Forms of Oppression: How Dress Code Links to Gender Inequality

SkyUp, a Ukrainian airline, phased out high heels and skirts for flight attendants in July, replacing them with pantsuits and sneakers. Later, it was revealed that the Norwegian women's beach handball team was fined for entering the match in comfortable shorts rather than a bikini. All of this is part of a global trend to change the dress code for women. Why does it happen?

Modest clothes

The demand for modesty is one of the oldest female dress codes in history. It is based on the assumption that an unattractive, non -"defiant" outfit can protect a woman from threats to her safety, but practice proves otherwise. The exhibition "What Were You Wearing?" was held at the University of Arkansas Student Union Hall in 2013. It displayed analogues of what was on women at the time of the rape. The exhibition, which clearly demonstrated that baggy sweaters and unassuming jeans do not protect you from attacks, has become a social franchise and is regularly held around the world.

Exhibition “What were you wearing?”  - Getty Images

Suits and heels

Another traditional requirement for a woman's dress code that dates back to biblical times is the prohibition on wearing masculine clothes.

Deuteronomy 22:5 "A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God."

Attempts to overcome it were reflected in the business environment's current fashion practises - the presence of women in it from the start was perceived by many as an infraction on male privileges. Women wore formal skirt suits in the 1950s, which were equivalent to men's trouser suits. Blouses with bows were popular in the 1960s. Trousers made their debut in women's clothing in the 1970s. And the 1980s are remembered as the era of power dressing, with short haircuts and massive shoulder pads that were devoid of any hint of femininity.

The business style became more relaxed in the 1990s, and since the beginning of the century, there has been a lot of talk about it withering away. However, according to Richard Thomson Ford, author of "Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History" the deliberately casual appearance - jeans, T-shirts, sneakers - which spread thanks to start-up culture, eventually became a uniform.

At the same time, many corporate standards require the wearing of high-heeled shoes. In 2017, the British Parliament debated a case involving an employee of the accounting firm Portico. She was not permitted to enter the office in flat shoes, and her wages were deducted for the day she was banned from attending. The case sparked public outrage, nearly resulted in labour law amendments, and Portico was forced to change corporate appearance rules.