London: Women are being told to wear high heels, revealing dresses and dye their hair blonde, despite gender discrimination being illegal in the UK, a parliamentary study released on Wednesday has found, prompting MPs to call for a new law against imposing sexist dress codes at workplaces.
The study — High Heels and Workplace Dress Codes — was commissioned by the House of Commons’ parliamentary committee last year after a petition by London-based receptionist Nicola Thorp, who was sent home from work in December 2015 for not wearing high heels, gained more than 150,000 signatures. The study found that it was not an “isolated” incident and female workers are routinely asked to submit to wear high heels, makeup or revealing outfits.
The MPs concluded that a legal framework was required to tackle such “discrimination,” as male workers were not required to submit to it.
