Schoolgirls face ban on skirts.

[Gruach]

Personally, I appear to have lost all power of speech ...

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f08d6f1a-7ca5-11e8-8ce4-0bcac63244b2

I think the wording of the kids' petition illustrates beautifully just how unaware they are. At senior level it has nothing to do with seeing anyone's legs and everything to do with seeing your entire undercarriage because your skirt barely covers your backside. It's school not a strip joint, you're there to learn not win the "super hot barely legal" prize. Learning happens way better when girls are not inhibited by spending every minute being self-conscious or knocking themselves out trying to be sexually appealing. I'm all for compulsory proper school uniform done the way the private schools do it but while that's not realistic I fully support schools trying to remove uniform elements which potentially restrict learning. I think the word "ban" is intentionally inflammatory in this article.

I suppose it's no different to boys not being allowed to wear shorts once they get to high school but

I don't agree with either.

Trousers are not a practical or comfortable for girls because of girls hips and greater variations in hip/waist ratio than boys.
As someone who has to wear a uniform trousers for work I can tell you what a pain it is. The trousers provided which are similar to my old school trousers seem to be based on an hourglass figure with a small waits and loads of room for bum/ hips.
I have small hips and a slightly larger waist so I have to go up a couple of sizes to get the waist band to fit. The trousers look ridiculous on me. And the waist band still feel to tight and uncomfortable.
This is why skirts are so much more practical for girls.

I think the word "ban" is intentionally inflammatory in this article

I think The Times is probably deliberately using those words.

Trousers are not a practical or comfortable for girls because of girls hips and greater variations in hip/waist ratio than boys.

I haven't worn a skirt in over 30 years, I think I'd have noticed by now if trousers were so uncomfortable.

Perhaps skirts for all would have been allowed if girls had worn skirts responsbly? You break the rules, you lose rights

No one has to hide their femininity. I still look feminine in men's trousers and shirts.

Surely gender neutral would mean that shorts trousers and skirt choices are open to all students?

We have difficulty finding acceptable trousers a no skirt policy would prove hard work for us even though outside of school you wouldn't catch dd dead in a dress or skirt.

Simple answer is ban uniform. Everyone can dress comfortably and practically then. It's all gone too far with its costings and restrictions anyway. Uniform has become nothing more than a way to price out the undesirables and body shame the kids. Get rid.

Gender neutral. Fuck off. All clothes are gender neutral. This is just another way to police clothing and it's time people said fuck off.

Woodhay high in Bury banned skirts in 2007 because the girls were rolling up the waist band and they were too short, nothing to do with gender neutral.
I see from that article Philips high in Bury want to do the same so it’s not unprecedented in the same LEA.

And another minor point I think those cheap horrible 'school trousers' that girls wear are hideous. I think the schools implementing this are ridiculous.

I think that women are conditioned much more to having to expose a strong sexual image. When people go on about trousers not fitting right and looking stupid, have you ever really looked at men? The dropped waist around the beer belly? The baggy knees?the overstuffed pockets disrupting the lie of the trouser leg? They just don't care in the same way. Female conditioning.

So glad at dc school they have to wear an exact uniform which cannot be modified in any way.

My dd wears school trousers, skirts are only allowed if tights are worn underneath (no one wants to be wearing black tights in this heat). Neither boys or girls are allowed to wear shorts which I thought no is crazy when there’s a heat wave.

If school uniforms included a choice for everyone of knee length skirt or shorts, trousers or a dress then surely all bases are covered regarding the weather and modesty and everyone gets to wear what they are comfortable with?

When I was at school 20 years ago (fuck I feel old) girls campagned to eear trousers and a new uniform was brought in with trousers or a skirt that looked like a lamp shade. All the girls got trousers but by the end of the year it was deemed 'not cool' to wear trousers and the majority had reverted back to the shapeless skirt rolled up as much as they could. It waa pretty depressing.

Just checked DS's school.

Boys are banned from wearing skirts

BOYS & GIRLS - Plain Black Unmarked Trousers (not cropped, not jeans, not leggings or tight stretchy material, No Zips

GIRLS - Optional black school skirt instead of trousers*

Trousers are not a practical or comfortable for girls because of girls hips and greater variations in hip/waist ratio than boys

Trousers are perfectly practical and comfortable as long as they fit. Despite being an extremely curvy woman (waist 29, hips 41) when I do find trousers that fit, they are great.

Totally agree MIdge.

Never seen this as an issue in single sex private schools. The uniform is the uniform, full stop, no arguments. Or have I missed something?

I’m female but more than 20 years ago, I wore trousers to school, and skirts on occasion but relatively infrequently. What is the issue here - put skirts and trousers on the uniform list, and let children (regardless of gender) pick what they want to wear.

I'd have hated this. I always wear a dress or a skirt. I don't like trousers particularly. As a teen I wore jeans but these days that's a rarity. I found a dress and tights way more comfortable. And in the wet or snow I hate trousers when they get soggy on the ends!

If a school is having an issue then they should just have a list of options: trousers, shirts, skirt of set styles and then say any child can wear any of these items.

Or if uniform is becoming a massive issue, scrap it and introduce a general dress code for all pupils.

No reason why skirts should be banned at all.

Most reasons given seem to be about boys - either because they want to wear them, or because they can't behave towards girls who are wearing them (staring at girls legs, upskirting) - neither reason is the fault of the girls; address the boys behaviour (let them wear them too; discipline inappropriate or bad behaviour) instead. Don't lay the guilt or blame on the girls.

Gender neutral always means default to male.

Are trousers really male though?

Trousers are not male or female, they are just clothes!

No there are plenty of nice trousers for girls and women.

Scholl trousers however are not amongst them. But the time you rule out styles they don't allow your are stuck with shapeless crap with surplus material everywhere but the knees where u might actually need it in order to cycle or run and look absolutely terrible ...

Girls do have different issues to boys though.

Girls produce fluids be it whatever the normal white stuff is called and periods. Different amounts and issues for different women.
Wearing a skirt hides a thicker santitary towel better and leaks are less obvious than in trousers.

Just make skirts longer if staff are finding "sexuality" an issue. But absolutely the choice should be there for everyone. Male or female to wear any part of the uniform.