Race Discrimination: Clubs and Advertisements

Before the Race Relations Act 2000, private clubs, such as political and working-men’s clubs, were allowed to discriminate on race grounds. It is now unlawful for any club or society with 25 or more members to discriminate on race grounds in any of the following ways:

Refusing to allow you to join.
Offering you less favourable terms of membership.
Giving you fewer benefits, facilities or services or refusing to let you use or have any of these benefits (for example, social facilities).
Expelling you from the club or changing the terms of your membership.
Putting you at a disadvantage in any other way.

But a club or society whose main purpose is to provide benefits for people of a particular racial group, whatever its size, will continue to be allowed to discriminate on race grounds (although not on grounds of colour).

Advertisements

It is unlawful to insert, publish or cause to be published an advertisement which indicates that an employer, a company or anyone else intends to discriminate unlawfully. The absence of an intention to discriminate is no defence.

Only the Commission for Racial Equality is able to take legal action against discriminatory advertisements. If you see an advertisement which you believe breaks the law you should bring it to the Commission’s attention. You can also make a complaint about the advertisement to the person displaying it yourself.

Discrimination is allowed where exceptions in the law exist, for example, advertisements for jobs to which the genuine occupational qualification applies, for employment outside the United Kingdom and for posts and training where positive action is permitted. But an advertisement for employment in a private household must not be racially discriminatory.

Back to to top