CityNews – UK lawmakers to companies: End sexist high heel dress codes

In a debate that has gone from office corridors to Britain’s Parliament, lawmakers put their foot down Monday and told employers to stop making women wear high heels as part of corporate dress codes.

Members of Parliament debated a ban on mandatory workplace high heels, in response to a petition started by a receptionist who was sent home without pay for wearing flat shoes. The debate was non-binding, but the government promised to act against heel-height rules, makeup guidelines and other corporate codes that apply to women but not to men.

Labour lawmaker Helen Jones, who helped lead a parliamentary investigation into dress codes, said she and her colleagues were shocked by what they found.

Jon Pinkus, a Toronto Employment Lawyer and associate at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, was interviewed by CityNews about whether or not such a ban could be introduced in Ontario or across Canada as a whole.