What is the difference between direct and indirect race discrimination?
A. The difference between direct and indirect race discrimination is not always an easy distinction to make. If an employer had a rule that all job applicants had to be white, this would clearly directly discriminate against all those that are not white. If an employer has a requirement that all job applicants had to be graduates, one would have thought this to be a reasonable criterion. However, if it can be established that members of a particular ethnic minority are under represented at universities in the UK, such an innocuous and on the face of it reasonable criteria, may well amount to indirect race discrimination. Careful consideration needs to be given both during the recruitment and retention of individuals and one should always consider the possibility of indirectly discriminating against individuals belonging to a particular race, nationality, colour or ethnic or national group. Q. Can men also benefit from the protection offered by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975? A. This q
