Following the lead of an English civil servant, almost a thousand Scottish civil servants have filed complaints charging that dress codes requiring they wear shirts and ties constitute sex discrimination.
Staff members at Scotland’s Department of Work and Pension argue that since their jobs do not bring them into contact with the public, it is sexist to force them to wear shirts and ties while women are allowed to wear less formal attire.
The Scotsman quoted employment lawyer Euan Smith as saying that the men likely had a strong case,
I see no reason why they won’t win their case. The question is whether they [the employers] also apply similar conditions to the women.
I suspect it stems from the hot weather. Where it is roasting hot, if you insist on men wearing shirts and ties in the office and women are in T-shirts and jeans, it must be annoying for them.
Source:
Men take employers to court over dress code. Tanya Thompson, The Scotsman, July 16, 2003.