Last orders for Ladies' Nights? Cheaper drinks for women is sex discrimination, man tells Hong Kong's equal opportunities watchdog

Bar owners across Hong Kong could be left crying into their beer if a legal challenge by the city's equal opportunities watchdog targeting the gender-based discounts offered at "Ladies' Nights" is successful.

The Equal Opportunities Commission on Thursday filed a case at the District Court on behalf of a male complainant whose Chinese name transliterates as Yiu Shui-kwong accusing an unnamed karaoke and disco club of breaching sex discrimination laws by charging men more for a drink than women, according to an EOC statement and court filing.

Despite having received similar complaints dating back to at least the late 1990s, a commission spokeswoman said this was the first time the watchdog had taken such a case to court.

"By taking this case to court, the EOC hopes to raise the public's awareness that there should not be less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex in the provision of services, even if it is for the purpose of business promotion," the EOC said.

It said sex-based pricing policies were unlawful under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance.