What categories of people are covered by the Employment Equality Acts
The law which deals with discrimination in the workplace is the Employment Equality Acts 1998 – 2015 (EEA). It prohibits discrimination on nine specified grounds.
You are entitled to be treated equally in relation to work and jobs:
- If you are a woman, a man, a transgender person or an intersex person (the gender ground)
- Whether or not you are single, married, separated, divorced, widowed or in a civil partnership (the civil status ground)
- If you are the parent or person responsible for a child under 18, or if you are the main carer or parent of a person with a disability who needs ongoing care (the family status ground)
- Whether or not you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual (the sexual orientation ground)
- No matter what your religious beliefs are, or if you have no religious beliefs (the religion ground)
- Whatever your age, so long as you are over the legal school-leaving age (the age ground)
- No matter what race you belong to, or what colour your skin is, or your nationality or ethnic background (the race ground)
- If you are a member of the Traveller community (the Traveller community ground)
- If you have a disability (the disability ground).
Do you think you have been discriminated against on one or more of the nine grounds in a work situation?
- Check if your situation is covered by the law.
- Find out what to do if you think you are being, or have been discriminated against.
- Find out if we can help