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Section 15: Employment agencies.

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 · 1975 c. 65View on legislation.gov.uk

This provision is repealed
It is retained for historical reference and may not reflect the law currently in force.

Part II: EMPLOYMENT FIELD

REPEALED on 2010-10-01 by Equality Act 2010.

The text below is from the dated revised snapshot immediately preceding this status change. It is historical and is not current law. View the historical source.

It is unlawful for an employment agency to discriminate against a woman—

in the terms on which the agency offers to provide any of its services, or
by refusing or deliberately omitting to provide any of its services, or
in the way it provides any of its services.

It is unlawful for an employment agency, in relation to the provision of its services, to subject to harassment a woman—

to whom it provides such services, or
who has requested the provision of such services.

It is unlawful for a local authority or education authority or any other person to do any act in providing services in pursuance of arrangements made, or a direction given, under section 10 of the Employment and Training Act 1973 which constitutes discrimination.

References in subsection (1) to the services of an employment agency include guidance on careers and any other services related to employment.

This section does not apply if the discrimination only concerns employment which the employer could lawfully refuse to offer the woman.

An employment agency or local authority , education authority or other person shall not be subject to any liability under this section if it proves—

that it acted in reliance on a statement made to it by the employer to the effect that, by reason of the operation of subsection (4), its action would not be unlawful, and
that it was reasonable for it to rely on the statement.

A person who knowingly or recklessly makes a statement such as is referred to in subsection (5)(a) which in a material respect is false or misleading commits an offence, and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.