Restaurant fined $5,000 for 'sexist' ad seeking a 'hostess'

A New York City restaurant has been hit with a $5,000 fine over claims that the business' language in a Craigslist ad and email opening habits are sexist.

A staff member at Sistina, an Italian eatery in Manhattan, made a Craigslist post looking for a new "hostess." She initially received two resume responses, one from a man and one from a woman; she replied to neither. Both, however, were part of a sting operation by the NYC Commission on Human Rights, which says that only the email with a woman's name was opened. This, plus the use of the word "hostess," meets the commission's standards for gender discrimination.

A representative of the Commission on Human Rights says its goal is to educate the public and it is not required to issue any warnings before fining businesses like Sistina.

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