Under federal anti-discrimination law, which of the following is NOT protected?

• A. Religion
• B. Skill
• C. Gender
• D. Race and ethnicity

Answer: (B)

Under federal anti-discrimination law, protections are tied to specific personal characteristics that people have no control over, such as religion, gender, or race/ethnicity. These protected categories mean you can’t treat someone unfavorably because of those traits. Skill, by contrast, is not a protected characteristic; it’s an attribute related to a person’s abilities or qualifications. Employers can evaluate and hire based on skill or qualifications as long as they’re applied consistently and not used as a pretext to discriminate against someone for a protected characteristic. Therefore, the option describing skill is not protected, making it the correct choice.