Young Wrexham

Equal Opportunities

In recent years there have been a number of acts of parliament to try to ensure that everyone is treated equally, these include:

• The Race Relations Act
• The Equal Pay Act
• The Sex Discrimination Act
• The Employment Equality Act

In 2010 the Equality Act was passed which brought together all existing equality laws and acts such as the Disability Discrimination Act, Equal Pay Act and the Race Relations Act 2000. This law also includes something called “protected characteristics” which makes it unlawful to discriminate against anyone who may consider themselves to be included in the protected characteristics list. Protected characteristics covers gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnerships, and being pregnant or having children.

Many organisations have equal opportunities policies that demonstrate their commitment to prevent discrimination and provide equal opportunities for employment for all members of the community.

It important to consider your rights in relation to equal opportunities when you are considering a career or a job, many people are now employed in jobs that were traditionally thought of as only suitable for men or women. Women can be car mechanics and men can be midwives.

You can get details of opportunities for all types of careers from your local careers office and on Careers Wales.