A training manager barred
from wearing trousers to work has won her suit for sexual discrimination against
England's Professional Golfers' Association.
Judy Owen, 39, resigned
her job at The Belfry, the PGA's headquarters near Birmingham, central England,
weeks after being instructed to wear dresses or skirts at all times.
An employment tribunal ruled
today that she had been the victim of sexual discrimination.
Ms Owen was delighted.
"Trousers can be a smart,
practical and sometimes more professional alternative for women at work," she
said.
"Employers must abandon
out of date stereotypes of appropriate dress for women."
Ms Owen said Prime Minister
Tony Blair's wife, Cherie Blair, a leading lawyer, wears trousers to work "and
no one has accused her of not being dressed appropriately."
The Equal Opportunities
Commission, which backed her case, described the decision as a "memorable victory."
"We believe that women should
be judged on the quality of their work, not on what they wear," said chairman
Julie Mellor.
There was no immediate comment
from the PGA.
The PGA is not the only
British institution to experience problems with its dress code.
In November, the company
that operates passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel agreed to allow women
employees to wear trousers to work after a weeks-long dispute with two of its
female security guards.
