Discrimination in 2026: What It Looks Like – And How ‘We Stand Together’ Against It…

In 2026, many organisations proudly display values of diversity, equity and inclusion. Equality laws have been in place for years. Campaigns and awareness days fill our calendars. And yet, discrimination is still shaping people’s daily lives – often in ways that are quieter, more complex and easier to deny.

Discrimination today isn’t just about overt slurs or openly exclusionary policies. It’s about who feels safe, who gets believed, whose identity is respected, and who quietly pays the emotional and professional price for “fitting in”. To tackle it honestly, we need to understand the different forms it takes – and what “standing together” really means in practice.

The many faces of discrimination in 2026

1. Direct discrimination

This is the most visible form: someone is treated worse because of a protected characteristic (such as race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender reassignment, age, pregnancy/maternity, or marriage/civil partnership in UK law).

Examples:

• A candidate is rejected because “we’ve already got one woman on the leadership team”.
• A trans employee is told they cannot use facilities aligned with their gender.
• A Black apprentice is repeatedly passed over for client-facing work “because some clients prefer a certain image”.

Although many organisations know this is unlawful, it still happens – sometimes openly, sometimes wrapped in euphemisms about “fit” or “culture”.

2. Indirect discrimination

Indirect discrimination happens when a policy or practice that seems neutral disadvantages a particular group more than others – and cannot be justified as necessary and proportionate.

Examples:

• Requiring “100% on-site presence” for roles where hybrid is feasible – which may disproportionately disadvantage disabled staff or carers.
• Last-minute, evening-only team events that make participation harder for people with caring responsibilities, health conditions, or certain religious observances.
• “Must have 10+ years continuous experience in this country” – which can indirectly exclude migrants or people with career breaks (often women or disabled people).

People affected by indirect discrimination often internalise it as a personal failing – “maybe this just isn’t for someone like me” – rather than recognising the pattern.

3. Harassment and hostile environments

Harassment is unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic that violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

In 2026, harassment often hides behind “banter”, “debate” or “just asking questions”.

Examples:

• “Jokes” about someone’s accent, body, religion, pronouns or family.
• Debating a colleague’s existence or rights in front of them as if they’re an abstract topic.
• Repeatedly misgendering or deadnaming a trans colleague after being corrected.

Globally, the problem is stark. A large EU survey in 2020 found that 43% of LGBT people felt discriminated against in at least one area of life, rising to 60% for trans people – figures that remain a sobering backdrop in 2026 as public discourse has become even more polarised in some countries.

4. Structural and systemic discrimination

Structural discrimination is about the systems and patterns that consistently disadvantage some groups, even when no one individual is setting out to be prejudiced.

Examples:

• Recruitment that heavily relies on informal networks and referrals, replicating existing demographics.
• Performance frameworks that reward presenteeism over impact – disadvantaging people with chronic ill health or caring roles.
• Policies written without considering how they land on trans, non-binary, racialised, disabled, neurodivergent or migrant communities.

This is where we see disparities in pay gaps, progression, disciplinary action and representation at senior levels. For instance, according to UK government data, around two-thirds of people living with HIV globally report experiencing some form of stigma or discrimination, especially in healthcare and employment – a reminder that health status remains a major axis of discrimination in 2026, not just a historical issue.

Why discrimination is still so hard to tackle

Even with laws and policies in place, discrimination persists because:

• It’s often ambiguous. Many behaviours sit in a grey area: “Was that discriminatory, or am I overreacting?” This ambiguity protects the status quo.
• Power imbalances are real. People who experience discrimination often rely on the very systems – schools, employers, regulators – that are failing them. Speaking up can feel risky.
• There’s fatigue and backlash. In 2026, inclusion, especially around trans and non-binary people, is heavily politicised. Some leaders fear being targeted whatever they do, and feel tempted to step back from clear commitments.
• Policies outpace practice. It’s easier to write a policy than it is to change everyday behaviours, decision-making habits and unspoken norms.

Recognising these difficulties isn’t about giving up; it’s about being honest about the work required.

How ‘we can stand together’ against discrimination

“Standing together” against discrimination isn’t just a feeling – it’s a set of choices and actions. Here are short, practical examples at different levels.

1. As individuals

• Believe people when they share experiences of discrimination. Start from trust, not interrogation.
• Challenge harmful “banter” or myths in everyday conversation – calmly but clearly.
  • Example: “I’m not comfortable with that joke – it targets a group that already faces a lot of hostility.”
• Use your voice and privilege. If you are less likely to be punished for speaking up (because of your role, identity or status), use that safety to raise concerns others can’t.

2. As colleagues, teams, and networks

• Normalise inclusive basics:
  • Sharing pronouns (without making it compulsory).
  • Checking access needs as standard for meetings and events.
  • Using people’s chosen names and titles consistently.
• Create peer spaces where people from marginalised groups can connect, share experiences and feed into change – with time and resource, not just goodwill.
• Back each other up:
  • Example: If a colleague is interrupted, you can say, “I’d like to hear them finish their point.”
  • If someone experiences a discriminatory comment, you can check in privately and ask how they’d like you to support them.

3. As leaders, HR and EDI professionals

• Look at your data honestly. Review recruitment, progression, pay, disciplinary actions and complaints by protected characteristic. Where are the gaps? Where are the patterns?
• Turn values into clear, lived expectations.
  • Spell out what respect looks like in practice.
  • Be explicit that discrimination, harassment and targeted hostility – including towards trans and non-binary people – are incompatible with your values and will be addressed.
• Equip managers, don’t just brief them. Give them training, scripts and support to handle difficult conversations, not just a policy document and a hope that they’ll “figure it out”.
• Connect compliance to care. Legal obligations are the floor, not the ceiling. Ask: “What do people in our organisation need to feel safe, trusted and able to thrive?”

4. At the level of systems and culture

• Review policies through a discrimination lens. Who might this unintentionally disadvantage? Whose reality is assumed here – and whose is missing?
• Involve those affected in designing solutions, but don’t make them carry all the emotional labour. Compensate their time, protect their anonymity where needed, and act on what they say.
• Stay the course when issues become politicised. Inclusion will always be harder when the public debate is noisy. That’s precisely when clarity matters most.

“We stand together” – for real

In 2026, discrimination is not a relic of the past. It lives in pay gaps and promotion shortlists, in school corridors and staff rooms, in policy wording and WhatsApp chats, in headlines and “debates” that forget there are real people on the receiving end.

But we are not powerless.

Every time we choose to believe someone’s experience, to challenge a harmful norm, to change a policy that quietly excludes, or to stand alongside a group under attack, we chip away at structures that have been centuries in the making.

Standing together against discrimination doesn’t mean we’ll never get it wrong. It means we’re willing to learn, repair, and keep moving – with the people most affected at the centre, not the margins.

That is how “we all belong” becomes more than a slogan. It becomes something people can feel in the room, in their bodies, and in the decisions that shape their lives.

What one concrete action will you take today to make discrimination less possible in your space, do differently this week, help someone feel they truly belong, and commit to as a small change you’ll share and talk about?