Put an end to women being hired for ‘decoration’

WE SHOULDN’T be shocked at the Presidents Club revelations.

Some of the members’ creepy antics at a gala dinner rightly hit the headlines this past week, with allegations of sexual harassment.

Attended by billionaires, politicians and businessmen, the fundraising dinner in London was widely condemned. But are we really that shocked?

A recent survey for Unite found 93 per cent of women working in hospitality have suffered from sexual harassment at some point. There has been a lot of outrage in the press and in Parliament about the way in which the Presidents Club hostesses were hired and what they were required to do.

The women, employed to “fetch drinks”, had to be “tall, slim and pretty.”

They were told to wear black underwear, “sexy shoes”, sign a disclosure agreement and they had to enter the room by strutting across a stage.

But this isn’t unusual either. Several sporting events for example, such as boxing, darts, cycling and Formula One regularly hire women for “decoration”. However, times might be changing. At the weekend, the Professional Darts Corporation said they would no longer use “walk on” girls after talks with broadcasters.

In response, the Women’s Sport Trust tweeted: “We applaud the Professional Darts Corporation moving with the times and deciding to no longer use walk on girls. Motor racing, boxing and cycling ... your move.”