SEX DISCRIMINATION (2)

The Bella Sky, a newish hotel in Copenhagen that opened in 2011 and which is Scandinavia's largest, decided to market itself with a new concept in order to distinguish itself from the competition; a whole floor dedicated exclusively to female guests. Out with trouser presses and no irons; in with hairdryers and magazines aimed at female readers. Many more women are travelling on business and on their own, and they want accomodation that puts them first. Hen parties also liked the idea of running around the top floor of a 4-star hotel in their bathrobes without being ogled at.

Discrimination, cried somebody. Who exactly, I don't know. I thought it was a good idea, and couldn't have cared less that I was not allowed there. But someone did; and the Equalities Commission agreed that it was discriminatory. That decision was challenged, but has now been upheld in the courts.

I am not sure what the decision means in practice. Men now have the right to demand that they are given a hotel room kitted out with hairdryers and female magazines. Whether any man will want to is of course a moot point. Personally, I doubt it.

More seriously, these sorts of cases both make life less interesting (do we really want men and women to be exactly the same?) and draw attention away from more pressing matters, such as equalising life expectancy. The (undermanned and overworked) courts have better things to do, in my view.

Walter Blotscher