Are Polish-made bras superior? We’ll get to that in
a moment.
Can an employer require employees to wear a bra?
This was the subject of a USA Today column recently, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/2019/12/17/different-dress-codes-men-and-women-generally-allowed-ask-hr/2675069001/.
The answer is correct:
When it comes to sex
discrimination, gender-based dress and appearance policies are one area where
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the courts allow employers to
treat men and women differently. Where the courts have drawn the line, however,
is when a heavier burden is placed on one sex than on the other. For
example, your employer likely wouldn’t be allowed to list 10 different dress
code policies for women and only 2 for men.
A lead case in this area is
Jespersen v. Harrah’s Casino (2006), listed here https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1438457.html.
A female bar tender with a 20-year record of successful
employment quit after she was told she would be disciplined for not conforming
to the casino’s new requirement that women wear make-up.
This is another area where women face subtle but significant
discrimination: They may be required to pay hundreds of dollars more than men just
to meet basic grooming and appearance standards.
Now for the Polish bra story. This was a feature in
yesterday’s New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/style/polish-bras.html).
The story is reminiscent of drapery-making in
Flanders in the 1500s. Skilled labor and nimble entrepreneurs developed a market
for premium drapes when they utilized highly skilled labor.
The bras in Poland are similar in that respect:
“Most Polish bras, even those made
by larger manufacturers, are still designed and constructed in Poland by hand,
with fabrics and laces from Italy and Spain.”
For employees who are looking
for these superior Polish exports, they are sold under the Nessa and Ewa Michalak brands in the U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment