Ernst & Young held a regressive and misogynistic training to 30 of its women employees in which they were advised to not flaunt their bodies, wear appropriate clothing so it doesn't entice men and not confront their male colleagues in meetings as that would make them feel threatened.
If that was not enough, E&Y also advised the women employees to avoid talking face-to-face with men as it allegedly threatens them.
The training was called Power-Presence-Purpose or PPP and consisted of a 55-page presentation on how women employees should dress, how they should communicate softly and how they should respond to male colleagues at the office.
The training session took place in June 2018 at the E&Y Hoboken office in New Jersey, right after the #MeToo movement gathering steam across the world.
The presentation read that women should speak softly to men and should avoid talking in a high-pitched tone. Their clothing must flatter but short skirts are a no-no as "sexuality scrambles the mind" of men, causing them to not perform their task at the office.
The presentation also stressed that women should look healthy and fit, with a "good haircut" and "manicured nails."
If that was not enough, all the 30 women employees were given a questionnaire on 'Masculine/Feminine Scorecard' in which they had to tick their personality. Masculine characteristics included "acting like a leader", being "aggressive", "being self-reliant", "competitive", "athletic", "dominant" etc.
While feminine characteristics included being "cheerful", "child-like", "affectionate", "shy", and "eager to soothe hurt feelings". Surprisingly even the word, "femininity" was included as a trait in the feminine section. The score would define if the women had masculine or feminine characteristics.
As soon as the PPT was leaked to HuffPost, several people took to Twitter showcasing their anger against Ernst & Young.
However, E&Y responded that the contents of the presentation are misrepresented by media and they told HuffPost that the leadership course was one of many such courses offered to both men and women at E&Y.
Also, the point to be noted is that only 20.4% of Ernst & Young's principals and partners are women, while only 12% are employed as client service partners with the firm. If the training and the number of women working in E&Y don't scream misogyny, we wonder what else will.
