National Girl Child Day 2023: Why school uniforms need to be gender-neutral

When Kochiresident Vidya Mukundan was asked to design a genderneutral uniform for Valayanchirangara government Lower Primary School in Ernakulam Kerala she was excited because she had experienced the difficulties of performing extracurricular activities in skirtsldquoGirls are body conscious and the idea was to offer them comfort The most important aim was to allow girls to be free by enabling freedom of movementrdquo shares the selftaught designer The two piece ensemble she came up with mdash 34th shorts and a shirt mdash earned unanimous praiseldquoThe uniform treats them as kids not discriminating between them as boys and girls Many female students seem more confident and they are especially happy about having pocketsrdquo adds Mukundan Her friend Dr Binoy Peter former academic chairman and Parent Teacher Association PTA president of the school had roped her in for the assignment She researched international schools with genderneutral uniforms and attempted to iron out common problems faced by themValayanachirangara first introduced the uniform in 2018 for lower and upper kindergarten classes ldquoParents and children were comfortable and we received positive feedback We then decided to implement this for everyone till grade 4 The pandemic stalled the execution but now all students have been wearing the same uniform and the response has been goodrdquoSchool uniforms are among the most prominent visuals most people recall when they think of school However uniforms are much more than a tool for identification or an imagery of kinshipmdashthey are gendered Most uniforms have enforced societal constructs of gender for centuries now in areas of work and education across the globeQuestioning the nature of school uniforms is critical because of the multifaceted significance of clothing from appearance to function For example wearing trousers means increased mobility and individuals regardless of gender might simply prefer themIn Mumbai Andheri East school Tridha has in place a genderneutral uniformmdasha kurta for regular days and tshirt on sports days Students from kindergarten to grade 10 can choose bottom wear of their choice provided it is comfortable and knee length ldquoWhen we were to decide on a uniform our priorities were very simpleit had to be comfortable joyous and genderneutral Why genderneutral Because all the activities done at the school are genderneutral Be it sports handwork woodwork or cookingrdquo explains Ruth Mehta the trustee and acting head of TridhaStudents of Tridha a school in Andheri East are free to wear whatever feels comfortable PicTridha schoolldquoI think genderneutral uniforms are a good idea Wearing skirts really bothered me in the beginning In skirts you canrsquot run fast it decreases agility Itrsquos harder to sit in them as compared to pants where you donrsquot need to cover anything In our school Poddar International the skirts are knee length we have a wraparound skirt with a belt but when the wind blows the skirt lifts so we need to wear beige shorts We even had pink clothes for girls and blue for boys but after the students protested the school introduced blue for allrdquo shares 12year old Dishi ParekhDishirsquos father Neerav Parekh voices his concern ldquoMy daughter generally has a very strong opinion about uniforms My wife and I both believe uniforms need to be genderneutral Girls have to be conscious all the time that their skirts will fly with the wind blowing Trousers are much more comfortable my daughter doesnrsquot wear skirts at home We need to keep in mind that these young kids have been at home for two years Irsquom worried as a parent shersquos not used to skirts and she travels alone in an auto Not having a pocket is also troublesome because they carry phones since they commute by themselves We would have preferred that the school allowed kids to wear what they want Society needs to acknowledge and talk about thisrdquoExperts agree ldquoThe freedom to wear what one wants allows an individual the choice of comfort and utility while at the same time expressing their individuality creativity and freedomrdquo explains consultant psychiatrist and deaddiction specialist Dr Sneha Sharma ldquoThatrsquos why when one has to conform to social norms some individuals can feel restricted uncomfortable and unauthentic which can impact selfesteem and personality This may also lead to feelings of shame and embarrassment if the culturally appropriate demands are not metrdquoOutlining the impact of school uniforms she adds ldquoIn onersquos formative years this can force gender roles and stereotypes which can impact an individualrsquos potential and further strengthen prejudice For example wearing skirts makes it difficult to compete in physical sports due to the fear of being exposed so boys have a certain advantage in participating in physically challenging sports hence reinforcing the belief that boys are better at sportsrdquoBesides functional use clothing plays a huge role in gender expression ldquoTraditionally clothes have played a strong part in defining gender norms It makes sense that a challenge to conventional clothing is a normal part of asserting independence and creativity in gender expressionrdquo observes SharmaldquoGenderneutral uniforms should be the norm If we say that both girls and boys have the same rights then in every single way this should be adapted I feel girls would feel more confident and comfortable when they have pants and shirts in their daily school rather than wearing a dress or skirts which restrict their physical activityrdquo says Payal Pobari mother of threeyearold YuveerldquoI was in a convent school with a pinafore dress shirt and tie While that was a default way of life for me now as a mother to a young girl I often wonder how it is always the girls who are expected to restrict their movements and body language in certain ways to fit society standards Being a designer I have also realised that a simple switch in clothing choices makes a world of difference in the freedom we offer themrdquo observes Yaman Banerji mother of an eightyearold ldquoWe should let the kids be kids and enjoy their childhood while keeping away the urge to apply gender roles even subconsciously We are also lucky that a lot of stigma around the LGBTQIA community is being lifted and acceptance is on the rise along with a lot of open communication about the same On the same lines it would be a welcome change to have genderneutral uniforms in schools After all after the home that is where the child spends a substantial time of their life and builds their value systemrdquo concludes BanerjiAlso ReadTransgender Awareness Month Dating as a gender queer person in India