Two of Taiwan’s largest airlines are to allow female flight attendants to wear trousers for the first time after an official report criticized the island territory’s homegrown carriers for alleged gender discrimination.
In July, the National Human Rights Commission of Taiwan published a 100-page report on its findings of gender discrimination at the likes of China Airlines, Eva Air, and Starlux following a complaint by a flight attendant union.
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union decided to file its complaint with the human rights commissioner because of the six commercial passenger airlines based in Taiwan; only one allowed female flight attendants to wear trousers as part of their uniform.
The report concluded that female flight attendants were at a “comparative disadvantage” to their male colleagues due to “highly specific requirements
regarding hair and makeup,” as well as the necessity to wear a skirt, which could slow down an evacuation.
In response to the report, China Airlines has just changed its official flight attendant dress code, introducing a new trouser option for female crew members for the first time.
And in late September, upstart luxury carrier Starlux also said that it would be introducing a trouser option for female flight attendants, with crew members able to choose whether they wear a skirt of trousers when their uniform comes up for renewal.
The report into gender discrimination at Tawainese-based airlines found that carriers like Eva Air had “promised time and again” to consider trouser options for female crew members without ever seeing through its commitment.
Until 2019, Eva Air didn’t even hire male cabin crew and only changed its policy following a crippling strike by flight attendants who demanded the Teipei-headquartered airline finally start hiring male crew.
Eva Air has, however, relaxed other rules, dropping a requirement for female crew members to wear high heels during boarding and deplaning, but witnesses told the commission that female crew were regularly reminded to ‘refresh’ their makeup and were criticized for having a ‘dull complexion’.
