The whys and why nots of school uniform

School uniform is uniform worn by students primarily for school or educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries.

Although often used interchangeably, there is an important distinction between dress codes and school uniform: according to scholars such as Nathan Joseph, clothing can only be considered uniform when it “(a) serves as a group emblem (b) certifies an institution’s legitimacy by revealing individual’s relative positions and (c) suppresses individuality.”

An example of uniform would be requiring button-down shirts, long pants for boys and blouses, pleated skirts for girls, dresses, pinafores with both wearing blazers. Botswana has since introduced the wearing of pants for girls. Uniform can even be as simple as requiring collared shirts, or restricting colour choices and limiting items students are allowed to wear.

Dress code, on the other hand, is much less restrictive, and focuses “on promoting modesty and discouraging anti-social fashion statements”, according to Marian Wilde. Examples of dress code would be not allowing ripped clothing, no logos or limiting the amount of skin that can be shown.

Another scholar, Howlette opines: “Uniforms help students to prepare for when they leave school and may have to dress smartly or wear a uniform.”

There are several positive and negative social implications of uniforms on both the students wearing them and society as a whole. Some of them are:

Perceptions of masculinity and femininity One of the criticisms of uniforms is that it imposes standards of masculinity and femininity from a young age. Uniforms are considered a form of discipline that schools use to control student behaviour and often promote conventional gendered dress.

Boys often are required to wear trousers, belts, and closed-toe shoes and have their shirts tucked in at all times. They are also often required to have their hair cut short. Some critics allege that this uniform is associated with the dress of a professional businessman, which, they claim, gives boys at a young age the impression that masculinity is gained through business success.

For girls, many uniforms promote femininity by requiring girls to wear skirts. Skirts are seen by some critics as a symbol of femininity because they restrict movement and force certain ways of sitting and playing. Some girls’ school uniforms have been criticised as having an uncomfortable design, which prevents girls from freedom of movement and exposes girls to cold during winter, the latter being the reason for Botswana introducing pants for girls, to be worn in winter.

School uniforms are embedded with gender symbolism. Schools that require students to wear a formal uniform almost universally provide trousers for boys and skirts or dresses for girls. Skirts differentiate the male from the female, therefore confirming traditional gender identities for students whom must wear the correct attire corresponding to their sex.

Skirts and dresses demand a particular type of feminine gender performance, whereas, trouser demand a particular masculine gender performance. By enforcing that students wear attire that corresponds with their sex inherently assigns the ways a student must perform their gender. This causes controversy when a student does not want to identify with a gender that does not align with their sex. There are rarely guidelines that allow for students to dress according to their performed gender, but almost always according to their sex assigned at birth. Dress as a gendering tool!

Sexualisation of girls

Around middle or junior school, students begin going through puberty. Uniforms can be seen as a way to restrict the sexualisation of girls.

Uniforms take the focus away from sexuality and focus it on academics in a school setting for girls.

Sometimes the desire to prevent overtly sexualised clothing through uniforms can fail. As an example, miniskirts have been very popular in Japan, where they are common parts of school uniforms and came to be worn within the Kogal culture.

“The pleasure our culture derives from gazing at girls who look feminine conflicts with girls’ freedom to run around unselfconsciously and to develop their gross motor talents as boys are encouraged to do” (Collins et al. 1996, p. 170). The idea of the female school uniform has become sexual and in Britain a new survey from Plan International UK found that a third of girls have been sexually harassed while wearing their school uniform. School uniforms can encourage harassment as children, as our culture defines the “schoolgirl look” to be sexual.

Children as young as eight years-old report being victims of, or witnesses to, harassment. Two-thirds of the children questioned in the survey said they have experienced “unwanted sexual attention” in public, and 35% said they have been touched, groped or grabbed without their consent. These experiences teach girls that being harassed by men is just a part of growing up. The perception of schoolgirl uniforms allows for men to harass girls at a young age, causing girls to self-objectify their bodies from the beginning of their schooling experience.

Pros and cons of school uniforms

According to proponents, school uniforms help:

Prevent gangs from forming on campus Encourage discipline

Students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes

Identify intruders in the school

Diminish economic and social barriers between students

Increase a sense of belonging and school pride Improve attendance

Decrease referrals to the office for behavior problems;

Decrease suspensions and expulsions Decrease crime and vandalism;

Lower student victimisation

Opponents contend uniforms:

Violate a student’s right to freedom of expression

Are simply a Band-Aid on the issue of school violence

Make students a target for bullies from other schools

Are a financial burden for poor families

Are an unfair additional expense for parents who pay taxes for a free public education

Are difficult to enforce in public schools American Preparatory Academy posits: School uniforms nourish a sense of equality. When students have similar expectations for dress, unhealthy competitive feelings about looks are reduced. Students can stand out because of their character and not their clothes. School uniforms make it easier to get ready for school. One of the best reasons for school uniforms? No more indecision about what to wear in the morning!

School uniforms improve safety. Keeping track of students and what they carry into our schools is made easier for staff and other students. Our school community can identify intruders right away because they stand out.

School uniforms do not eliminate individuality. Our students have fun participating in the occasional spirit wear or free dress day; however, these days are not the focus for our kids. The character of the individual student is our focus. Our kids shine because of who they are, not how they look.

School uniforms are more affordable. At the beginning of the school year, our families typically purchase two sets of uniforms for each of their students. Many of our uniform vendors provide durable options that stand up to repeated washing and wear. Parents may need to replace an item or two throughout the year; however, this is often due to children growing up so fast. Overall, our families save money with uniforms by not having to keep up with the latest fashion trends.

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SOURCE: American Preparatory Academy

School uniform provides a more professional look and attitude towards school.