Inquiry Launched Following High Heels Petition

Women who have been made to wear high-heeled shoes at work are being invited to share their experiences with MPs as part of a new inquiry.

It was launched after a petition, calling for a ban on forcing women to wear heels, attracted more than 142,000 signatures.

Londoner Nicola Thorpe, 27, set up the petition after being sent home from her temp job for refusing to wear shoes with a "2in to 4in heel."

The government said that the investigation will look into what the problem is, what the law says, and how that law could be improved. The petition will also be considered for a debate in parliament as it received more than 100,000 signatures.

A parliamentary web forum is inviting women to share their own experiences. Graham Sibley wrote that any firm's policy that forces women to wear high heels was "very clearly a sexist policy." He added:

"It is almost as if female staff are being treated as if they are there for the amusement of men, or just to look attractive, which is blatant sexism.

"In 2016, I'm astonished that this was still the case."

Information on the government website states that petitions that reach 100,000 signatures are "almost always debated" and individuals who create petitions are sometimes invited to take part in a discussion with MPs or government ministers.

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