Job advert looking for staff at 80s-themed bar sparks furious 'sexism' debate

A 1980S-THEMED BAR HAS SPARKED A SEXISM ROW AFTER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ASKED WHY THEY HAD ADVERTISED FOR 'FEMALE STAFF' - WHILE OTHERS SAID THEIR LISTING COULD EVEN BE ILLEGAL

20:13, 15 May 2023 A job advert for a 1980s-themed bar has divided opinion after some people complained that the advert was 'sexist'. Maverick's, in Huddersfield, West

Yorkshire posted a job advert on its Facebook page over the weekend that read: "We are hiring! Female bar staff. No experience necessary. Team spirit. Bubbly personality." But some

members of the public have written under the post asking why they had asked specifically for applicants from one gender, which could potentially be illegal under the Equality Act 2010. One

woman asked: "Can I just ask why you're specifically asking for females. Why would it matter?" READ MORE: Mum fumes as neighbour lets grandchildren play in her garden and use

trampoline The bar replied to her question, saying: "We are trying to balance the team as we have loads of boys already working, that's all." One man commented on the job

advert post: "You might need to check yourself. It's illegal to specify a gender." Speaking to Yorkshire Live about the potential legal issues involved in advertising to

applicants of only one sex, Emily Battock of law firm Doyle Clayton said: "Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to treat someone less favourably because of a protected

characteristic, such as sex. "The protection afforded by the Equality Act extends to candidates for a job role as well as employees." Ms Battock said that in a scenario where a

male candidate applied for a role specified for women and was rejected, the Employment Tribunal would consider what was the reason for the candidate’s rejection. If the reason for rejection

was the candidate’s sex, then this "would be direct sex discrimination" and the candidate could potentially bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal, she explained. Ms Battock

added: "Employers are not able to put forward an objective justification to direct sex discrimination. "Employers can however rely on some exceptions to the Equality Act which

permit conduct that would be otherwise unlawful if there is a genuine 'occupational requirement' for employees to be of a certain sex. But she it would be "difficult to see

how a bar may be able to prove an occupational requirement on which it could lawfully rely to justify what would otherwise be sex discrimination." The Mirror has contacted

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