Sexist UberEats promo suggests wives take 'a day off from the kitchen'

Uber has been forced to apologise after sending out an email promotion for its food delivery service, UberEats, offering to "let your wife take a day off from the kitchen."

The promotion was circulated by Uber Bangalore to coincide with "Wife Appreciation Day" on Sunday (17 September). The email contained the code "nocookingday" which offered users a 100Rs (£1.15, $1.56) discount on UberEats food orders in the region up to a certain value.

"Dear Husbands," the email began. "A gentle reminder - Today is Wife Appreciation Day. Order on UberEats and let your wife take a day off from the kitchen". The full email was shared in a number of tweets (embedded below).

Unsurprisingly, the promotion prompted a swift backlash online which forced Uber to quickly pull the offer. Unfortunately for Uber, screenshots of the offending email found their way to social media and a global audience.

One Twitter user accused the company of "perpetrating regressive gender stereotypes in India". Several users also referenced Uber's previous public relations disasters, highlighting allegations of systemic sexism within the company's corporate culture.

Others directed the message towards Uber's chief brand officer, Bozoma Saint John, who forcefully replied: "Oh hell no. This is completely unacceptable. Will take care of this."

A later tweet by an official Uber Twitter account said in a series of replies: "This was totally inappropriate. We've removed it and we apologize."

The Uber Bangalore promotion is yet another PR blunder to add to the pile in what has been a catastrophic year for the company. In August, the ride-sharing giant appointed Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO to replace Uber founder, Travis Kalanick.