Workers should not be subjected to sexualized dress codes: Ont. agency

TORONTO — Human rights activists say women who work in restaurants and bars should not be forced to wear high heels, short skirts and low-cut tops.
“Excellent customer service doesn’t have a cup size,” said Kelly Laird, executive director of the Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto. “I hope women will call us for legal help if cleavage is deemed an essential skill in their workplace.”
The Ontario Human Rights Commission issued a policy paper on gender-specific dress codes Tuesday to coincide with International Women’s Day, calling for an end to clothing requirements that discriminate against female and transgender workers.
“Employers must make sure their dress codes don’t reinforce sexist stereotypes,” said chief commissioner Renu Mandhane. “They send the message that an employee’s worth is tied to how they look. That’s not right.”
Women should not be expected to dress in a sexualized way to attract clients, the commission said in its policy paper, which also pointed out that “unequal treatment” is still a daily challenge for women at work.
“This treatment is often visible in bars, restaurants and other services that require women to dress in high heels, tight dresses, low-cut tops and short skirts,” it said.
“These dress codes persist across the restaurant industry, despite human rights decisions that have found them to be discriminatory. They may make employees more vulnerable to sexual harassment, contribute to discriminatory work environments and exclude people based on sex, gender identity … or creed.”
Ontario Women’s Issues Minister Tracy MacCharles said women should feel empowered to complain about any issues they may have with a dress code at work.
“They should have frank conversations with their employer because the more we have those, I think the better,” she said.
“I was really pleased to hear that a number of them are really reasonable in terms of their guidelines for female waitresses, in terms of the length of a skirt. They don’t, for example, require them to wear stiletto heels and things like that.”
Rather than forcing companies to make changes through legislation, MacCharles said she’d rather talk about the good employers who have addressed the dress code issue to help educate others.
“My hope is that these restaurants will be progressive, that they will provide reasonable parameters for dress codes that are respectful,” she said. “I imagine their patrons will be absolutely fine with that.”
There’s nothing wrong with companies wanting wait staff to wear uniforms or have a standard look in how they dress, added MacCharles.
“It’s very important that women be respected in the workplace, equally as men.”
Restaurants Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.