Anti-discrimination law

Anti-discrimination law refers to the law on the right of people to be treated equally. Some countries mandate that in employment, in consumer transactions and in political participation people must be dealt with on an equal basis regardless of sex, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity and sometimes religious and political opinions.

Examples

Examples of anti-discrimination law include,

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 (United States)
• Title IX of Education Amendments of 1972 (United States)
• Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (United States)
• Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Australia)
• Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (New South Wales, Australia)
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (United States)
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Australia)

Exceptions

Where anti-discrimination legislation is in force, exceptions are sometimes included in the laws, particularly affecting the military and religions.

Military

In many nations with anti-discrimination legislation, women are excluded from holding certain positions in the military, such as serving in a frontline combat capacity or aboard submarines. The reason given varies; for example, the British Royal Navy cite the reason for not allowing women to serve aboard submarines as medical and related to the safety of an unborn fetus, rather than that of combat effectiveness.

Religious organisations

Some religious organisations are exempted from legislation. For example, in Britain the Church of England, in common with other religious institutions, has historically not allowed women to hold senior positions (bishoprics) despite sex discrimination in employment generally being illegal; the prohibition was confirmed by a vote by the Church synod in 2012.

Selection of teachers and pupils in schools for general education but with a religious affiliation is often permitted by law to be restricted to those of the same religious affiliation even where religious discrimination is forbidden.

See also

• List of anti-discrimination acts
• Labour law
• Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (ILO Convention No. 111)
• Anti-discrimination laws in Brazil
• Employment discrimination law in the United States
• Employment discrimination law in the United Kingdom
• History of women in the military
• LGBT rights by country or territory

External links

• Handbook on European non-discrimination law, Fundamental Rights Agency, 2011