Exclusive: Withers offers female staff half-price salad on Women’s Day

Female staff at Withers have revolted after the firm celebrated International Women's Day by offering them a discount on salad.

On a day of protests calling for gender parity, the blue-blooded private client firm chose to mark the occasion by offering women at the firm half-price salads in the canteen. A source told RollOnFriday that instead of gnawing gratefully on their leaves, Withers women complained. Posters advertising the deal were "hastily removed".

(not the actual poster)

Plenty of Withers' wealthy old private clients pre-date the women's lib movement, so it's perhaps not surprising that the firm itself was momentarily baffled by the complexities of gender politics. A spokesman mansplained, "Withers places great importance on diversity and equality within the workplace, and we removed the posters when we received a comment about this promotion".

Comments

Let them eat cake.

'Revolted' seems a bit OTT- who is telling tales I wonder?

There was half price fois gras for the partners!

hah. I remember about 5 years ago ashurst had some scientists in to speak about women in science. And they demonstrated some easy-to-grasp science experiments for the fragile female brain. One of which was "how fairy liquid works". Sadly there was nothing on getting grass stains out, so I had to find another man to explain that useful titbit to me.

Deplorable.

On International Men's Day they can offer half price salads as well, that is equality

The fact anyone let this through says a lot about Withers. And yes many real women eat steak by the way as their worth is their brain not their looks/weight.

I wonder if we took Withers solicitors and partners in their 40s and compared men and women which would be fatter.

Lydia- is that you?

This proves definitively that the Universe has a sense of humour! Our catering is outsourced. We knew nothing of the promotion launched by the caterers and stopped it as soon as we saw it. We have just about the best track record for gender equality of any Firm in the City, with 40% of our partners female and a female CEO. We were actually running a lunchtime seminar that same week for all staff in celebration of International Women's Day where three of our female partners shared their career stories and top tips for women in the workplace - a taster of 'one loud voice for women' which the firm is supporting and which will be formally launching later in the year. Life isn't sweet for all women, that's for sure, and if slippery salad leaves have heightened the debate about that unsavoury fact, then that's something that the women – and men – of Withers will happily stomach.

Kate Landells - Withers Partner

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