A Muslim woman from Kista north of Stockholm, who was denied a job as a dentist after refusing to wear short-sleeved work clothes for religious reasons, has lost her discrimination case against the Swedish Public Dental Service. Following the completion of her dental studies in January 2008, she applied for a position with the public dental service in Stockholm. During the hiring process, she was informed that the dental agency requires personnel to wear short-sleeved gowns when treating patients. Citing her religious teachings, she said she would be willing to wear disposable arm sleeves over a long-sleeved gown presenting evidence from Socialstyrelsen (National Board of Health and Welfare) that using these disposable arm sleeves had the same level of hygiene. After Folktandvarden rejected the compromise, she sued the dental service for 150,000 kronor ($21,500) in damages alleging the organisation’s refusal to accommodate her request to avoid short-sleeved work clothes amounted to discrimination. But the Stockholm court sided with the dental service, finding that the decision not to hire the woman did not amount to discrimination.
WEARING FULL SLEEVES IN SWEDEN
WEARING FULL SLEEVES IN SWEDEN
