The devil works hard but sexism works harder.
It seems there’s no rest for the wicked as sexual discrimination against women continues even during a global pandemic.
One in three women have been asked to look nicer and wear makeup during work video calls, according to new research.
Almost the same number of women have been asked to dress sexily or provocatively, according to the research by employment law firm Slater and Gordon.
In a survey of 2,000 people, more than one in three women faced sexist comments and remarks from senior management since lockdown began.
Some of the comments that 41% women were subject to included saying that looking more presentable would ‘help to win new business’ and that it’s important to ‘look nicer for the team’.
Meanwhile 38% were told dressing nice ‘would be more pleasing to a client’.
Though it was hoped that HR departments would see a dramatic decline in reports of sexist behaviour as offices closed down across the country, Slater and Gordon said sexism has instead found ‘new and insidious ways’ to thrive online.
Nearly 40% of women said these demands were targeted at them or other women in their teams, rather than equally with male peers, leaving them feeling ‘objectified, demoralised and self-conscious’ about their appearance.
60% of the women didn’t report the requests to dress more provocatively to HR. A quarter agreed to boost their beauty regime for fear of a negative impact on their career.
Slater and Gordon employment lawyer Danielle Parsons said: ‘It is categorically wrong for a manager or anyone in a position of power to suggest, even politely, for a woman to be more sexually appealing in the workplace.
‘This is a powerful form of coercion which makes women feel as if they must adhere to the manager’s request and be more visually pleasing to be successful at their job. This is demeaning to women.
‘Requests of this nature are discrimination and unlawful where male counterparts aren’t treated in this way, or where such unwanted requests create a humiliating or degrading environment for women.’
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