Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what consideration she has given to updating equality legislation to help tackle hair-based discrimination.

The government wants to ensure that whoever you are, wherever you come from, Britain is a country that will respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on in life.

The Equality Act 2010 uses a very broad definition of race, so that it protects aspects of cultural and social ethnic origin. Hairstyles worn because of cultural, family and social customs can be part of a person’s ethnic origin and are therefore protected under the Equality Act 2010.

In October 2022, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published guidance to help schools ensure their uniform and appearance policies are not unlawfully discriminatory.

This guidance is publicly available on their website at: (https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/public-sector-equality-duty/preventing-hair-discrimination-schools)