New sexist rules: Wear make-up on video calls
ZOOM meetings and video calls have become the new normal for many employees in the age of coronavirus.
But they have also led to women workers being subjected to sexist demands by bosses to ensure they look attractive on camera.
A shocking 35% of female staff say they have been asked to adjust their appearance since the beginning of lockdown in March, a survey has revealed.
The findings dash hopes that the temporary closure of offices would lead to a fall in workplace sexism.
Lawyer Danielle Parsons said: ‘It’s extremely disappointing that we are still having
‘Look nicer for the team’
these conversations, particularly during this time when women are juggling a multitude of roles from home and may be also struggling with childcare responsibilities.’
Some 34% of female survey respondents had been urged to wear more make-up or work on their hair, while 27% had been asked to dress more sexily or provocatively.
A third of female staff worried it would look as though they could not take a joke if they complained about the sexist treatment, while 24% were concerned about the impact it would have on their career if they did not comply.
The ways that male and female bosses justified lurid comments about appearance included saying it would ‘help to win new business’, it was important to ‘look nicer for the team’, or it would be more ‘pleasing to a client’.
Four in ten 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.
And a quarter agreed to boost their beauty regime for fear of a negative impact on their career.
A third of men and women say they have put up with comments about their appearance over video calls in a way they would never tolerate in person due to the pandemic’s toll on the job market.
The survey of 2,000 people who normally worked in officebased jobs but were working from home during the pandemic was commissioned by employment law specialists Slater and Gordon.
Ms Parsons, who works at the firm, added: ‘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 type of archaic behaviour has no place in the modern working world. 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.’