Sexist baggage must be ditched by airlines
With female cabin crew at Cathay Pacific wanting to wear trousers, carriers should remember today’s customers expect good service and safety, not skimpily dressed staff
The job of flight attendant is the same for men and women. Yet Hong Kong’s four passenger airlines insist, as do most of their counterparts elsewhere in Asia, on treating the sexes differently when it comes to what they wear.
Male clothing is appropriately comfortable, but female counterparts are expected to have knee-high skirts, heeled shoes, immaculate make-up and for some carriers, blouses so short that in some work situations, they are revealing.
The blatant sexism not only makes carrying out duties more difficult, but also negatively impacts the image of companies doing business in an intensively competitive industry.
Skirts, particularly those that are expected to be worn tight, are less comfortable and along with other mandated rules on physical appearance, are often perceived as contributing to sexist behaviour by some male passengers.
Some staff contend that wearing them can also hamper their ability to help customers during an emergency.
All of Hong Kong’s carriers have “skirt-only” dress codes for female flight attendants, but staff at the biggest, Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, have begun pushing to be allowed to wear trousers. Male crew on both were last year permitted to wear short-sleeve shirts.