Blog Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Girls' Uniform Agenda

Public School Communities Want Girls in Shorts and Pants

By Amanda Mergler27/06/2018BlogAbout Us, arguments, data, Survey

What results would you get if you surveyed parents, teachers and principals and asked: should girls be forced to wear dresses and skirts to school? While it appears blatantly discriminatory, and Australian states have anti-discrimination legislation preventing it, many schools are still doing this. There must be widespread support from parents, teachers and principals, for girls to have uniform choice, surely? South Australia says no to forcing girls to wear dresses and skirts Thanks to the South Australian

School Uniforms: Reinforcing Harmful Gender Stereotypes

By Amanda Mergler24/06/2018Bloggender, gender stereotypes, gendered uniform options, research

While we all have opinions about school uniforms, and the impact they may have on girls, it is fascinating to read scholarly research in the area. Recently, I read a PhD thesis completed in 2015 by Dr Sue (Susan) Bennett of Deakin University called Gender Relations in Elite Coeducational Schools. This research involved three elite coeducational schools in Melbourne, Australia. It included interviews and informal conversations with staff and students; and observations in classrooms and during lunchtime and extra-curricular activities. Dr Bennett’s

Girls Wearing Shorts to School: Taking Action on an Age-old Problem

By Amanda Mergler20/06/2018Blog, Case Studiesactive girls, activism, decades, discrimination, shorts

We often hear schools say no-one has ever raised the issue of girls wearing shorts or pants. Often we hear from parents who are pleased to hear about Girls Uniform Agenda; they had thought they were the only person who felt uniform choice was important. After all, the P&C, and the Principal, had said that nobody had ever asked if girls could wear shorts or pants. We know this can’t be true. This argument is

Power In The Collective: Girls Speaking Up

By Simone Cariss18/05/2018Blogactive girls, activism, campaign, change agents, choice, girl power, girls voices, school girls

Last year I wrote a piece about boys in the UK controversially wearing skirts to school in defiance of a strict dress code. It was hot and they were told they could not wear shorts, only long pants. So, collectively, they took a stand and all wore skirts to school. They made international news. Lone Uniform Warriors Back then, I commented that rarely do we see girls standing together in solidarity in the same way. Particularly in the school

American girls wear shorts and pants at school. How much longer for Australian school girls?

By Amanda Mergler08/05/2018Blogchoice, decades, shorts and pants

“Who is old enough to remember…when girls could not wear pants to school?” The question on this Facebook post frustrated me; we know that anyone alive today in Australia is old enough to remember this, it still happens. After digging a little deeper, I realised the post had originated in America, and the majority of the comments underneath were from Americans. While America still has a small number of schools that do enforce uniform, most American schools do not.

Why Boy-Cut Uniform Doesn’t Cut it for Girls

By Amy Blain02/04/2018Blog

Schools are increasingly responding to calls to give girls the choice of wearing shorts and pants, or to provide gender neutral uniforms. Some schools do this by simply taking away the labels of ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ from existing uniforms and ‘ta-da!’ – gender neutral uniform. This often means these schools are actually offering the former ‘boys’ uniform – boys’ shorts and pants – to all students. Taking away labels isn’t the answer This doesn’t work

Prizewinning: Judge Us On Ability, Not On Dress

By Amy Blain24/02/2018Blog, Case Studieschoice, formal uniform, girls voices

Your daughter’s about to go on stage for her public school’s awards’ ceremony, everyone should be excited. Except they’re not, a daughter in tears, an exasperated mother and a principal bursting with anger. This story shows that even when schools offer uniform choice, the shaming, guilt and pressure on girls to conform to gender expectations is ever-present. And girls’ appearance can still outweigh ability. When schools offer choice – it needs to be authentic and

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