Girls told to wear longer skirts at school because the boys are distracted and male teachers feel uncomfortable.

Op did not say male teachers were sexually aroused by teenage gussets. Male teachers are uncomfortable because if they mention the short skirt and knicker flashing they may be accused of being a perv. The parents may then complain and the teacher find themselves suspended and career over.
This thread demonstrates exactly why many potential male teachers steer well clear of the profession. Nobody wants to be called a perv or paedo just because parents can't be bothered to make sure their kids are properly addressed.
I am always stunned by how many teenage girls do sit there legs akimbo.

I don't think there's an issue with reinforcing about appropriate dress. I think they should have said it makes all teachers feel uncomfortable though, not just male. I'm a female teacher and sometimes the skirts are so short you can see underwear and it really is inappropriate! Equally I dislike being able to see the boys boxers, though the baggy trousers trend does seem to be dying out. Underwear should be under your clothes!!

I actually don't know why skorts are not used as part of the uniform in the UK.
Because that would be practical and sensible- and UK school uniforms are not designed to be either!

So where was the corollary advice for boys?

Well I imagine they have reacted to the need and the situation as they see it now. I am sure if the boys were coming in wearing tiny shorts with their balls hanging out, or mini skirts and thongs then they would be told the same. Truth is, they probably aren't and probably never do.

Perhaps the school would have been wise to draft a letter that covered both sexes and all eventualities just to keep it nice and gender neutral and PC. But that is just evading the real issue, which is that it's the girls who are dressing inappropriately in this instance.

Oh, you don't think they'd do it but you'd be scared they might?

You keep on and on about girls 'accusing' men of things.

On the face of it I agree with the OP. Yes, 15 year old girls should not be sexualised this way. Neither is it fair if their skirts have to come from a uniform shop but boys can get trousers anywhere.

However then I thought whether I think it is appropriate when men wear low slung trousers that expose their buttock cheeks (nearest comparison I can think of) and thought definitely, 'No!'. So there has to be middle ground and an appropriate way to describe what clothes are acceptable.

Why do you think teenage girls are so interested in 'accusing people of something?

In general I don't. But it happens, and when it does the stain doesn't rub off easily. It is perfectly reasonable to want to be beyond reproach in this regard. If that means you shouldn't be forced to look at people's underwear, that's fine by me.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace:

I didn't say the girls would accuse anyone. I said they might be scared that they would be accused. And working in a secondary school, I can tell you accusations are made fairly regularly.

'Boo hoo for them' is a daft attitude to take. The uniform code is there for a reason, so it isn't fair to say it is just their problem and to get over it. A very reasonable policy can make these issues go away, so it doesn't need to be 'boo hoo' for anyone.

I actually don't know why skorts are not used as part of the uniform in the UK.
A skirt with a pair of shorts together. Sorts out so many issues. They are widely available in the US, just not in the UK....

As a male teacher I imagine I would be terrified of being accused of something

Why do you think teenage girls are so interested in 'accusing people of something'?

nancywake

I know of no school where a male teacher can see 15 year old girls getting changed for pe. There's a reason for that.

Just in response to those who think schoolgirls wear short skirts to impress boys and adult men....we all rolled our skirts up at school (there was a uniform length) and I can absolutely assure you it was nothing at all to do with the men. They didn't cross our minds. We rolled our skirts up for the same reason we wore our ties askew and tried to get away with non-uniform jumpers...because we were pushing boundaries and trying to circumvent the rules. Boys didn't feature at all.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a uniform skirt length but it should definitely not be anything to do with the males. Telling girls they need to dress that way because otherwise the male teachers and students will feel uneasy is absolutely bloody weird, as well as offensive since women are not responsible for men's sexual feelings.

Mostly they will feel uncomfortable and try to avert their eyes in case they are accused of something

Well boohoo for them!

And can we stop with the trope of the girls 'accusing' men of things? There's a very nasty assumption here that one of the problems is that the girls (having dressed in a 'provocative' way) will then somehow be driven to pursue false accusations of innocent men, and I don't like the assumptions that lie behind that.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace:

There is no 'for goodness sake' about it. I have seen teenagers walking upstairs in thongs. As a female teacher it made me feel uncomfortable seeing their buttocks. As a male teacher I imagine I would be terrified of being accused of something.

I developed very early. Like 32DD at 13. I was constantly bloody told off for being a distraction. My bloody shoulders in PE?! Are you kidding me.

Instead of teaching girls that they are responsible for the inappropriate thoughts and feelings of their male teachers and the distraction of their male classmates...teach the boys that the female body is not there for their pleasure, and if they cannot look at a leg or shoulder without wine overcome with discomfort and lust in a bloody school...they need to sort themselves out.

If you are buying the skirt from the school uniform guide then it is the men that have a problem, not you or your daughter.

So where was the corollary advice for boys

Unfortunately non-existent.

I remember going to a school event of my little sister a few years ago. Many young men/boys had saggy trousers and their underwear on show. It was apparently fine.

Why is nobody upset about the poor girls being distracted by male underwear?
Why were we told to dress a certain way but the sometimes incredibly stinky (!) male teens were never told to shower after sport? The stench was very distracting. Telling boys to shower is apparently rude. Telling girls to wear longer skirts? Perfectly fine...

Proper school uniforms? Yes. But the reason that was given? horrible.

And there always seems to be a double standard.
Flashing your boxershorts? Well, he's a bit lazy, righ?
Short skirt, flashing your knickers? sexually provocative. How can we expect the poor boys to concentrate?!

In our school, uniform regs say girls can wear either trousers or skirts, so we are not forcing girls to only wear skirts.

I have two teenage boys. I honestly have no idea how much time they spend getting erections. Especially during school hours.

Nancy exactly!

NancyWake:

Again, incredibly unfair. Men cannot always 'control' the physical happenstance of getting an erection. They can obviously control their behaviour. If a male teacher is getting erect in class because of thighs, ankles, bra straps, swishy hair, then yes, he is absolutely in the wrong job. Generally I would say most male teachers wouldn't get an erection because they saw knickers either! Mostly they will feel uncomfortable and try to avert their eyes in case they are accused of something. But if they turn round from the blackboard and suddenly see someone's crotch, it isn't a sackable offence (in my opinion) to have a physical reaction. They should never be put in that position to start with.

Most unfair to put me in that position in my own home. The emotional and physical effects were impossible.

Sometimes seeing children's underwear is an occupational hazard of being a teacher. Students take clothes on and off, change for sport, come to lessons wearing kit.

If you cannot cope with that and you can't look a your students in totally non-sexualised way then you need to change profession.

Small knickers or a thong will show pubic hair and buttocks. It really is very unfair

Oh for goodness sake! From short skirts to pubic hair and buttocks? Really???

Mind you, my electrician used to have his pants and hairy arsecrack out all the time when we got the rewiring done. Very difficult for me, as I had to keep running out of the room to sort myself out.

I'd find out what was actually said first, rather than take the interpretation of a no doubt indignant 15 year old.

^^ This is a good idea.

It's not impossible that some interpreting on what was actually said might have gone on.

Perhaps there was talk about people being made to feel uncomfortable - it's not impossible that the girls thought this meant boy/men and haven't considered flashing their nickers to their female teachers an issue?

If not then then school tackled it the wrong way and yes it need pointing out to them.

Trifle, if a parent asked why the school was insisting that pupils of both sexes must not wear clothes which reveal underwear or are generally too short, tight or revealing, I would respond with the following points:

-not appropriate for school in the same way as it would not be appropriate in the workplace.
-overtly sexualised clothing is not suitable for either sex in a school setting. Whilst at school, they are there to learn and revealing clothing can create a distraction for the wearer and others.
-risks creating "competition"- who can wear the shortest skirt, lowest-slung trousers etc. It is easier to have clear rules that cannot be exploited.