School uniforms: give girls a proper choice

At the QTU Biennial Conference in June, members voted unanimously that QTU policy be changed to support a choice of pants or shorts for both the formal and sports uniform for all girls from prep to year 12.  In this article, Dr Amanda Mergler outlines the situation in Queensland and describes the work of Girls’ Uniform Agenda.

Currently in Australia, a large number of schools do not allow girls to wear shorts and long pants as part of their formal school uniform.

Research I am undertaking at the Queensland University of Technology is exploring the uniform policies of schools in the greater Brisbane area. Data collected so far indicates that around 10 per cent of public primary schools and 36 per cent of private primary schools require skirts and dresses for female students as everyday wear.

When we turn our attention to Brisbane secondary schools, the figures get much worse. Around 70 per cent of public secondary schools, and 100 per cent of private secondary schools require female students to wear skirts or dresses, and often in winter require tights to be added, rather than long pants to be worn. When looking at the uniform options for boys in these same schools, every school offered boys long pants to wear, and all but a small handful allowed boys to wear shorts.

While some schools had policies that listed all clothing options as available for both genders, most schools divided the uniform options along gender lines, and skirts and dresses were deemed girl-only attire. Queensland’s Department of Education and Training’s Student Dress Code policy states that “gender neutral” options must be provided to students.

A recent doctoral thesis outlined the reluctance of schools to inform girls that long pants were an option for them, and indicated that while school leaders argue that girls do not wish to wear long pants, the “option” of long pants for girls is largely kept quiet. Similarly, schools in Queensland have sought to respond to the DET policy by offering girls the boys’ uniform to wear, and when this is not taken up in sufficient numbers they feel justified moving away from the option.

Research undertaken in Melbourne demonstrated that girls are highly unlikely to wear shorts or long pants if they are boys’ pants. This does make intuitive sense. Imagine telling a group of school boys that from now on they will be wearing “girls’ pants”, pants designed and made for girls. They are still long pants, but the boys would revolt. And rightly so. “Girls’ pants” and “boys’ pants” are materially different, and are designed with different body shapes in mind. Similarly, no school girl should be expected to accept “boys’ pants”.

Where schools have made a meaningful adjustment to their school uniform, whether it be by adopting a legitimate unisex option (such as sports shorts and polo, which are viewed by the students as unisex) or by introducing girls’ shorts and pants, female students have responded by eagerly adopting these choices.

This has a number of benefits for female students, including the increased likelihood that they will engage in greater levels of physical activity. In two recent Australian studies, 10 to 13 year old school children were asked what factors they felt impacted on their ability to engage in lunchtime play. The girls reported that their uniform of a dress or skirt significantly restricted their ability to play at lunchtime (boys did not mention their uniform).

While there are many excellent reasons to allow girls choices in their everyday school uniform options, a number of schools remain stubbornly tied to skirts and dresses only for girls. Because of this, I have co-founded Girls’ Uniform Agenda, an advocacy group that works with schoolgirls, parents, principals, P&Cs, education departments and a host of other education related bodies. Our aim is to have all Australian schools support the right of girls to have choice in their school uniform options; choices that must at a minimum include shorts and pants.

To show your support and get involved, like the Girls’ Uniform Agenda Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GirlsUniformAgenda/) and use the resources available on our website (http://girlsuniformagenda.org/). Importantly, in every school you come into contact with, ask if they allow choice for girls, and if not, encourage them to contact GUA and make the necessary changes. Together, we will create a future where 100 per cent of girls have the choice to wear shorts and pants to school, just like the boys beside them.

Dr Amanda Mergler                                                                                                               Co-founder of Girls’ Uniform Agenda and Senior Lecturer in Educational Psychology, QUT

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 122 No 6, 25 August 2017, p15