Pin-up popularity dropping

Press, 20 December 1988, Page 4

Pin-up popularity dropping

PA Auckland The Page Three pin-up girl is becoming less common in the back rooms of Auckland busiH6SSCS. An “Auckland Star” survey showed only one out of six city businesses had anything other than cars, motor-bikes and flowers on their office walls. Most said they would not put up pictures of women because of potential abuse and loss of custom from women. One wood-workshop owner, who did not want to be named, told

the “Star” he had pin-ups of semjnaked women on his wails but as soon as his wife took over bookkeeping they disappeared. Mr Peter Hosking, the Human. Rights Commissioner, said complaints about pornographic posters and lewd jokes had been brought to the commission’s notice but there was no record of the numbers. “From time to time we have complaints about pornographic material in the workplace,” Mr Hosking said. The complaints were always from women.

Although the Human Rights Act said it was unlawful to subject a person to detriment because of his or her sex, Mr Hosking said the commission had no blanket policies for complaints. “We look at it case-by-case and, depending on the degree of pornographic material, it can amount to sexual harassment.” In instances of harassment through the telling of lewd jokes, the commission required that the conduct by the alleged “harasser” be both persistent and unwelcome before any action was taken on a claim.