Protected characteristics are personal characteristics which are protected by discrimination law. The following characteristics are protected:
- Sex
- Race
- Disability
- Age
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Transgender status
To find out more about how these protected characteristics can give rise to discrimination rights and how these rights can be infringed, click here.
Published in… Updates: For employers: Discrimination | For employees: Discrimination |
Other employment law terms
- ACAS Early Conciliation
- Adoption appointments
- Adoption leave
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Ante-natal care
- Apprenticeship
- Basic award
- Collective consultation
- Compensatory award
- Compromise agreement
- Constructive dismissal
- Contract of employment
- Disciplinary hearing
- Discrimination
- Employee shareholder
- Employment tribunal
- ETO reason
- Flexible working requests
- Grievance
- Gross misconduct
- Harassment
- Industrial action
- Injury to feelings
- Maternity and parental rights
- Maternity leave
- Maternity pay
- Mediation
- Parental leave
- Paternity leave and pay
- Polkey deduction
- Pre-termination negotiations
- Redundancy
- Restrictive covenants
- Settlement agreement
- Shared parental leave
- Staff handbook
- Statutory annual leave
- Strikes
- Study and training rights
- Summary dismissal
- Sunday working
- Trade union
- TUPE
- Unfair dismissal
- Unlawful deductions
- Victimisation
- Whistle-blowing
- Without prejudice
- Working Time Regulations
- Written particulars
- Wrongful dismissal
- Zero hours contracts