Four themes
Swipe/click through the Timeline to follow the stories of Equal Pay, Sex Discrimination, and Sexual Harassment, against the backdrop...
Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the creation of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)
The Sex Discrimination Act was enacted in 1975
1976 Equal Treatment Directive
The European Commission Equal Treatment Directive established the principle of equal treatment for men and women in relation to...
1976 Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order and creation of the EOCNI
An Order in Council (approved by the UK Parliament) prohibited sex discrimination in Northern Ireland in 1976, and it...
1981 Creation of the Advisory Council on Equal Opportunities
The European Commission's Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men was chaired by Baroness Betty Lockwood 1982-3
European Commission v UK (case 165/82)
In a European Court judgment of 1983, the UK was found to have failed to fulfil its obligations under...
Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Act 1986
In 1986 the Sex Discrimination Act was amended to bring it in line with the European Commission's Equal Treatment...
European Women’s Lobby founded
The European Women's Lobby (EWL) was founded in 1990, with funding and support from the European Commission.
Douglas Harvey Barber v Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Group
The European Court of Justice rules that women and men of the same age should be eligible for equal...
Carole Louise Webb v EMO Air Cargo (UK) Ltd
The European Court of Justice and House of Lords rule that pregnancy discrimination is unlawful.
State pension ages equalised for men and women
The state pension age was equalised for men and women in 1995.
Trans people protected against sex discrimination
A landmark ruling of 1996 found that it was contrary to the EU’s Equal Treatment Directive to dismiss an...
European Council Directive on the Burden of Proof
In 1997 a European Union Directive shifted the burden of proof from employee to employer in cases of discrimination.
Brown v Rentokil 1998
A landmark ruling of 1998 held that dismissal for any illness associated with pregnancy was a form of direct...
Adoption of the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations
In 1999 the Sex Discrimination Act was amended to explicitly protect transsexual people from discrimination in employment.
Report of the Independent Review of Anti-Discrimination Legislation
A key document that made wide-ranging recommendations for reform of UK equalities legislation was published in 2000.
Discrimination Law Review set up
The Discrimination Law Review exmained how equality law might be reformed.
Equality Act 2006 and Establishment of the EHRC
In 2006 the EHRC was created as one single body to cover all areas of discrimination.
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights comes into force
In 2009 the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights came into force as legally binding across member states
