The definition of discrimination

• Author: Latraverse, Sophie
• Pages: 18-42

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2 THE DEFINITION OF DISCRIMINATION

2.1 Grounds of unlawful discrimination explicitly covered

The grounds of discrimination explicitly prohibited in the main legislation transposing and

implementing the two EU anti-discrimination directives (as listed in the Introduction above)

are:

Mores (moeurs), sexual orientation, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, belonging,

whether real or supposed to an ethnic origin, nation, race or specific religion, physical

appearance, last name, family situation, trade union activities, political and

philosophical opinions, age, health, disability, genetic characteristics, loss of

autonomy, place of residence, capacity to exp ress oneself in a language other than

French, economic vulnerability, refusal to be a victim of bullying, banking residence

(domiciliation bancaire), holding of a local political office.

The constant amendments to the long list of prohibited grounds over the years have

created inconsistencies, and at one point e xcluded the ground of religion. This error has

been corrected at the time of the creation of the ground of banking residence since the

adoption of the Law No. 2017-256 relating to equality rights of overseas populations.56

As expressly discussed in Parliament, the form ulation of ‘real or supposed ethnic origin,

nation, race’ is meant to emphasise the non-acceptance of the n otions of race and ethnic

groups.57

The ground of ‘loss of autonomy’ was created in 2015.58 It has been adopted in order to

bring abusive behaviour towards people who are dependant under the scope of the

prohibition of discrimination. It confers jurisdiction on the equality body in situations where

people in a sheltered environment or in a situation of care are abusively treated, whether

such environments are private homes, elderly people’s care homes, hospitals or homes for

people who are disabled or chronically sick. Given the definition of disability in the

International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this definition covers

situations relating to disabled people. However, the scope of this provision has not yet

been interpreted.

The ground of gender identity was adopted in Law No. 2016-1547 of 18 November 2016

on the modernisation of the justice system in the 21st century,59 in order to settle the

debate on the relevance of the term ‘sexual identity’ and of its definiti on. There have not

yet been any discrimination law cases invoking this ground. However, in its decision

relating to the legality of th e law adding this ground, the Constitutional Coun cil decided

that the term ‘gender identity’ targets the concept of gender in its largest definition,

capturing a person’s identity, whether or not it conforms to his or her legal identity or to

various expressions of one’s relation to the male or female sex.60 The terms ‘gender

56 Article 70 of Law No. 2017-256 of 28 February 2017, available at:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=0B0E755C554B6D2B7E92E2A27A24E1A6.tplgfr31

s_2?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000034103762&dateTexte=20170301.

57 Parliamentary debates before the Senate on 9 January 2001 relating to amendment No. 15, available at:

http://www.senat.fr/seances/s200101/s20010109/sc20010109007.html.

58 Article 23 of Law no. 2015-1776 of 28 December 2015 Adaptation to an Ageing Society (Loi No. 2015-1776

du 28 décembre 2015 portant adaptation de la société au vieillissement), available at:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000031700731&categorieLien=id.

59 Law No. 2016-1547 of 18 November 2016 on the modernisation of the justice system in the 21st century

(Loi n° 2016-1547 du 18 novembre 2016 de modernisation de la justice du XXIe siècle), Articles 62 to 88

available at:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000033418805&categorieLien=id.

60 Constitutional Council, No. 2016- 745, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.conseil-

constitutionnel.fr/decision/2017/2016745DC.htm: ‘le législateur a entendu viser le genre auquel s'identifie

une personne, qu'il corresponde ou non au sexe indiqué sur les registres de l'état-civil ou aux différentes

expressions de l'appartenance au sexe masculin ou au sexe féminin’.

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identity’ are meant to transcend any definition of gender and to cover unequal treatment

and harassment related to transgender p eople as well as all other gender issues, whether

cultural, psychological or physical, and whatever the characteristics of the person –

whether they be non-binary, heterosexual, gay, transgender or intersex.

The ground of ‘economic vulnerability’, created by Law No. 2016-832 of 24 June 2016 to

fight discrimination relating to social precariousness,61 is intended to cover unequal

treatment on the basis of a person’s poverty and action that takes advantage of the

vulnerability of someone’s economic situation.

The ground of ‘expressing oneself in a language other than French’ is formulated in a way

that requires interpretation. Parliamentary discussions indicate that it was intended to

extend the protection against discrimination both to people claiming their rights to regional

languages and to people of foreign origin who have an accent when speaking French.62

The list of prohibited grounds contained in the Labour Code wa s extended once again by

Article 86 of Law No. 2019-1461 of 27 December 2019 relating to local political

engagement and public action,63 which c reated a discrimination ground related to the

holding of a local political office (‘de son exercice d'un mandat électif local’).

2.1.1 Definition of the grounds of unlawful discrimination withi n the directives

French anti-discrimination legislation does not define each ground. Since the list is v ery

long, the judge does not approach a di scrimination case by identifying whether or not the

complainant conforms to the definition of one of the groups covered, the approach is more

oriented towards an appreciation of adverse effect in comparison to a group or of the

defendant’s differentiating behaviour in relation to a prohibited ground.

a) Racial or ethnic origin

No definition in the law.

The law actually refuses to validate the concepts of ‘race’ and ‘ethnic origin’ or to define

them. As explicitly discussed in Parliament, the formulation of ‘real or supposed ethnic

origin, nation, race’ is meant to emphasise the non-acceptanc e of the notions of race and

ethnic groups.64

Since the law prohibits taking these concepts into consideration to create legal categories,

they are not defined. The concept of race is interpreted as being referred to in the

Constitution as a prohibited concept.65 Ethnic origin is not interpreted either, as it is

deemed to be a euphemism for race. That is why the ‘nationality of origin’, conceived as

objective information on a person’s ancestry, based on his or her nationality or the

nationality of his or her paren ts, is deemed by the Constitutional Council to be the only

61 Law No. 2016-832 of 24 June 2016 to fight discrimination relating to social precariousness (Loi n° 2016-832

du 24 juin 2016 visant à lutter contre la discrimination à raison de la précarité sociale), available at:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000032769440&categorieLien=id.

62 Mehrez, F. (2017), ‘Les discriminations linguistiques font leur entrée dans le code du travail’ (Linguistic

discrimination enters the Labour Code), Editions Législatives, 13 January 2017, available at:

https://www.editions-legislatives.fr/actualite/les-discriminations-linguistiques-font-leur-entree-dans-le-

code-du-travail.

63 Law No. 2019-1461 of 27 December 2019 relating to local political engagement and public action (Loi n°

2019-1461 du 27 décembre 2019 relative à l'engagement dans la vie locale et à la proximité de l'action

publique), available at : https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/loi/2019/12/27/TERX1917292L/jo/texte.

64 Parliamentary debates before the Senate on 9 January 2001 relating to amendment No. 15, available at :

http://www.senat.fr/seances/s200101/s20010109/sc20010109007.html.

65 Dhume, F., Cohen, V. (2018) ‘Mentioning Racism, Silencing race and Listening to the Nation’ (Dire le

racisme, taire la race, faire parler la nation), in Mots. Les langages du politique 2018/1 (No. 116), pp. 55 to

72, available at: https://www.cairn.info/revue-mots-2018-1-page-55.htm#; Lochak, D. (1992) ‘Race: A

Legal Category?’ (La race: une catégorie juridique?) in Mots. Les langages du politique, pp. 291-303,

available at: https://www.persee.fr/doc/mots_0243-6450_1992_num_33_1_1760.