What is sex discrimination?
Sex discrimination is when someone or group of people are treated unequally based on gender. Some people do not understand that gender discrimination is illegal, as it is breaking the Equality Act. The Equality Act explains that you should not discriminate against a person based on their sex.
For example, sexual harassment is a big example of breaking the Equality Act. Sex discrimination does not just happen to women, it can happen to men as well. The law protects them in the same way they treat a woman’s case.
Sex discrimination can also be when a person is being treated differently based upon their sex in academia. As well as their physical education, athletic, after school activities and many more. Individuals can be judged and treated differently because of their sex instead of their individual skills and abilities.
Sex discrimination is not always men targeting women and women targeting men, sometimes it is the same sex discriminating their own sex. Because of this, individuals need to be careful confusing it for sexual orientation discrimination E.g., heterosexual, gay, bisexual.
Types of sex discrimination
When it comes to sex discrimination there are a variety of ways it can happen, some easier to notice than others. One example of sex discrimination is direct sex discrimination. Sex gender discrimination is when an individual is being treated differently from the other sexes around them. It is obvious and anyone can notice it.
Another type is indirect discrimination. Indirect discrimination can be harder to notice than direct sex discrimination. This is when there is a practice, rule or policy which should apply to all individuals in the same way. However, it has a worse effect on some people than others.
Victimization is also a form of sex discrimination. if a victim is treated badly if he or she reports discrimination taking place, or tries to help someone who has been discriminated against.
As I said at the start sexual harassment is also a sign of sex discrimination. Sex discrimination occurs when someone delivers sexually explicit comments or inappropriate touching while knowing that the person will not like it. This can happen anywhere such as work, whether it is another college or the boss. This can happen to both men and women.
What to do if it happens to you
If individuals have had this happen this here is a list of ways that can help. These include:
- Try and talk to the person or organisation that has discriminated against them.
- They can take legal actions through the courts.
- The person can give details of the incident to an advice agency. They can then refer it to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. However, this is only when the problem is widespread.
- People can also take it to the media.
- If it is an employment problem, then they can make a claim to an employment tribunal.
When it comes to taking legal action, the person must think about what they want to achieve, whether it is justice, financial compensation, or publicity. If the person chooses to take legal actions, they also need to consider how quickly they will need to get the results.
Taking a course of action can be hard. This is due to that the individuals may need to include confrontation. Getting advice from an experienced adviser, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau should help individuals when it comes to taking action in court.
Places to get help
If anyone has experienced sex discrimination, there are a lot of places you can receive help. Down below is a list of places you can get help.
- Law centers – Law centers will offer people free legal advice when it comes to sex discrimination. They may be able to get people as a solicitor. This solicitor will represent the person. They may also be able to publicly funded legal services (legal aid in Scotland). People can get in contact with these using this number: 020 3637 1330 (admin only)
- There is a service that helps people who have experienced gender discrimination. A service called the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) discrimination helpline, and they will give out help and advice.
- Another place to get help is the Free Representation Unit. Free Representation Unit provides people representation if they are on a low income and living in an area of London. Sadly, representation is not always given. This is because the Free Representation Unit is a voluntary organisation.
To receive the help from the free representation Unit. You need to be referred with a letter by a FRU. They must be an FRU subscriber. This can only happen once the date of the hearing has set. To get into contact with FRU call them on 020 7611 9555
To find out more information about different types of discrimination, the Equality and Human Right Commission (EHRC) website gives out a lot of helpful information. You can find it at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en
