A women’s rights organisation has called for an end to strip clubs being used as venues for business meetings, after a report found it to be an increasingly common practice by City firms.
The Fawcett Society will launch its new manifesto Sexism and the City on Tuesday, urging a halt on sexism in the workplace.
The manifesto calls for a change in the law that would have the clubs re-classified as “sex encounter establishments”, like sex shops.
Research carried out for the Fawcett Society found that 60% of women would be uncomfortable working for an organisation which uses the clubs for hospitality, while 52% of men and 59% of women thought it unacceptable for businesses to use lapdance clubs as venues for entertaining clients.
Dr Katherine Rake, Director of the Fawcett Society, said: “Women have the right to dignity and respect in their workplaces and in their daily lives. It is time for women and men to stand up against the sexist culture of objectifying women that has gripped our society.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“The Sexism and the City campaign is calling upon government, businesses and individual employees to take urgent action. Everyone pays the price for sexism, so everyone has a role to play in stamping it out,” Rake said.
Additional finding by the women’s rights group include:
- Only 11% of FTSE 100 company directors are women
- 30,000 women lose their jobs every year in the UK simply for being pregnant
- Two-thirds of low-paid workers are women
- Women working full-time are paid on average 17% less than men
- 18% of sex discrimination compensation awards are for sexual harassment
