Equality and Discrimination 2024

Accessing Education and in Education Settings

In the 2024 survey, respondents who had experienced discrimination in education, were asked to specify whether this discrimination occurred in their access to education, or in an education setting while attending school or college, etc.

At an overall level, discrimination in education was relatively low. Just 2% of respondents had experienced discrimination in an education setting, while attending school or college or other. Some 1% said they were discriminated against in their access to education, and a similar number were discriminated against in both their access to education and in an education setting (See Table 6.1).

One in Twenty Transgender/Non-Binary People Discriminated Against while Attending School/College

People whose gender identity was non-cisgender experienced more discrimination in education than cisgender people. Some 7% of transgender/non-binary people experienced discrimination in accessing education, compared with just 1% of cisgender people. One in twenty (5%) who identify as transgender/non-binary said they were discriminated against in an education setting, while attending school or college or other institution, compared with 2% of cisgender people (See Figure 6.1 and Table 6.1).

Analysis by sexual orientation shows that gay/lesbian people experienced most discrimination in an education setting while attending a school/college/other. So, although discrimination was relatively low for them in their access to education (1%), one in twelve (8%) said they had experienced discrimination while attending an education setting. One in seventeen (6%) people whose sexual orientation was bisexual said they had been discriminated against in their access to education and in an education setting.

Analysis by ethnicity shows that respondents with a Black Irish/Black African/other Black background, experienced little discrimination in accessing education (2%), however discrimination was much greater while attending/doing a course at an education setting (7%) (See Table 6.1).

Analysis by age group shows that younger people aged 18 to 24 years felt most discriminated against in an educational setting (7%), while some 4% had experienced discrimination in their access to education (See Table 6.2).

Of those who have experienced discrimination in educational settings, by far the most common ground cited was race (such as colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins) at 35%, followed by disability (30%). Both gender (includes gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, etc.) and socio-economic background (such as address, accent, level of education, type of housing, employment status or any other similar circumstance) were joint third at 17%. More than half (55%) of respondents who experienced discrimination in education, said it happened on a few occasions while one in seven (15%) said it had occurred frequently. Almost one-quarter (24%) said that the discrimination had a serious effect on their lives, while nearly half (49%) said it had some effect on them (See Table 6.3).