I think the modern tie is a descendant of the cravat, a sort of scarf like thing.
Bras keep breasts from getting in the way?? That is the first time I have heard that. Perhaps someone should tell my breats. 
Men and Women have different standards of professional dress. At my office women aren’t allowed to wear open toed shoes or mini skirts. No one bothered to mention this to the men because they usually don’t wear these things anyway. Men are required to wear suits and ties. Women are required to wear suits and panty hose. Sounds like a fair trade off to me.
As far as the OP I think it really depends on what the dress codes are for men and women. I also wonder what they mean by T-shirts. I have some short sleeve blouses that I wear under suits but I would hardly call them T-shirts.
One thing the article fails to mention is whether the suit-clad men and the T-shirt-adorned women are in the exact same positions. If the women are secretaries who just answer the phone and handle administrative matters, while the men are dealing with customers, then that’s pretty relevant.
However, assuming that the men and women are in the same positions, with the same responsibilities, then that company better come up with a damn good reason for the discrepancy in policy between men and women. I’d say he has a case.
Jeff
I don’t see how that’s relevant to me…
blap… was referring to Cap’n’s complaint about coordination. As you know, the only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.
A semi-related thread discussing the merits of dress codes in general.
My $(1/50)? I see no point in wearing a tie/high heels. Hmm… make half your workers warmer than they need to be and make it hard for them to breathe, and the other half needs to balance on shoes that support the entire weight of a person in four square inches. Makes sense to me.:rolleyes:
And do employers really require women to wear makeup? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. If I were a woman I’d slap the guy who tried to enforce it.
We have the same problem where i work, men are required to wear suits and ties, but not the women. In the summer the women are obviously more comfortable wearing less restictive clothing. Dress codes seem to be applied more to men than women, and yes its discriminatory. Many have said about womens clothes like heels and hose, ive never known them to be compulsory at any place ive worked, likewise for make-up or indeed bras. Most women wear these for themselves, or so they keep telling us, they dress to please themselves not the men looking at them.
Susann mentioned that men had worn this clothing for many years, her quote:"Long standing historical custom " the same could have been said about women not being allowed to vote, should that not have been allowed to change also?
rogue
I had this same issue arrise where I used to work. I don’t know who remembers but about 5-6 years ago these cotton outfits were in all the women’s stores. They were a heavy cotton jersey with bold designs on the top and the top came down to about the knees over loosely fitting pants of the same color. Essentially they were pajamas with fabric paint on the top.
The office I was in several of the women wore these things while I was required to wear a shirt and tie. Deffinately not parity. Unfortunately I was employed by the state legislature and they exempt themselves from any descrimination laws. And states don’t have to follow federal employment laws.
These days I don’t wear a tie even when I get dressed up. I buy suits that go great with a ribbon collar.
there was also long standing historical custom not to pay women the same as men.
Imho, the civil-service guy in the OP should be taken out and beaten senseless for being such a whiny, wimpy putz. Well, not really. But I do hope his pay gets docked the full 10% before he gets dismissed.
You know, there used to be a time when men were men. Now we’re throwing lawsuits about because of clothing accessories. I mean, here’s a guy who is suing, not because of a medical condition that would prevent him from following the code, but because he wants to use the 4-year olds dictate of “I don’t wanna! It’s not fair. WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
God, crap like this makes me want to puke.
He’s suing because the dress code is improperly applied on the basis of sex discrimination.
Would you call a woman a whiny, wimpy putz if the men in her office were allowed to wear t-shirts (or polo shirts) while she was required to wear a suit with pantyhose and heels and she sued?
It’s not about what the rule is, it’s about his employer enforcing the rule to both the men and the women. I doubt he’d be saying anything about wearing a suit if the women also had to wear suits.
:rolleyes:
My point wasn’t about the case in its specifics, my point was about how I’m sick of whiny men. Since my post really was a threadjack, I’ll just bow out of this one.
OK, I lied. One last post. 
From the BBC article linked in the OP:
Amen, Todd!!! :thumbs up:
Exactly what the hell is a tie supposed to * do? *
The tie is the most useless item of clothing I can think of. Where in the world did upper class twits get the idea that wearing a noose around your neck is an intelligent thing to do? How did this asinine custom begin? Who invented this sartorial abomination, and why has it been foisted off on virtually every male above the age of thirteen (and some below it)?
This guy is absolutely right to complain about having to wear a tie. I hope he wins.
Actually, that is a fallacy, try to find another example.
There never was a “long standing historica custom” of men voting and women not voting.
In all of American history, there were only very short time periods when all the men could vote, and all the women could not vote.
For the most part, women in America quickly got the right to vote shortly after the men got that right.
With certain exeptions, few men or women voted in America until 1789 when we formed our government. Prior to 1789, men AND women could vote depending on what the election was for(eg. New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, etc.)
In 1789, and for decades there after, although most women lost voting rights, most American men still could not vote. Only white men, who owned property or otherwise had money, and who were not on welfare, could vote in those early years. Most white men could not vote until the 1830’s and 1840’s. Most black men could not vote until after the civil war. Some black men in the south could not vote until the 1960’s.
The first womens suffarage meeting to think about giving the right to vote to women, was not until 1848.
Women gained the right to vote in America in the 1850’s and 1860’s, in mostly local elections, city elections, school board elections, referendums, etc. in many western states.
Women got “full” voting rights in Wyoming in 1869, in Utah in 1870.
Women in Michigan and Minnesota got the right to vote in school elections in 1875.
Women got full voting rights in Washington in 1883.
Women got the right to vote in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, Kansas, North and South Dakota in 1887, and Colorado in 1893, and in Idaho in 1896.
Many other states granted women the right to vote long before the 19th ammendment finally gave all women the right to vote in the remaining states.
Susanann it’s not all about the US you know 
The story in the OP is British and they have had a fine tradition of some males and no women having the vote.
The simple answer the OP:
If the dress code demands that each gender dresses in a different manner then the dress code is discriminatory on the basis of gender.
The rule should be challenged.
The not so simple part is that Mr. Thompson is going to be fighting is the entrenched attitudes of many people in society who think that this is how things are supposed to be. The people he will be making his complaint to will probably be wearing ties.
I can see a dress code requiring that an individual wear pants / dress / skirt , a shirt or blouse, and socks / stockings and shoes. No-one should be required to wear high heels, neckties, or makeup as they are purely accessories, serve no practical function, and are often restrictive.
If a woman does not want to wear a skirt or a dress she should be allowed to wear pants. If a man wants to wear a dress then he should be allowed to wear a dress… just as long as he accessorises accordingly.
I recall back in high school, a friend of mine used to wear a large chain. You know the kind. Just like that, only larger than most.
One day, a teacher asked him, “Why do you kids wear those things, anyway? They look ridiculous, and I’m sure they’re not comfortable. Is it just to fit into a particular group?”
My friend pointed to the man’s tie, and repeated his words back to him.
Ties serve no useful function. They do not shelter one from the elements. They do not improve one’s hygiene. They do not make one stronger, faster, or smarter. They often make people look ridiculous. They are not very comfortable. Ties are just cloth arrows pointing to one’s gonads.
I sometimes think, more than half-seriously, that I should organize a large group of men for a tie-burning rally.
I guess my shirts fit - my ties don’t bother me. I get tired of hearing other men bitch about them, frankly.
That said, I think this guy, whiny though he may be, has a case here 'cause of the (apparent) gender bias in the dress code.
Your being sick of whiny men is not germane to the issue one iota.
So it’s OK for a woman to sue over a workplace issue, but if a man does, he’s being a “whiny man?”