Petition · past parliament

Make it illegal for an employer to impose gender specific dress codes on staff.

Closed 34 signatures

What the petition asks

Many companies have dress codes, or uniform guidelines, which their employees must follow. Many elements are based on gender stereotypes, and it is common practise to have different standards for male and female. Elements may include; headwear, shoes, skirts/trousers, make-up and hair styles.
Most companies in the service and corporate sector have strict uniform guidelines that include elements like; Women must wear skirts, men must wear trousers. Women must wear make-up, men must not wear make-up. Women are allowed long hair styles, men are allowed only short hair styles. If an employee does not comply with the uniform guidelines, as per their predefined gender, the employee will be subject to disciplinary procedure which may include dismissal. The aim with this petition is to make it a legal requirement for the employer to remove all gender references in regards to company dress and grooming standards, and that any imposed standard may be followed by any employee regardless of the employees’ gender association.

Timeline

13 May 2016 Petition opened for signatures
13 Nov 2016 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 34
Status Closed
Opened 13 May 2016
Closed 13 Nov 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.