Sexist school uniform policy?

[Bmidreams]

I was just wondering what other's thoughts were on this new uniform policy at a secondary school?

All students can wear trousers but it is fashionable for girls to wear skirts there, and most girls choose to do so.

New policy says that students can now only wear a new type of school skirt that has the school badge on. One skirt costs approximately £20.

Trousers can continue to be any type from any supermarket at approximately £8 each.

Would you consider this policy sexist? AIBU that I think it is?

I'll leave aside the covid 19 issues of not introducing expensive uniform at this time, more uniform probably needed as it will need washing every night etc.

Their waists and hips vary too though.

One good thing about covid might be the end of school uniforms. Children back in school now aren't wearing uniform (due to needing clean clothes daily) and the sky isn't falling in. Amazingly, they are all going to school with clothes on and managing to learn whilst they are there. Turns out that there are more important things to worry about

Which makes skirts the better option in many cases no?

Length varies according to the size you have to buy but you wont be tripping over the bottoms of the legs...

Dd3s school has badged skirts. This year for the first time they introduced trousers for girls. Similar to skirts with a badge and all one style. Boys can wear any trousers.
Tbh as an experienced mother of girls I am glad. No whining, traipsing around shops, debates about what they can get away with etc.

That's even worse though isnt it? Boys get to wear trousers that cost 6 quid in asda and girls have a choice if 2 over price logo items ?

That's ridiculously sexist and unfair but something to be glad about at all .

Not something

Currently many primary schools have rule for staff and pupils that clean clothes must be worn each day to reduce chance of virus being passed on. Hubby comes in from work straight into shower and all clothes straight in washer! (it's doing my head in)

YANBU OP and some of the posts on here are deliberately goady or obtuse. Boys routinely wearing skirts, teen girls wearing 8 quid trousers from Asda - yeah right. I wonder if some of these posters have ever met a teenager!

@chubbyhotchoc - Lots of teen girls will be in mini skirts and tube skirts if the option is given to them and that unfortunately creates a lot of other issues. The school will want the skirts a decent length so that they actually look like school pupils and to avoid issues like upskirting

Why should girls have to dress in a specific manner to stop boys abusing them? And why does wearing a tube skirt make a girl not look like a school pupil? Are you by chance an ex radio 1 DJ from the 70s? Misogyny and victim blaming at its finest.

Our school has the same, logo on skirt but any plain trousers (not slim or skinny leg though). It was introduced because some girls were wearing very short skirts or rolling their skirts. The new skirt is pleated - this has not stopped some girls rolling their skirts out of school!

What I was more annoyed about what the specific introduction of a skirt uniform/trouser uniform. Previously girls wore a blouse, which they could wear with skirts or trousers. Boys wore shirt and tie with trousers. Now, all pupils wear shirt and tie with trousers, or blouse and skirt. DD wasn't sure if she would prefer skirt or trousers, so I bought both, along with blouses AND shirts, and the tie. The trouser uniform still has all the labels on, so £40 wasted, all because she decided the tie was too uncomfortable.

You literally say that all students can wear trousers. Not sexist.

I don't get the laundering thing for covid especially year 10 my son is on once a week so I have a week to wash his uniform so what difference does it make to wearing his own clothes
Op also not sexist they can wear trousers , is the badge places at top of skirt if so maybe this is to stop them rolling up as badge needs to be visible
When uniform jumpers etc cost £25 I'm not overly bothered as normal clothing my son picks is often more expensive rather he didn't wear that in to school

@doggybics who said it was due to just boys abusing them ? You know girls can be cruel to each other too
It's school , to wear a reasonable length skirt like you would to the office isn't unreasonable , I wouldn't want the boys walking round with there bums showing either

@safclaas I don't get why though On the clean clothes as your still wearing clothes from home and you have no idea if they were worn at weekend and then re worn
We had letter advising when they come home straight in shower and wash hair etc ? But we don't do this when they go out with friends and not sure we will when he is at school , mine always been taught to wash hands when they come home from school anyway as after that ,first visit is always to fridge
I'm not one to shower when I get in from supermarket either though

it is easier to get a skirt esp pleated to look reasonably fitted all sizes. Trousers on the other hand are much harder. There are more fit points:
Waist
Hips
Rise
Bottom
Thighs
Calves
length .

I dont get thos snobby crap. Particularly bad in NI secondary/grammar schools. In my english comp everyone wore any black trousers or skirt with white shirt and school tie.

As long as boys and girls can choose either trouser or skirt, it’s not sexist.

DD1's skirts costs £37. They all wear them as short as they can get away with.

Official skirt prevents them wearing it short my arse.

I had to wear a skirt ffs, all girls school, trousers still not an option for the pupils even now.

At least you have a choice. At my daughter's school all uniform has the logo and trousers and skirts cost £18. If parents can't afford £20 for a skirt then their daughters will just have to wear trousers in school hours and change after school.
Don't see it as sexist as, the girls don't have to wear skirts. Annoying though.

@Doggybiccys I knew there'd be someone. Schools have enough to deal with without dealing with things like upskirting. Teenage girls will wear tiny tight skirts with their bottom cheeks visible. All the easier if you tell them they can wear 'any skirt'. Then get upset when boys make fun or start taking photos on the stairwells. The same parents that moan that the uniform policy is unfair are the same ones that kick up a fuss when lads say something lewd to their daughter. The boys are in the wrong but the uniform policy is there to protect young women and help ensure the environment is optimal for learning. Skirts in an educational environment should be a decent length just like they should be in a professional environment. Usually the proper school skirts are the pleated type that are very obvious if rolled up.
If a teacher was coming in persistently with bare legs and a belt for a skirt they'd be sacked. As a previous poster said we wouldn't be happy if boys were going around with their bottoms out either. And no I'm not a misogynist 70s DJ I'm a high school teacher of 14 years thanks.

And it's not just the boys that cause trouble when the girls wear short skirts. You wouldn't believe the amount of nasty comments girls make to other girls. They start commenting on each other's legs and hairy thighs. Then they're worrying about shaving their legs and putting fake tan on them every day which inevitably leads to more nastiness about streaky fake tan. Believe it or not schools' main concern is to make schools a positive safe environment for everyone to learn in.

Not sexist at all

My DD's high school has a range of clothing - trousers, skirts, track suit, shirt, jacket. All unisex. All items can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender. A couple of the boys wear the skirt with no problems. I don't see this sort of thing as being sexist - all the items are expensive and parents purchase what they need / can afford.

Why should girls have to dress in a specific manner to stop boys abusing them?

Because in our society, extreme short skirts are worn to attract attention to your body. That is just a cultural norm. Who wears very short skirts? People going to night clubs. Prostitutes, pole dancers. And girls in school uniform.

If short skirts didn't attract attention, no one would bother to wear them. Teenagers being naive and innocent, like the attention but don't realise the full implications, and need to be taught that certain clothes are for certain situations. Presumably you won't let them go to school in a bikini - short skirts are equally inappropriate for school (for students as well as teachers).

As for teenage boys, well obviously they too need to learn about acceptable behaviour. But in our society it is very much acceptable for men to eye up women and comment on their bodies. You are deluded if you think it isn't. Rape is obviously unacceptable in society but there is a lot of other unpleasant behaviour that is seen as acceptable by many. You are holding up teenage boys to a higher standard than the rest of society.