Fawcett comments on government plans to issue guidelines on sexist dress codes

21 APRIL 2017

Today, the government announced that it will issue guidelines on sexist dress codes, but will not make it illegal for employers to insist that people wear heels to work.

Fawcett Chief Executive Sam Smethers says:

“What we need to address is the objectification of women at work. Rather than being about a professional appearance, dress codes can be used as a way to require women to dress in a stereotypical or sexy way. There is nothing smart about that.

“Fawcett has launched a sex discrimination law review and one of the issues the law review panel is considering is whether the law on dress codes needs to be changed.

“An awareness raising campaign is welcome but the bottom line is that employers are still getting away with objectifying women at work. That has to change.”

Read about our Sex Discrimination Law Review here.

You can also read more about Fawcett’s viral campaign #FawcettFlatsFriday, which we initiated in solidarity with Nicola Thorp, who was sent home after wearing flat shoes to work.

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