Ohio hospital drops dress code requiring women to wear pantyhose
AKRON, Ohio -- An Ohio hospital system has rewritten its dress code to allow women to skip the pantyhose while wearing dresses and skirts at work.
The Akron Beacon-Journal reports the Akron-based Summa Health system on Wednesday notified its 8,000 employees about changes to a dress code that had raised the ire of some women when it was implemented nearly two years ago by the previous administration.
One female employee previously told the newspaper that the dress code "reinforces the misogynistic attitude that women's bodies are dangerous and must be concealed. Even the nuns that work in our affiliated hospitals are wearing sandals and capris."
The revised rules say female employees can return to wearing open-toe shoes.
A Summa Health vice president said in a memo that a focus group of employees provided feedback about the changes.
"As always the purpose of our dress code is to ensure all Summa Health employees maintain a professional appearance when interacting with our patients and the community," the memo reads. "I trust you'll continue to apply these guidelines and your best judgement [sic] to determine what is and is not appropriate for your specific work environment and the safety of our patients."
Other revisions include allowing "professional" capri pants and small-studded nose piercings. The hospital also no longer requires that non-offensive tattoos be covered.
