The Infuriating Reason Why This Restaurant Is Advertising For Female-Only Dishwashers

Another week, another offensive job advert that reduces women to 1950s gender norms. A London restaurant has attracted attention for seeking out female dishwashers because "women are obviously better at cleaning than men". In 2017, it's a wonder how the concept of gender stereotyping still evades some people.

Mazi, a Turkish takeaway in Croydon, posted a notice in its window and on a recruitment site seeking female-only part-time staff and when asked why only women need apply, the restaurant's response was as sexist as you'd expect.

Owner and manager Rivdan Das told the Croydon Advertiser: "The reason was we needed to hire a dishwasher and women are obviously better at cleaning than men - that’s what I think anyway." Because opinions are exactly the same as facts in our era of fake news, right? "I know from my mum that women are better at cleaning and I know that my girlfriend has to pick up around the house," he continued.

While the restaurant employs both men and women to wait the tables, Das said he preferred women to be cleaners. However, he said he does employ one male cleaner to "help the women pull the fridges around". Really.

"That’s just how I feel," he said. "I’m messy myself and a lot of the males I know are messy themselves and their wives, girlfriends, mum or auntie will keep them neat," he added. "It’s not discrimination - we have 14 people who work here and it’s pretty much equal numbers. There’s a few more men than women."

It's illegal in the UK to discriminate against job applicants and employees because of their gender or other personal characteristics such as religion or age. "Discrimination can include not hiring someone, selecting a particular person for redundancy or paying someone less than another worker without good reason," reads the government's website. May we suggest the staff at Mazi brush up on their employment law?