EHRC - Recruitment and selection: your rights

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Our job is to promote equality and human rights, and to create a fairer Britain. We do this by providing advice and guidance, working to implement an effective legislative framework and raising awareness of your rights.

Recruitment and selection: your rights

The Sex Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in employment on the ground of sex or marital status. So, a job advert for a 'salesgirl', or an advert which says 'must be nimble fingered, to work in a predominately female environment' which implies packing jobs are restricted to women, are likely to be unlawful. The Sex Discrimination Act also makes it unlawful to discriminate on the ground of sex in relation to education and training, the provision of goods, facilities and services or the disposal of premises.

To find out more about employers’ obligations when placing job advertisements, read Employers: job advertisements and equality.