Closed petition Make 'parenting' a protected characteristic under equality law

Closed on 27 January 2021

This petition is for parents of children age 11 and below to be included as a protected characteristic under equality law, so parents of young children cannot be unfairly discriminated against, particularly at work and especially for redundancy programmes as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

As a result of school closures due to the coronavirus lockdown measures, working parents who have not been furloughed have had to juggle the demands of home schooling and childcare on top of their work commitments. For parents of primary school age children and below this will have presented a near impossible challenge with the potential for tension with all but the most understanding of employers.