UK Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act came into force from October 2010, replacing all previous anti-discrimination legislation, providing a modern, single legal framework to better tackle disadvantage and discrimination.
It legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in the wider society and makes the law easier to understand and strengthens protection in some situations.
National LGBT Survey 2017
In July 2017 the Office for National Statistics launched a survey with the aim to understand the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people living in the UK. The links below provide access to the results and further information on this survey:
The 9 Protected Characteristics
Protected Characteristics: There are nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act. Under the Act, discrimination which happens because of one or more of these characteristics is unlawful.
Protected Characteristics Infographic
Protected Characteristics Dashboard
Age
A person belonging to a particular age (for example 32 year olds) or range of ages (for example 18 to 30 year olds).
Data on County Durham’s population by age and gender is available through the Population Reports theme.
Related Factsheets:
Disability
A person has a disability if she or he 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.
Most people suffer periods of ill health at some time, but these are usually temporary problems that do not have a sustained effect on day to day activities, such as going to work or socialising with friends and family. However, some health problems and disabilities are long-lasting and reduce a person’s ability to carry out the activities people usually do day-to-day and which most of us take for granted.
Useful Links:
2021 Census Data for County Durham
- In the 2021 Census 119,790 people recorded themselves as having a LLTI that limited day to day activities in County Durham representing 22.9% of the resident population in the county. This was higher than the 17.3% recorded across England,
| Area | All People | Day-to-day activities limited a lot | Day-to-day activities limited a little | Day-to-day activities not limited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham | 522,068 | 55,992 | 63,798 | 402,278 |
| North East | 2,647,013 | 261,962 | 305,342 | 2,079,709 |
| England and Wales | 56,490,048 | 4,140,357 | 5,634,153 | 46,715,538 |
ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from NOMIS]
Gender Reassignment
The process of transitioning from one gender to another. Data for County Durham is not available. However, the 2021 Census did collect data on gender identity and this can be viewed on the 2021 Census Population report page:
Around 0.2% of the resident 16+ population in County Durham identified as either ‘Trans Man’ or ‘Trans Woman’ in 2021. Similar percentages were recorded across the region and England.
Marriage and Civil Partnerships
Marriage is a union between a man and a woman or between a same-sex couple.
Same-sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as ‘civil partnerships’. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where permitted by the Equality Act).
| Area | All usual residents aged 16+ | Single (never married or never registered a same-sex civil partnership) | Married/In a registered same-sex civil partnership | Separated (but still legally married or still legally in a same-sex civil partnership) | Divorced or formerly in a same-sex civil partnership which is now legally dissolved | Widowed or surviving partner from a same-sex civil partnership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham | 433,959 | 160,142 | 188,422 | 10,909 | 43,446 | 31,040 |
| North East | 2,178,960 | 829,791 | 937,083 | 54,358 | 206,974 | 150,754 |
| England % Wales | 46,006,957 | 17,540,122 | 20,561,642 | 1,033,518 | 4,171,639 | 2,790,036 |
ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from Nomis]
Pregnancy and Maternity
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 the 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.
Data for 2021 suggest that there were 4,500 live births and 1,300 terminations.
Useful Links:
Race
Refers to the protected characteristic of race. It refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins.
Data on County Durham’s ethnic population is available through the Population Reports theme and the 2021 Census Population Reports below.
Useful Links
Religion and Belief
Religion refers to any religion, including a lack of religion. Belief refers to any religious or philosophical belief and includes a lack of belief. Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition.
Data on County Durham’s ethnic population is available through the Population Reports theme and the 2021 Census Population Reports below.
Useful Links
Sex
A man or a woman
Data on County Durham’s ethnic population is available through the Population Reports theme and the 2021 Census Population Reports below.
Useful Links
Sexual Orientation
Whether a person’s sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes.
The 2021 Census, for the first time, recorded a persons sexual orientation and gender identity. This data is available through the Population Reports theme and the 2021 Census Population Reports below.
Useful Links