Protected Characteristics

Age is usually measured in years and months. A person's birthday is often an important event, this is celebrated on the day they were born.

In equalities legislation where age is referred to, this usually refers to a person belonging to a particular age (e.g. 17 year olds) or range of ages (e.g. 50 - 65 year olds).

Did You Know?

The population of our county is increasing. The 2008 mid-year estimate for the population of the county was 557,639. In 2006 the population was estimated to be 552,900 and in 2001 it was 542,200.

The population of younger people is falling (up to the age of approximately 40 years), in Worcestershire  despite an increase in the overall population.

In mid-2007 the resident population of the UK was 60,975,000. The average age was 39 years, up from 37 in 1997. Children aged under 16 represented around one in five of the total population, around the same proportion as those of retirement age. (Research and Intelligence Unit).

A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Did You Know?

The most recent information we have on the extent of Worcestershire’s population with a disability, or limiting long-term illness is from the 2001 Census which shows that in 2001, 16.7% of the county’s population declared themselves as having some form of disability.

Gender reassignment is the process of transitioning from one gender to another.

Did You Know?

There can often be a certain amount of confusion around gender reassignment and transgender issues. Some useful definitions are outlined below:

Gender - Can consist of two related aspects; gender identity, which is a person's internal perception and experience of their gender; and gender role, which is the way that the person lives in society and interacts with others, which is based on or linked to a person's gender identity.

Gender Dysphoria - The discomfort experienced when a person's sense of being a man or a woman (their gender identity) is inconsistant with the sex appearance of the body. In its persistant form this is known as transsexualism. Gender dysphoria is a medical condition.

Transgender - This terms generally relates to a person who belongs to one biological sex but permanently, though only partially, (possibly through hormones and some surgery) takes on the appearance of the opposite sex.  Often, transgender people do not desire full gender reassignment surgery. The term transgender is also sometimes used as an umbrella term to include transsexual and transgender people, as well as transvestites and cross-dressers (i.e. those who wish to dress in the clothes of the opposite sex). 

Transsexual - This term refers to someone who begins life as one biological sex, then implements a self-motivated, complete transformation to appear and behave as the opposite sex. This person will hold a deep conviction that their gender identity does not match their appearance and/or anatomy (gender dysphoria). The transsexual person undergoes gender reassignment to bring their body into line with this core gender identity.

The Equality Act introduced a number of changes to the legal protection of transgender and transsexual people. The Act no longer requires a person to be under medical supervision to be protected - for example, a woman who decides to live permanently as a man, but does not undergo any medical procedures is now protected by discrimination law.

Marriage is defined as a 'union between a man and a woman'. Same-sex couples can have their relationships legally recognised as 'civil partnerships'. Civil partners must be treated the same as married couples on a wide range of legal matters.

Did You Know?

As of October 2010, 286 civil partnerships have been registered by Worcestershire Registration Offices since the law on civil partnerships was introduced in December 2005.

Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby.  Maternity refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context.

In a non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding.

Did You Know?

The Equality Act makes it clear that it is against the law to get less favourable treatment if breastfeeding when receiving services. However, there is no right to breastfeed at work.

For example, it would be against the law for the manager of a cafe to ask a mother to stop breastfeeding or do it somewhere more private, or to leave because they are breastfeeding.

Race refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour and nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins.

Did You Know?

Worcestershire has a relatively small ethnic minority population of 7.3% (40,300), compared to 16.9% for the West Midlands and 16.4% for England (mid-year population estimates 2007). However, the proportion of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) residents is growing, and has increased by 2.7 percentage points since 2001.

Redditch (9.5%) has the largest BME population, the largest proportion of which are of Pakistani origin. The Pakistani population in Worcestershire is estimated to be 5,500 (1%), while the Indian population is estimated at 4,100 (0.7%).

The number of persons defined as White Other (i.e. White but originating from outside the UK and Ireland) has also risen, from 6,900 in 2001 to 10,000 (1.8%) in 2007, and is highest in Wychavon and Worcester City (both 2.1%).

The County also has large communities of Irish and Eastern European origin. Traditionally, Worcestershire also has a large population of Romany Gypsies and a small number of Irish Travellers, which are the oldest ethnic minority community in the county.

Religion is a set of beliefs and practices, often centred upon specific claims about the cosmos and human nature. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural tradition writings, history, and mythology as well as personal faith and religious belief.

The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

Belief can include religious and philosophical beliefs, including lack of belief (e.g. atheism). Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in this definition.

Did You Know?

According to the 2001 Census, the vast majority of Worcestershire’s residents (78.7%) are Christian, with 12.6% of people stating that they had no religion and 7.1% preferring not to state their religion.

The largest non-Christian community in Worcestershire is the Muslim community which stands at 0.9% of the population, which as of 2001, equated to 4880 people.

The national Christian population proportion of 71.7% is 7% lower than Worcestershire’s, with other significant differences appearing under ‘no religion’ (a difference of 2% to the national percentage of 14.6%) and in the Muslim and Hindu populations (a 2.2% and 1% difference respectively) (2001 Census).

England's first mosque and Islamic centre was founded in 1882 in Liverpool and the oldest Hindu temple in the U.K is on Leeds Road, Bradford

There are an estimated 1,500 religious festival dates celebrated in the U.K every year.

A male or female.

Did You Know?

The 2008 mid-year estimates show that out of the total Worcestershire population of 557,639, approximately 273.200 were male and 284,400 were female - or, 49% of the population were male and 51% were female. This near equal balance is typical of the country as a whole.

The definition of ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexuality’ and ‘heterosexuality’ is better expressed as ‘sexual orientation towards people’, rather than ‘sexual attraction to’. This reflects the fact that people build committed, stable relationships and is not purely a focus on sexual activity.

Everyone has a sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is a combination of emotional, romantic, sexual or affectionate attraction to another person. It's who you are attracted to, fall in love with and want to live your life with.

Did You Know?

Accurate figures about the number of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people living in Worcestershire are scarce. However, estimates indicate that nationally, approximately 6% of the population are LGB. 

The British Army lifted its ban on homosexual soldiers in 2000.

The first Gay Pride march was in London in 1972.