In employment law, a
bona fide occupational qualification (
BFOQ) (
US) or
bona fide occupational requirement (
BFOR) (
Canada) or
Genuine Occupational Qualification (
GOQ) (
UK) is a quality or an attribute that
employers are allowed to consider when making decisions on the hiring and retention of
employees—qualities that when considered in other contexts would constitute
discrimination and thus in violation of
civil rights employment law. Such qualifications must be listed in the employment offering.