Girls uniforms and physical activity
For some parents, requiring girls to wear skirts and dresses to school is an outdated expectation that amounts to gender disadvantage and discrimination. As Research shows , skirts and dresses restrict movement in real ways; wearers must negotiate how they sit, how they play, and how quickly they move
Wearing a skirt can also inhibit a girls ability to participate in sports.
In an attempt to support girls exercising more, the Australian government launched a campaign in February 2016 called Girls Make Your Move .
While expensive education and awareness campaigns may encourage more girls to engage in sport, a simple change to what they are required to wear to school could have a far greater impact.
Education policy
While state education departments have the power to enforce uniform policies that are equitable, they largely leave it to individual schools.
All states require schools to comply with anti-discrimination legislation. In Queensland, for example, the Department of Educations school dress code guidelines requires that student dress codes offer gender neutral uniform options for all students.
However, these policy documents are often wordy and wishy-washy. This leaves schools with a lack of clarity about exactly what is required.
Principals and parents may be confused by the language used in policy documents, and can conclude that allowing flexibility for students who request special circumstances is enough.
While principals may be open to allowing special circumstances, it could be argued that the right of girls to wear shorts to school needs to be a given, and not a privilege that needs to be argued for in each individual case.
Will legal challenges be the way forward?
The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission identified school uniform policies as an area where schools could find themselves vulnerable to legal action.
The commission said that, requiring female students to wear dresses instead of pants may amount to direct discrimination.
Despite this, a large number of schools continue to require girls to wear skirts and dresses.
To date, there has been no reported case of a school having to remove its requirements for girls to wear skirts and dresses. But the desire for change is growing among parents.
Will a school need to face legal action before all schools move to have uniform policies that allow girls to be as comfortable and free to move as the boys sitting beside them?
Amanda Mergler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.
