Woman claims she was sexually discriminated against after being refused haircut in barbers

A woman claims she has been sexually discriminated against after being refused a haircut in a Weymouth barbers. And Angela Sanchez said it wasn’t the first time she had been refused her requested ‘short, back and sides’ cut in the Weymouth and Dorchester areas of Dorset. She says she has been turned away from more than a dozen barber shops – and thinks it is because she is a woman.

Miss Sanchez says her most recent trip to The Modern Barbers in Weymouth, proved to be an ‘embarrassing’ experience, when a barber there told her: “I don’t cut women’s hair.” She also spoke about another time when she entered another barbers in the area, when a person laughed and asked her: “Is this a joke?” Miss Sanchez, 44, said: “I am a woman with a short hairstyle – it is like a man’s short, back and sides cut.



“Essentially, I wanted a haircut that is typically given to men so surely the best place to go is a barber shop. If I go to a woman’s hairdresser salon, I am charged up to three times the price. How is it fair that I am charged more for a haircut than a man with the same style? Different prices for different genders and refusal to cut a man or a woman’s hair seems sexist to me.” She added: “I went into The Modern Barbers and was told by an older male barber there that he did not cut women’s hair. I sat and waited for an empty chair and when I went to get into it I was turned away.

“I was really embarrassed, the shop was packed – all he said was: “I don’t cut women’s hair.” She added: “I was angry and confused as to why I was refused service just because I am a woman. In the end I had to call my friend Kyle to cut my hair.” Her partner Nicola Hartley said she is ‘disgusted’ at the attitude of so many all-male barbers in the area. Nicola says this had been a problem since the couple moved there in June. Miss Sanchez, who works as a door supervisor in Weymouth, said: “It’s not every barber shop in the area – but it seems to be quite a lot of them.”