Is it lawful for an employer to refuse to employ me because of my sex?

It is unlawful to refuse you employment on the grounds of your sex, either directly, or indirectly by putting in place requirements which would be more difficult for you to comply with than a member of the opposite sex.

The only exception to this protection is where there is some reason connected with the job itself, or circumstances where there in a genuine need to appoint a person of one particular sex. This is known as a Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ) and applies in a number of specified circumstances such as

• where the essential nature of the job calls for someone of a certain sex, e.g. a female model
• there are considerations of decency and privacy, for example, a lavatory attendant, or of a personal nature in a private home
• the work is concerned with the provision of personal or welfare services, where the recipients would identify better with a member of their own sex