LONDON -- British Prime Minister Theresa May has been urged by a union delegate to ditch her high heels to "advance the cause for women in the workplace."
SEE ALSO: How to talk about the new UK prime minister's shoes without being sexistAt the Trades Union Congress (TUC) -- a national trade union in the UK -- conference,?? ??? ?? members voted unanimously to call for it to be made illegal for employers to impose "sexist dress codes which force women to wear high heels at work."
Penny Robinson -- a delegate of the GMB trade union -- seconded the motion, but added that May should stop wearing high heels and instead wear flat shoes to show that women don't have to wear high heels in the workplace.
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“Our new prime minister might be well known for her leopard-print kittens, her leather boots and of course her Jimmy Choos, but if she really wants to advance the cause for women in the workplace, there are two things she can do," Robinson said in a speech shortly after taking off her high heels.
Indeed, May's love of high heels has garnered a great deal of attention since she assumed her role as PM in July, with many papers focusing on her choice of footwear rather than her policies when she made her inaugural speech.
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Robinson urged May to set an example through her choice of footwear by making "a point of wearing pumps, flats and comfortable shoes for her cabinet, PMQs and for meeting all those EU leaders." “Let the media see that you can be the most powerful woman in the country without needing to wear designer shoes to meet men’s expectations. Women are still expected to wear completely inappropriate shoes every day just to make sure that the right image is portrayed for the employer," she continued.
“If anything is truly going to change, we need to deal with the people at the very top. And luckily enough, we now have someone running the country who can set an example for the rest of us by making a point of wearing sensible shoes."
The motion to change the law to make it illegal for employers to force female staff to wear heels comes after a British woman was sent home from her temp job for not wearing high heels. “We need common sense when it comes to dress codes, not outdated sexist policies. It is ridiculous that so many employers still insist their female staff wear high heels and make-up in 2016," TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said in a statement.
“Regularly wearing high heels increases wear and tear on knee joints and can lead to back problems. They should be a choice, not a condition of the job."