Rebecca Carey writes for Bonmarché and asks, why can’t some women wear trousers in work?

Most of us will reach for a pair of trousers or jeans in the morning without a second thought.

Did you know that for some women, it’s a bit more complicated than that?  A survey conducted by Bonmarché has found that some women have been told that they’re not allowed to wear trousers in the workplace. This kind of attitude may have been commonplace in the 1940s, but we think it has no place in 2019.

London was one of the worst culprits, with 37% of women reporting not being allowed to wear trousers to work – a shocking finding. Millennial women are the worst affected demographic, 21% said they weren’t allowed to go to work in trousers. Further, 10% of women in Birmingham and Manchester have also been told to not wear trousers at work.

Of the 1000 women surveyed, only 14% reported opting for skirts or dresses over trousers at any given time. Workplaces clearly need to catch up with the modern world. Equality in the workplace must extend to all areas and women should wear whatever they feel most professional and comfortable in on a daily basis. Corporate environments are slowly making the shift, especially for senior roles, but strict dress codes remain for front-desk personnel, extending to skirts and dresses, and often mandatory heels.

It’s about time sexist attitudes, to clothes and otherwise, disappeared once and for all. To learn more about how women feel about wearing trousers in the workplace, watch Bonmarche’s video.