# Is there any profession in which a woman would be required to wear a dress or skirt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284 "2009-05-13T13:55:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/21 "2009-05-13T17:43:42Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Various types of women in the entertainment industry, perhaps. Say a dancer in a Vegas show. Cheerleader Actress Model ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/22 "2009-05-13T17:58:53Z")
I think **astro’s** question is whether there is a job that requires a woman to wear a skirt as a matter of daily attire, not whether there are jobs that might require a woman to wear a skirt on occasion, like an actress or model or military personnel in dress uniform. I can’t think of one. Disney Princess at a theme park maybe, or a waitress whose uniform includes a skirt. But even the most traditionally conservative professions, like bankers and lawyers, allow the wimmins to wear slacks if they choose. Mostly because they know they are really not in a postion to insist otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![JerseyFrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@JerseyFrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyFrank)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/23 "2009-05-13T18:01:21Z")
Cocktail waitress. Is this not the sort of profession you are looking for? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/24 "2009-05-13T18:05:19Z")
Cheerleaders often wear pants in cold weather. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/25 "2009-05-13T18:11:08Z")
Bagpiper ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/26 "2009-05-13T18:27:57Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > I think **astro’s** question is whether there is a job that requires a woman to wear a skirt as a matter of daily attire, not whether there are jobs that might require a woman to wear a skirt on occasion, like an actress or model or military personnel in dress uniform. Maybe, but I think the occasion thing is relevant because the story linked in the OP is about girls asked to wear skirts for an occasion–graduation. As an aside, both \*\*Hilarity N. Suze’s \*\*reply and \*\*Kimmy Gibbler’s \*\*Solicitor General thing gave me a chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/27 "2009-05-13T18:32:03Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I spent over ten years in the Navy–we had male sailors and officers and female sailors and officers, and they were universally referred to as such. > > Check out the Navy uniform regulations–I challenge you to find the words “men” and “women” anywhere in there: > > [http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup\_updt/upd\_cd/bupers/unireg/chapter3/chapter3.pdf](http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/upd_cd/bupers/unireg/chapter3/chapter3.pdf) Check [this](http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/upd_cd/bupers/unireg/chapter3/3100_seriesArticles/toc.pdf) out, hotshot. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/28 "2009-05-18T19:47:15Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > Check [this](http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/upd_cd/bupers/unireg/chapter3/3100_seriesArticles/toc.pdf) out, hotshot. 😉 :smack: I should know better than to issue challenges. In any event, when referring to Navy personnel, a distinction is generally made between commissioned officers, chief petty officers, and other enlisted personnel, so “male” and “female” were generally used as adjectives (e.g. “male officers”). “Men” and “women” are only nouns, not adjectives, and so are not used as often, though obviously it is incorrect to say that these terms are never used. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/29 "2009-05-18T20:23:30Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > …Also, wasn’t there some brouhaha over what the Solicitor General will wear to SCOTUS. All previous SGs have been men and have worn morning dress. The version of this attire for women is distinctly inappropriate for oral argument (I think it would be some kind of Edwardian gown). When women were first called to the bar in England wasn’t there some debate over whether they should wear the same robe & wig as the men, or have a distinctive costume created for them? I know when pantsuits came into fashion some American judges would hold female lawyers in contempt if they didn’t show up to court in a skirt/dress, didn’t female barristers in England face the same problem if they didn’t wear a skirt under their robes? ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/30 "2009-05-18T20:28:52Z")
Just to throw this out there… I temped for Ameritrade for one whole day about 10 years ago. Officially the dress code (Ameritrade’s, not my temp firm’s) required women to wear skirts and hose unless and until the outside temperature dropped to 18 degrees (farenheit). ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/31 "2009-05-18T20:30:07Z")
My wife worked as a salesperson for a high-end hosiery company in Manhattan. They all had to wear skirts/dresses (plus the company’s hosiery, naturally) and had to have professionally manicured nails at all times. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/32 "2009-05-18T20:34:38Z")
My friend teaches at a private school and the female teachers are not allowed to wear pants, or even split skirts (gauchos). It’s pretty uptight. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/33 "2009-05-18T21:00:21Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > When women were first called to the bar in England wasn’t there some debate over whether they should wear the same robe & wig as the men, or have a distinctive costume created for them? I know when pantsuits came into fashion some American judges would hold female lawyers in contempt if they didn’t show up to court in a skirt/dress, didn’t female barristers in England face the same problem if they didn’t wear a skirt under their robes? There are several styles of barrister wigs, from what I have seen , lady barristers perfer certian styles and the men others, but I have see switching as well. And no, as long as you wore a wig and a gown you were fine. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/34 "2009-05-18T21:55:39Z")
Most Orthodox Jewish schools would require female teachers to wear skirts/dresses. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/35 "2009-05-19T05:56:29Z")
Federated Investors requires all female employees to wear skirts, regardless of their job position. My uncle was one of the U.S. judges who held a female lawyer in contempt for appearing in his courtroom in a pantsuit. His wife and four daughters tore him a new one over it; he retired the next year. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/36 "2009-05-19T06:01:31Z")
It isn’t really a matter of profession, but of company policies. Until some 15 years ago, female employees of any Opus Dei owned company, including teachers, medical personnel and students, had to wear skirts or dresses. It ended when one-too-many senile patients at their Pamplona hospital fell off his bed trying to look up the doctor’s skirt. I’ve worked for several companies in several countries with (largely ignored) policies that called for “skirt suits” for women. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/37 "2009-05-19T11:49:26Z")
Prostitute? ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/38 "2009-05-19T14:20:36Z")
School uniforms. I see school kids waiting for the bus every day dressed in one of two uniforms. The boys have on slacks, dress shirts and ties. The girls have on skirts and shirts similar to the boys. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284/39 "2009-05-19T15:53:10Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > Prostitute? Hot pants? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-profession-in-which-a-woman-would-be-required-to-wear-a-dress-or-skirt/496284.md?page=1)