Treating girls and boys differently at primary age

[TeWiSavesTheDay]

Continuing from another thread (or a few) would anyone like to add examples of ways that girls and boys are treated differently at primary level and what they dislike (or like) about it.

I'll start with uniforms, at my child's school there are separate uniform lists for girls and boys. The boys list is very simple (trousers/shorts/shirt/jumper) the girls list is very complicated with different items allowed in different years.
I don't like it because I think it implies both that girls should have more options than boys (feeding the feminism gone too far myth that females have more choice than men) and also the need to have children differentiated by gender at this age- if girls are allowed to wear everything on the boy list why is the reverse not true? Why should a boy with additional needs struggle with a jumper when a cardigan would be more practical? Or even if they just prefer to wear something from the girl list why are we saying they can't?

It feels to me as though private schools are worth at treating boys and girls differently.

Certainaly at the prep school my niece attends

• there is a specific boys' uniform and girls' uniform (with I don't think any bits in common)

• girls play netball/hockey in winter and rounders in summer while boys play rugby/football in winter and cricket in summer

• even the after school clubs are mostly for one gender or another, in fairness this is not enforced by the school, but apparently all the parents "know" that for e.g. it is not the done thing to enrol your son in cookery

Whereas at my DC's state school (and all the local ones I know about) - there is a unisex uniform, the DC do the same sports and the after school clubs are genuinely mixed.

and they PAY for your niece to go there ????!?!?

20+ years ago I was a pupil at a mediocre girls boarding school, which went bancrupt. We all had to find new schools, and one of my friends was taken to look around a boys' school which was open to girls in the sixth form. She rwported back that toilets and changing rooms were labelled 'Boys' and 'Non-boys' ... they were not trying to be sensive to those of indeterminate gender, obviously. Private schools appear to be a law unto themselves in some cases.

Yes, I've found Germany to be more sexist in assumptions when it comes to adults but much less so for children, which is nice.

Just sent off my request for a unisex uniform list.

Well the school is 2/3rds boys and 1/3rd girls do they are outnumbered which seems to make it worse. So many boys want to play football at lunch the year 9/10/11s go on one Astro and 7/8s on the other. If they only used one there would be no space for everyone who wants to play.its ridiculous.

fluffy I have just re-read your posts and am - its not that those areas are reserved for football, but they are reserved for boys only football?

There would be no room for everyone to play football perhaps but more room to play other things.

They could dedicate 1 pitch to football, alternating year groups as necessary and open the other pitch for alternative running round stuff.

mr it could've changed since last year when DD tried to go on it but she hasn't ever seen a girl on there. It doesn't say anywhere that it's just boys, but if girls aren't allowed on then it must be.

Well the girls wouldn't really want to play sport but it's nice to have somewhere to sit in the summer that's not the concrete floor in the playground.

It's the one thing about the school that pisses me off - otherwise it's great. The only grassy area was tiny and they're building the new sixth form on that so there's no green space anymore.