A Single mother was planning legal action yesterday after she was turned down for a job as Santa Claus because of her sex.
Ms Clare Burring, 34, applied for the #160-a-week role of Santa at Strathclyde Fun Park. The advertisement stated: Wanted for Christmas Season, mature, rotund, person. Must like children.
Clare, from Govan, Glasgow, was furious at being turned down purely because of her sex and plans to go to the Equal Rights Commission. ''Where does it say that Santa has to be a man?'' she said. ''In these days of girl power I feel that I have to make a stand for female Santas.
''I love kids and I'm sure I could bring a smile to their faces just as well as some bloke who gets grumpier with each new kid that arrives on his knee.''
Fun park manager Malcolm Cannon said he had not expected any applications from women. ''We were shocked to receive this application as Santa Claus is most definitely a man,'' he added.
''Women seem to be trying to take over every kind of job these days. People expect Santa to be a man and we are not budging from our policy of men only.''
A spokesman from the Equal Rights Commission said: ''An employer seeking men only for Santa may be able to rely on the exception under the Sex Discrimination Act for reasons of authenticity or dramatic performance.''
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