characteristic, for example a woman believes she's experiencing sex discrimination against women
- it's unfair compared with those who do not have the protected characteristic, for example, it's unfair to employees who are women, but not to men
Indirect discrimination can be allowed if the employer can prove a business case for the rule or arrangement ('objective justification').
The advert should instead say that applicants need a specific type of experience and knowledge. It should also include the main tasks and skills involved in the job, to show applicants what they'll need to be able to do.
If you have questions about types of discrimination
You can: