Supermarket group Sainsbury’s is to change the labelling on children’s dressing-up costumes after complaints about sexism.

Pressure group Pinkstinks, which campaigns against gender stereotyping, raised the issue with the grocer after it labelled outfits such as nurses’ uniforms ‘girls’, while pilots, soldiers and – “most astonishing of all” - doctors’ white coats were all labelled ‘boys’.

Pinkstinks co-founder Abi Moore said: “We asked what sort of message this was sending to girls about what they are fit for and what their aspirations might be. As far as we are aware, there are more women at medical school than men nowadays.”

Sainsbury’s customer director Gwyn Burr told the campaigners: “It isn’t acceptable to suggest certain professions are the reserve of any gender. This is an error and one I am seeking to address as soon as possible.

“The new labels, which will be non gender-specific, will go on the next allocation of clothing so will be in store from July.”

Topics