AIBU to think it isn't fair for school to ban skirts and dresses

[helloall987]

My kids attend an all through school they start at 4 in reception and it goes up to 18. There is a primary and a secondary site.

From September they have changed their uniform to trousers and shorts so no school dresses, skirts or pinafores allowed. All children boys and girls to wear black trousers or shorts. No school shoes either just black trainers. The two reasons they cite are modesty and a gender neutral approach so there is no distinction between girls and boys. This is for primary and secondary school pupils. My DD loves wearing pinafores and patent school shoes. I just think think that with this policy the idea of "feminity" is being taken away.

Most parents think it is a great idea but there are a few of us who want to contest it.

I think possibly this is what the school are trying to avoid.. maybe they don't want boys in dresses.

The whole point of school uniforms is literally that the kids don’t get to choose what they want to wear.

A pair of trousers is no less ‘feminine’ than a skirt. If it’s a girl wearing them, they’re feminine.

There are 2 girls where I teach who aren't allowed to wear trousers for religious reasons. What are children like that supposed to do?

Uniforms need to be flexible and varied enough to suit everyone. YANBU.

What religion bans trousers?

That is so much sweatier around the crotch!

Are they prohibited from wearing trousers to school? Who buys their school uniform and their clothes for outside of school?

None! Some may choose to interpret it as that but there are none who specifically say “women can wear trousers”

100% This

It's not so much that trousers are seen as boys. It's that we still haven't moved past "skirts are for girls"

Which, BTW, is bad for girls too

Well, it could simply have no choice - dresses for all, no matter their sex 🤷‍♀️

As I said in my first post, ‘gender neutral’ always means the male option is the default and/or girls and women are disadvantaged in some way. This new policy discriminates against girls because girls are the majority of dress/skirt wearers. Many girls find dresses and skirts more comfortable. Just because you don’t doesn’t mean others are wrong.

There’s no uniform.

There’s no hiding a leak in trousers though.

Remembering society says boys can’t wear skirts. Why do girls deserve more choices?

Join the civilised world by ditching school uniforms altogether! 👌

I agree, it should be socially acceptable for boys to wear dresses if they wish. I'm not sure why its seen as preferable to restrict choices rather than extend them out.

Surely trousers would be more comfortable during a period?

Eh? How did you come to that conclusion?

Boys "can't" wear skirts because anything feminine is inherently inferior in primitive societies; it's why being a tomboy is cool but being a sissy is not. And girls can shorten their names to sound masculine, but god forbid a boy have a girly-sounding name.

One day the UK will grow up, but that day is not today 🤷‍♀️

Sorry I misread it. Then point is similar though, parents invariably buy both uniform and non uniform clothes so have a larger influence over what the children wear when they do, but even if none of the girls at your DDs school chose to wear skirts or dresses, do you think they should be banned and have the choice removed for spurious reasons?

Skirt or trousers isn't a huge option and is a very common school option 😒

And lots of uniforms have options - skirts, trousers, cardis, jumpers, gilets, polos etc. in company colours.

DD would hate this. Shes really narrow around hips and bum, trousers never fit well and she loves dresses.

Id agree with a pp that simply offering a choice of dress OR trousers resolves issues. Many many primary schools allow a range. Ours it could be grey skirt, shorts, pinafore, trousers, gingham dress or playsuit.

It’s just a school uniform.

you DD can wear dresses and patent shoes after after school

I don’t really care. Uniform removes most choices. Some schools don’t allow polo shirts. Some schools insist on ties. Some make kids wear blazers all year round. Some want proper shoes, others are fine with trainers.

I really don’t see how saying the uniform for all kids is now trousers is an issue.

But I would have concerns about any notion to remove the distinction between boys and girls, as the OP says, which goes far, far deeper than clothing.

That’s gender stereotypes. Thinking back to the 1980s and even earlier, I’d assumed that we’d be more laid back by 2025, but apparently not. A current male friend of mine wears dresses and skirts sometimes (and is not trans). He does get an occasional glance but no comments. The only people who will turn this round are boys and men themselves. The more they wear dresses/skirts/sarong-type things, the more usual it will become.

But there’s no “can’t”. They can wear those clothes if they want to. Most don’t want to though, and the reasons for this are largely both homophobic and misogynistic. Girls are seen as inferior so what boy would want to look like one? Just as a PP has mentioned.

Well I agree with you but surely the best way to extend choice is to not have a uniform. A uniform restricts choices that's the whole point. I honestly don't understand why forcing children to wear weird acrylic suits and ties (but with a skirt option) is ok but forcing them to wear trousers is a shocker.