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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think there can be no justification for not allowing trousers for primary girls

182 replies

Napoliforte · 11/05/2017 23:33

DD never wears skirts or dresses outside of school, she wears jeans and leggings and trousers and shorts. At school she's forced to wear a school skirt, and as of half term, a summer dress. We asked could she wear trousers, or the tracksuit joggers she has for PE, or smart shorts, but all were rejected. They are not seen as "smart" or traditional. AIBU to think this is silly and very sexist?

OP posts:
NoLoveofMine · 12/05/2017 12:51

It is completely sexist. Unfortunately I think there are still a fair few schools which require girls to wear skirts. There is absolutely no reason to do so.

Original poster
Napoliforte · 12/05/2017 12:57

How do you challenge it with a head that won't engage?

OP posts:
NoLoveofMine · 12/05/2017 13:00

Perhaps get other parents on board? Ask the head to explain how it's not sexist and if the same rules are in place for staff? This would be unacceptable in most workplaces so it should be likewise to force girls to wear skirts as part of school uniform.

c3pu · 12/05/2017 13:09

Raise it with the PTA/governors?

Garlicansapphire · 12/05/2017 13:11

Yeah go to PTA/governors!

MGFM · 12/05/2017 13:19

Oh come on. Didn't we all wear skits/dresses to school? Why the need to change it. I prefer skirts personally. No one complained 20 years ago about school uniform.

NoLoveofMine · 12/05/2017 13:20

Why the need to change it.

Because it's sexist to force girls to wear skirts and serves no purpose other than to enforce gendered dressing.

Morewashingtodo · 12/05/2017 13:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MGFM · 12/05/2017 13:27

Oh come off it, it is not sexist. Why look for problems where there aren't any? In the men's section of the shops, I'm pretty sure dresses and skirts are not their top selling clothing! Enough of all the PC crap. Girls/women wear dresses and skirts and men don't. That is a fact. There is something to be said for tradition and trying to hold onto a little bit of it.

Would you walk down the isle as a woman in a wedding suit? No you wouldn't. If you are invited to a wedding as a guest , 99% will wear a dress or skirt. If you go to a function. Etc etc. Nothing wrong with wearing trousers whenever you want to but let's not go down a rabbit hole of skirt uniform being sexist . It is female clothing. Perhaps there should be a choice but those schools that force trousers are wrong

ThymeLord · 12/05/2017 13:29

Of course it's sexist to say that one sex should wear one item of clothing and the opposite sex should wear different. It's the very definition of sexism. Hmm

ThymeLord · 12/05/2017 13:29

Oh, and yes I would wear a suit to get married. Fully intend to wear a trouser suit actually. Don't think I could recall the last time I wore a skirt or a dress. Does that make me a man?

NoLoveofMine · 12/05/2017 13:33

Girls and women also wear trousers. Of course it's sexist to force girls to wear skirts, just as it would be to force women in the workplace to.

If I got married I'd happily walk down the aisle in trousers if it's what I felt best in at the time. There's no reason for a woman to have to wear a dress or skirt at a wedding and even less so a "function". Even if 99% of women do, there's still the choice.

There is something to be said for tradition and trying to hold onto a little bit of it.

Forcing girls to wear skirts? Great tradition.

OOAOML · 12/05/2017 13:33

No one complained 20 years ago about school uniform.

20 years ago at my high school we did - girls were not allowed to wear trousers at all. The most we got out of them as a concession was that in snowy weather we could wear trousers to travel in but then had to change.

Nothing wrong with wearing trousers whenever you want to but let's not go down a rabbit hole of skirt uniform being sexist . It is female clothing.

Lots of girls are being told they cannot wear trousers whenever they want to. And trousers are female clothing. We could have a debate about it being unfair that women have more options in clothing, but in this day and age there is nothing unusual about women and girls wearing trousers.

And my mother attended a wedding recently wearing a very smart trouser suit. Nobody seemed to faint with horror at this.

sparklewater · 12/05/2017 13:34

MGFM How is it not sexist? How is making people wear skirts when they don't want to / feel comfortable in them 'traditional'?

My 6yo dd wears nothing but trousers and leggings outside school but likes wearing a dress in school for some reason. She also has one of those playsuits, which she just likes because it's a novelty. She couldn't care less who sees her knickers tbh!

If she wanted to wear trousers I'd send her in them though. Ridiculous to think otherwise.

AspasiaFitzgibbon · 12/05/2017 13:34

It becomes sexist when dress codes prevent one sex from taking part in activities available to the other. My children's school insists on skirts for girls but won't let them turn cartwheels or play the cello (!) unless they have thick tights or shorts underneath.

NoLoveofMine · 12/05/2017 13:34

Nothing wrong with wearing trousers whenever you want to but let's not go down a rabbit hole of skirt uniform being sexist

You can't wear trousers whenever you want to if skirts are the uniform.

newnameoldme · 12/05/2017 13:37

YANBU it's outrageous some schools would attempt to stick to this - appeal/ challenge

Crunchyontheoutside · 12/05/2017 13:38

You could try the argument that girls' skirt uniforms discourage physical activity and are therefore detrimental to long- and short-term physical health? www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/the-obvious-thing-holding-girls-back-from-playing-sport-at-school/news-story/e3d07bbc47d0900a65e62e263b380d3d

www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/01/09/why-do-we-still-make-girls-wear-skirts-and-dresses-school-uniform

There's been quite a lot of chat about it here in Australia, which is why all these links are Aussie!
evidenceforlearning.org.au/australasian-research-summaries/school-uniform/

Goldfishjane · 12/05/2017 13:40

it's discrimination
I can't believe it hasn't been banned yet.

my mum fought this battle years ago. so depressing. the only thing is to get a group campaigning for a change in the law. I think that's the only way individual schools will change.

Astro55 · 12/05/2017 13:41

How do you challenge it with a head that won't engage?

I didn't ask - and DD went to school in shorts - smart boys shorts and later Skorts - nobody mentioned it and the other girls followed suit!!

You don't have to fight every corner - just do it quietly

MyWhatICallNameChange · 12/05/2017 13:42

*No one complained 20 years ago about school uniform.
*
I started school 36 years ago and complained virtually everyday till I left about having to wear a skirt and how unfair it was that I couldn't wear trousers. I remember having to take off leggings that I'd worn under my skirt in assembly in front of the whole school because the headteacher noticed them. Nice.

I still rarely wear skirts. When I had a job I wore trousers, no one ever complained.

sadsquid · 12/05/2017 13:44

No one complained 20 years ago about school uniform.

I did!

Astro55 · 12/05/2017 13:45

We weren't allowed trousers but the Asian girls were - totally unfair in the depths of winter getting to school with knee high socks and skirts!!

CottonSock · 12/05/2017 13:48

Those asda playsuits are quite nice actually (except I realised my dd would need to take it off for toilet).

Gileswithachainsaw · 12/05/2017 13:48

It's simple to me.

Skirts trousers and shorts and dresses should be able to be worn by everyone when ever each person feels like it.

There is no reason why they shouldn't be except for sexism or power trips.