The Equality Act 2010 covers the following nine areas, known as protected characteristics:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Sexual orientation
  • Religion or belief (including non-belief)
  • Sex
  • Race
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Marriage and civil partnership

The legal definitions of the protected characteristics are laid out in the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) non-statutory guidance on ‘What equality means for you as an education provider – further and higher education’. The full guidance can be found on the EHRC web site.