Gender equality timeline
Explore 50 years of campaigning, organising and litigating around workplace gender equalities.
Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the creation of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)
The Sex Discrimination Act was enacted in 1975
Term ‘sexual harassment’ imported from USA
The term ‘sexual harassment’ was coined by grassroots women’s rights activists in North America in the 1970s to describe...
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...
Catherine Mackinnon defines sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination
The history of responses to sexual harassment is a transatlantic story. The book 'Sexual Harassment of Working Women', published...
Julie Hyatt Wins Her Case (Constructive Dismissal)
In 1981 a small number of women were successful in using the Employment Protections Act to win compensation for...
NALGO says ‘Sexual Harassment is a Trade Union Issue’
The National Association of Local Government Employees (NALGO) was at the forefront of trade union campaigning against sexual harassment....
Women’s TUC Conference passes resolution on sexual harassment
The Women’s TUC Conference passed a resolution which recognised that ‘sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that...
NCCL (now Liberty) publish Sexual Harassment at Work
The National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), renamed Liberty in 1989, played an important role in campaigning around sex...
First ruling that sexual harassment is discrimination
In September 1983 there was widespread coverage of a ‘milestone case’: the first industrial tribunal to rule that sexual...
Sex Equality Bill fails first reading
A private member's bill (introduced by Jo Richardson MP) to resolve the ‘grey areas’ in both the Sex Discrimination...
First sexual harassment ruling in Northern Ireland and the work of the EOCNI
In 1984 a highly effective media and communications strategy by Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland resulted in the...
Women Against Sexual Harassment (WASH) set up
The first support and advocacy group to focus solely on sexual harassment was set up in 1986.
Strathclyde Regional Council v. Porcelli
1986 saw the ‘first definitive ruling by a British court’ that sexual harassment constituted a form of sex discrimination.
Scottish Women Against Sexual Harassment (SWASH) set up
Scottish Women Against Sexual Harassment was set up in August 1986 to support ‘working women in Scotland’; it was...
Business as Usual: ‘sexual harassment’ on screen
The film 'Business as Usual' challenged dominant narratives about sexual harassment in 1987,
Darby v. Bracebridge Engineering Ltd
An important landmark ruling in 1989 found that ‘a single incident of sexual harassment, provided it is sufficiently serious’...
European Women’s Lobby founded
The European Women's Lobby (EWL) was founded in 1990, with funding and support from the European Commission.
UK press coverage of the Hill-Thomas Hearings
The issue of sexual harassment became a global talking point and international media event through coverage of the Hill-Thomas...
European Commission Recommendation and Code of Practice on Dignity of Women and Men at Work
In 1991 the European Parliament approved a 'soft law' Recommendation and Code of Practice on sexual harassment.
Third Party Harassment – Landmark Cases (and Reversal)
Two Employment Appeal Tribunal rulings established important precedents that employers were liable for third party harassment.
1997 Trans people protected against sexual harassment
Judgement in Chessington World of Adventure Ltd v. X clarified that trans people were protected from sexual harassment in...
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.
European Union Directive requiring national legislation on sexual harassment
A 2002 EU Directive required all member states to adopt national sexual harassment legislation by 2005.
Equal Opportunities Commission – formal investigation into Royal Mail
The Royal Mail developed an action plan to change workplace culture in response to an EOC formal investigation.
Discrimination Law Review set up
The Discrimination Law Review exmained how equality law might be reformed.
Equal Opportunities Commission – Formal Investigation agreement with the Ministry of Defence
In 2005 the EOC agreed a three-year plan with the MoD to change the culture of the armed forces.
First formal definition of sexual harassment in (secondary) legislation
Harassment on the ground of sex was defined in a statutory instrument of 2005.
Equality Act 2006 and Establishment of the EHRC
In 2006 the EHRC was created as one single body to cover all areas of discrimination.
Third party harassment included in (secondary) legislation for the first time
A statutory instrument of 2008 made employers liable for sex-related harassment from third parties.
Employers’ liability for third party harassment removed from statute law
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 removed employers' liability for third party sexual harassment.
Global take up of #MeToo campaign
The hashtag #MeToo became a global phenomenon from July 2017 onward.
