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This petition was submitted during the 2019 to 2024 Parliament

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Closed Include parents & single people as protected characteristics.

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The Govt. should extend the protected characteristic (PC) 'Pregnancy & Maternity' to cover all parents with dependent children. The 'Marriage & Civil Partnership' characteristic should be updated to cover all marital statuses. These changes will broaden protection to groups such as single parents.

Parents, particularly single parents (80% female), have long experienced discrimination. The Pregnancy & MaternityPC risks perpetuating a gender bias & offers no protection to either parent if they were discriminated against on the basis of their parenting status. The Marriage & Civil PartnershipPC excludes those who are single, divorced or separated. Single parents are doubly at risk as there is no legal imperative for their particular circumstances to be considered in employment or in accessing services. Change is needed.

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    This petition will stay open until 21 February 2021.