Direct Discrimination

Where an employee or prospective employee is less favourably treated because of their race, sex, marital status, religion, sexual orientation or gender reassignment.

This tends to be obvious discrimination, for example, a female candidate with the best qualifications and experience does not get an interview, but a male candidate with less qualifications does.

Or, if she is already in a job, she is ignored for promotion, the job going to a less qualified male worker.

An employer cannot argue that it was not their intention to discriminate, the law only considers the end effect.

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