Legislation to ban high heels in the workplace is an uphill task

Practically on the heels of the Canadian province of British Columbia — led by a woman Premier Christy Clark — banning mandatory high heels in the workplace a few months ago, comes a move by another woman legislator to have them proscribed in Ontario too.

The idea is to follow in the footsteps of the BC government and amend the Workers’ Compensation Act to ensure that employers cannot force staff to wear footwear with a design, construction or material that inhibits their ability to safely perform a job. In that respect, Canada seems to be making strides for a flatter workplace faster than, say, the UK, where a similar move saw the government putting its foot down in favour of heels.

From last month, however, workers in the Philippines can no longer be forced to wear high heels, with the government actually specifying that footwear must be “flat or with low heels, widebased and no higher than one inch”.

No doubt the notion that high heels may actually be unsafe —besides being unhealthy given their propensity to cause unsightly and painful bunions — will bring a lot of social activists into the fray. However, the abiding allure of stilettoes and the willingness of the wearers to bear some pain for some gain will probably prevent them from being totally brought to heel, no matter what podiatrists say.