Ernst & Young held training seminar for female bosses on how to dress and were told 'not to flaunt their bodies

Training conducted at Ernst & Young instructed female executives on how to behave in a masculine working environment, including telling them to dress in flattering clothing that isn’t excessively sexual, as “sexuality scrambles the mind,” a leaked presentation revealed.

According to Huffington Post, who acquired a 55-page presentation given to them by an attendee of the training held at the company’s new office in Hoboken, New Jersey in June 2018, women were also instructed to get a “good haircut” and have “manicured nails.”

The presentation was used during a day and a half seminar attended by some 30 female executives, and is being criticised for being sexist.

The training was called Power-Presence-Purpose (PPP) and took place last year, during the global #MeToo movement.

indy100 contacted EY for comment. The company told Huff Post that the training had been under review for a number of months, and that June was the last time they ran it in that form.

It “is no longer offered in its current form,” the company told the publication, and said they had hired an outside consultant, Marsha Clark to teach them, according to the written presentation.

The document reportedly had a number of directives including:

Don’t flaunt your body - sexuality scrambles the mind (for men and women).

Have a good haircut, manicured nails, well-cut attire that compliments your body type.

Signal fitness and wellness.

There was also a list of “Invisible Rules” for men and women on page 13 of the presentation. Women often “speak briefly” and “often ramble and miss the point” in meetings.

In addition the women were given a “Masculine/Feminine Score Sheet” in which they were told to rate stereotypical feminine and masculine characteristics at work and outside of work.

Feminine characteristics included being “childlike, eager to soothe hurt feelings, gullible, loves children, shy, yielding” and masculine traits included “acts as a leader, aggressive, dominant, has leadership abilities, self-reliant, willing to take risks.”

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Time's Up campaign condemned the company

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