The Government has just rushed through the Equality Bill to get it passed before parliament is dissolved ahead of this year's general election. The bill will become law before the election but won't actually come into effect until the autumn. One of the key points of the bill is that it will allow "positive action" from an employer to redress the balance if they have more male than female employees, meaning that they can actively recruit more women into their business if they already have a high number of men. Choosing a female applicant over a male applicant in this case would only be possible if they were both equally qualified for the job.