An Act to render unlawful certain kinds of sex discrimination and discrimination on the ground of marriage, and establish a Commission with the function of working towards the elimination of such discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity between men and women generally; and for related purposes.
Sex discrimination against women & men, Discrimination against married persons in employment field, Discrimination by way of victimisation, and Discrimination against applicants and employees. Please read full document for lawful determination of the law as it is written.
Other amendments were introduced by the Sex Discrimination Act 1986, the Employment Act 1989, the Equality Act 2006, and other legislation such as rulings by the European Court of Justice.
The act did not apply in Northern Ireland, however the Sex Discrimination Gender Reassignment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 does.
The act established the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) whose main duties were to work towards the elimination of discrimination, to promote equality of opportunity between sexes and to keep under review the workings of the Sex Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act 1970. The EOC helped individuals bring cases to employment tribunals and to the courts. The EOC is now subsumed into the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). ‘Sex Discrimination’, as it is referred to in employment law, was introduced in the 1970s alongside equal pay legislation.
