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Section 35: Further exceptions from ss. 29(1) and 30.

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This provision is repealed
It is retained for historical reference and may not reflect the law currently in force.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 III: Discrimination in Other Fields

REPEALED on 2010-10-01 by Equality Act 2010.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

A person who provides at any place facilities or services restricted to men does not for that reason contravene section 29(1) if any of the conditions in subsections (1A) to (1C) is satisfied.. . .

The condition is that the place is, or is part of—

a hospital, or
any other establishment for persons requiring special care, supervision or attention.

The condition is that the place is (permanently or for the time being) occupied or used for the purposes of an organised religion, and the facilities or services are restricted to men so as to comply with the doctrines of that religion or avoid offending the religious susceptibilities of a significant number of its followers.

The condition is that the facilities or services are provided for, or are likely to be used by, two or more persons at the same time, and—

the facilities or services are such, or those persons are such, that male users are likely to suffer serious embarrassment at the presence of a woman, or
the facilities or services are such that a user is likely to be in a state of undress and a male user might reasonably object to the presence of a female user.

A person who provides facilities or services restricted to men does not for that reason contravene section 29(1) if the services or facilities are such that physical contact between the user and any other person is likely, and that other person might reasonably object if the user were a woman.

In their application to discrimination falling within section 2A, subsections (1A), (1C) and (2) shall apply to the extent that any such discrimination is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Sections 29(1) and 30 do not apply—

to discrimination or harassment which is rendered unlawful by any provision in column 1 of the table below, or
to discrimination or harassment which would be so unlawful but for any provision in column 2 of that table, or
to discrimination or harassment which contravenes a term modified or included by virtue of an equality clause.

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.