Office banter - is this acceptable in an open plan office?

[Aika]

A junior colleague has confided in me after overhearing a man in the office discussing with another man a meeting he'd just had with a female colleague. ''She was clutching to her skirt the whole meeting as if trying to stop me from looking up there. Why would I want to look up there? she had three kids coming out of that disgusting place, I am not interested in her ......"
Now, this was a semi-private conversation between two people, which my colleague just happened to overhear (she was not eavesdropping but she was not part of the conversation either), but it was in an open plan office. Since she works closely with both men, she felt uncomfortable to know that this is how they discuss women between themselves. I don't work with them that often, but I am completely put off from having any professional relationship with either of them. In fact, I feel disgusted.
AIBU? WWYD?

Perhaps the man felt, by her actions, the woman was intimating he was some sort of sex pest?

So what if he did? That doesn't give him the right to make a misogynistic comment in the workplace.

This wont go down well, if you're tugging your skirt, it's too short for business attire, dress properly in future.

This won't go down well mansplainer, but there could have been many reasons she's tugging at her skirt. It might be uncomfortable, she might have realised the lining's split and she's trying to rearrange it, it might just have been a totally unconscious thing where she wasn't even aware she was doing it,. The OP doesn't tell us how long or short the skirt is, but I expect you enjoy telling women that their short skirts (which may or may not have been short) are responsible for men's hatred of them.

No the work place isn't an 'any one should be able to wear anything they like' environment. It isn't a night club or your own front room

Do you think women can't see what sort of man tries to turn a discussion about a man's misogyny into one about a woman's clothing? We see you, MRA.

@AskAuntLydia

This won't go down well mansplainer,

You're braver than I am, pointing out the obvious 😂

He's probably a creepy bastard who really does try to look up women's skirts.

Juells That's also what my "That's nice dear" comment was about. From a recent FWR post. I thought I'd adopt it for 'mansplainy' situations

You know, the only times I have come across men protesting that they weren't trying to look up a woman's skirt was after, well, they had been trying to look up a woman's skirt.

He sounds like an obnoxious, insecure, arrogant, misogynistic tosser.

Wow some of the crap that comes out of NewYears posts is astounding. They both sound vile and infantile. I’d want to complain. Imagine if the poor woman herself had heard. How demeaning.

Is there a way for your colleague to pass this on to her manager anonymously? Or by identifying herself if she is willing? Or HR?

Ideally, they could do a session with everyone about what is not appropriate to talk about at work'!

I work in employment law. Those comments are inappropriate. If it has just been the one time, then they should be told that they were overheard and that they shouldn't make that type of comment again. Everyone should have the chance to modify their behaviour. Ideally, the person who heard it should have a quiet word with them.

If it happens again then it can amount to harrassment, on the grounds of gender.

In law, it is not the intention behind the comment, it is how it is recieved by the person who hears it.

Anywhere that is on a work premises cannot be seen as private, in employment law terms. Even outside work can be deemed an 'extension of the workplace'. Eg if this had been overheard in the pub near work it would still be seen as the employers responsibility.