Petition Add “accent” as a protected characteristic under Section 4 of the Equality Act
We believe accent bias harms regional speakers, working-class people and immigrants in jobs and daily life. It could limit opportunities and lead to harassment, yet the Equality Act offers no protection. Parliament should amend Section 4 to add accent as a protected characteristic.
More details
Accent can be a marker of socioeconomic status, yet we believe that UK law leaves regional speakers and many legal immigrants from non-English-speaking countries unprotected unless their accent links to nationality. Accent bias may block job opportunities, promotions and mobility, keeping Received Pronunciation (RP) dominant and limiting the UK’s talent potential. Adding an accent to section 4 of the Equality Act could close this gap and protect millions.
30 signatures
Show on a map the geographical breakdown of signatures by constituency
10,000 signatures required to get a government response
At 10,000 signatures...
At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition
At 100,000 signatures...
At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament