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Equality, diversity and inclusionLatest NewsSex discrimination

EU ministers extend gender legislation

by Personnel Today 12 Oct 2004
by Personnel Today 12 Oct 2004


Companies in the European Union will have to ensure that their employees do not discriminate against their customers or clients because of their gender, under a directive approved in principle by the EU Council of Ministers.

The legislation widens existing EU rules banning sexual discrimination beyond the workplace and into the wider community, notably to goods and services offered to the public. After receiving formal approval by the council – probably in December – it would come into force in three years.

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A deal had been held up by concerns that insurance premiums could not be influenced by the gender of a covered person. But ministers have allowed certain calculations to take sex into account, where there are clear statistical reasons, for instance regarding women’s safer driving standards.

Otherwise, differences in treatment will only be justified by a legitimate aim, such as privacy, decency and organising single-sex sports. Male- or female-only clubs will be allowed, and there are exemptions for the media, advertising and education. The directive also compels companies to publish records and prove their innocence if sued for discrimination – a reversal of the usual burden of proof in UK cases.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

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