Airline companies’ appearance requirements obliging female flight attendants to wear pencil skirts and high heels are discriminatory, and they should be able to have the option to wear pants, the National Human Rights Commission said in a report yesterday.
Completing a year-long probe, commission members said the uniform requirements of Taiwan’s air carriers contravened the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
To fight gender-based discrimination, government agencies should issue guidelines and require airlines to make changes so that female flight attendants have the option to wear pants, the report said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union in August last year filed a complaint with the commission about the issue.
“Airline companies’ uniform requirements are discriminatory and they also negatively affect flight attendants’ ability to handle emergency situations, putting them in danger and at risk of exposing parts of their bodies,” the union said.
The commission said that its probe found that airline companies have differences in their uniform requirements for male and female attendants, with the female dress code being more demanding.
“Requirements for female attendants are disadvantageous to them at work and discriminatory, contravening provisions under CEDAW,” it said.
During their training, flight attendants wear pants, so they have no experience of handling emergency situations while in a skirt, it added.
Requiring female flight attendants to wear pencil skirts and high heels increases the risk of their objectification and being sexually harassed, it said, adding that such uniforms make them more prone to fall and are more susceptible to catching fire,
Commission members also suggested that the Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別平等工作法) be amended.
Meanwhile, some major local airlines, including EVA Air, China Airlines and Starlux Airlines, released press statements saying that they would consult with flight attendants to find out their needs regarding the dress code and work conditions, and evaluate necessary changes.
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