Employment Equality Law in Ireland: Protected Grounds and Your Rights (2026)

Last updated 9 October 2026. General information only, not legal advice.

Irish employment equality law prohibits discrimination in the workplace on nine specific grounds. If you have been treated less favourably at work because of who you are, rather than because of your performance or conduct, you may have a claim under the Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015. This guide explains the law, the protected grounds, and how to take action.

The Nine Protected Grounds

Discrimination in employment in Ireland is prohibited on the following nine grounds:

1. Gender: Including pregnancy and maternity
2. Civil status: Single, married, separated, divorced, widowed, in a civil partnership
3. Family status: Responsibility for a child or dependent person
4. Sexual orientation: Gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual
5. Religion: Any religious belief, lack of religious belief, or background
6. Age: Applies to people above compulsory school-attendance age (retirement ages remain contested)
7. Disability: Physical, intellectual, sensory, mental health conditions
8. Race: Including colour, nationality, ethnic, or national origin
9. Membership of the Traveller community

Types of Discrimination

• Direct discrimination: Being treated less favourably than a comparable person because of a protected ground
• Indirect discrimination: A seemingly neutral provision, criterion, or practice that puts people with a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage
• Harassment: Unwanted conduct related to a protected ground that violates dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment
• Sexual harassment: Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature
• Victimisation: Being penalised for making or supporting an equality complaint

Where Does Equality Law Apply?

The Employment Equality Acts cover all aspects of employment including:

• Recruitment and selection
• Pay and conditions
• Promotion and training
• Working conditions and work environment
• Dismissal

Reasonable Accommodation for Disability

Employers are legally required to take appropriate measures to accommodate a person with a disability — unless doing so would impose a disproportionate burden on the employer. This might include adjusting working hours, providing specialist equipment, or modifying the physical workspace.

How to Make an Equality Complaint

Equality complaints are heard by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). You must submit your complaint within 6 months of the most recent act of discrimination (extendable to 12 months for reasonable cause). The WRC can award up to 2 years’ remuneration in discrimination cases.

Proving Your Case and Possible Outcomes

You do not have to prove discrimination outright at the start. Under section 85A of the 1998 Act, you must first establish facts from which discrimination may be presumed. If you do, the employer must then show that no discrimination took place.

Before you refer a complaint, the Act also lets you send the employer a statutory questionnaire (section 76) asking for the reasons for the decision and non-confidential information about how others in a similar position were treated. Where the WRC finds discrimination, it can order compensation, equal treatment, a specified course of action, or reinstatement or re-engagement (section 82). For compensation for the effects of discrimination where you were being paid, the cap is 104 weeks’ pay or €40,000, whichever is greater.

Before making a complaint, you may want to raise the issue in writing first: see our grievance letter guide, and our WRC claim guide for how the process works.

For employers: our Interview Compliance Pack is an editable document you complete yourself. It is not legal advice and does not include review by a solicitor.

Frequently asked questions

Can I be treated differently because of my age?

The age ground protects people above compulsory school-attendance age, so it covers younger and older workers alike. Special rules apply to retirement ages and recruitment, so check the position for your situation.

Is harassment at work covered by equality law?

Yes. Section 14A of the Employment Equality Act 1998 covers harassment and sexual harassment: unwanted conduct related to a protected ground (or of a sexual nature) that violates your dignity and creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. An employer can be liable for harassment by a colleague, or by a client or customer if it did not take reasonably practicable steps to prevent it.

What counts as victimisation?

Under section 74, it is victimisation if your employer dismisses you or treats you adversely because you made a discrimination complaint, supported someone else’s, were a witness, or lawfully opposed unlawful discrimination.

What happens if I miss the 6-month deadline?

The WRC Director General or the Circuit Court can extend the time to a maximum of 12 months if you show reasonable cause for the delay. Seek advice promptly if you are close to the deadline; a regulated solicitor can advise on your situation.

Experiencing discrimination at work? This site is not a solicitor’s practice. To find a regulated solicitor, use the Law Society of Ireland’s Find a Solicitor directory, or join the no-fee solicitor service waiting list. Also see our unfair dismissal guide and workplace bullying and harassment guide.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Need help with this? Work of this kind is carried out by a solicitor regulated by the Law Society of Ireland. We are not a solicitor’s practice and do not provide it — to instruct a solicitor, use the Law Society of Ireland’s Find a Solicitor directory. You can also join the no-fee solicitor service waiting list.