The House of Commons is holding an inquiry into high heels and workplace dress codes, following a petition asking for the law to be changed attracted almost 150,000 signatures.

MPs on the Petitions and Women and Equalities Committees have already heard evidence from the person who started the petition, Nicola Thorpe, after she was sent home from work for refusing to wear high heels. As an agency worker, she was hired to do reception work for Portico on behalf of PwC but when she turned up on her first day she was told that she had to wear a uniform consisting of a dress and high heels. She was given the dress but told that she had to go out and buy a pair of heels. If she refused, “there would be someone else who would be quite happy to take over [the] role”. She refused and was sent home without pay.

The inquiry, which is looking at dress codes in general, has also heard evidence from a former British Airways cabin crew member who complained that being required to wear skirts and buttoned up jackets was “dehumanizing and humiliating”. Ms Thorpe commented that the experience of being told that she had to look like a woman to do her job made her reluctant to aspire to higher levels of employment because “If this is what we have to do at this level, what will we have to do to work higher up in the company?”

The aim of the inquiry is to gain a clear understanding of what the current law says about this issue and how it is affecting people in the UK. Committee inquiries can, but do not always, lead to reports that make specific recommendations to the Government.

Rakesh Patel, a partner at Thompsons, says it is unlikely that the inquiry will result in a change in the law as the Equality Act already provides protection against unlawful sex discrimination. He pointed out that employers can have different dress codes for men and women, provided they are equivalent. In the case of high heels, however, he said that as there was no equivalent for men, it could amount to indirect unlawful sex discrimination, unless it could be justified.

MPs have already heard from over 700 people who shared their experiences on a web forum which was opened on the Parliament website.

The inquiry is ongoing but an interim report is available by going to: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/petitions-committee/news-parliament-2015/high-heels-petition-session-1/