The general equality duty according to Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 is supplemented with so-called specific duties that can be imposed on state institutions on the basis of Section 153. They are therefore the second component of equality duties in Great Britain. Their purpose is to generally help the obligated authorities to adhere to their duties and, in particular, to assist them in improving their implementation of the general duty such as by working in a more focussed and transparent way. However, compliance with the specific duty does not mean that the general duty is automatically fulfilled as well.

Based on the decentralisation of the United Kingdom, Section 153 (1) to (3) authorises the English, Welsh and Scottish Ministers to impose additional specific obligations through secondary legislation on the institutions listed in Schedule 19 of the Gender Equality Act 2010.

Since these obligations can be determined independently and separately from the general equality duty, which applies equally to all, they differ from one region to another. But there are also similarities, such as when it comes to setting and publishing so-called equality duties as well as to publication of information about their employees.

In the following, the various specific duties for England, Wales and Scotland will be considered in more detail.