School skirts? We wanted to wear trousers!
THERE’S an assumption that banning skirts in schools is part of an over-the-top fight against sexism (Letters). My friends and I would have been grateful to at least have had the option to wear trousers or shorts. Not because we wanted to be like boys, but simply because a skirt could be impractical or uncomfortable. Dresses fly up, tights ladder and skirts don’t permit the freedom of movement needed to run around the playground. Compulsory school uniform has put many young women off wearing skirts. I don’t care if skirts are a traditional emblem of femininity — they were a hassle for too long in my schooldays. EMILIE LAMPLOUGH,
Trowbridge, Wilts. I DON’T see the debate on banning skirts in schools as pandering to the genderneutral lobby. I am a retired teacher and well remember the justified resentment of girls denied the right to wear trousers. It was embarrassing for them to sit cross-legged on the floor in skirts. As for demanding that girls perform Pe in their gym knickers, have you ever heard of boys wearing gym briefs? I’d hate to see an extremist society where girls and women have to cover up. That said, we have been slow in affording schoolgirls the same dignity and comfort as boys.
SANDRA M. TOWERS, Wigton, Cumbria.