Same-sex schools are the ‘worst offenders’: CEO calls for unisex uniform rules
The Gender Equity CEO is calling for school uniforms to be updated to allow unisex options and freedom of expression for kids on skirt length, hair rules and jewellery.
Like many parents in the school holidays, I’m starting to prepare for the start of the final term of the year.
I’m reaching for the uniforms that have been stuffed into the back of drawers (or laundry baskets) for the last few weeks while also feeling grateful my sons go to a school that supports students to wear a uniform they feel comfortable in.
Many states and territories across the country have policies around student dress and uniforms for government schools, some more progressive than others. For instance, in Victoria from term one 2026, schools must offer the option for students to wear items without a logo on the bottom half of their uniforms.
With Australian parents now spending on average $249 for uniforms in primary school and $477 for secondary school uniforms, small changes like this can make a big difference in many ways.
Not only do changes like this impact parents’ hip pockets for the better, they also help with opening up different options for children to choose from.
Other states across the country also offer school uniform policies in line with human rights and anti-discrimination legislation, stipulating girls must have the option to wear shorts or pants instead of the traditional options of skirts or dresses.
But, unfortunately, it’s not like this for all students. Many independent schools including private and religious schools aren’t bound by the same code as government schools. And it’s clear in some of these schools that rigid gender stereotypes are strongly reinforced through uniform policies.
So why does it matter?
As well as stifling individual expression, strict guidelines around hair styles or skirt lengths tell our kids how they are expected to look (and act) within society. Our children, particularly those in primary school, are so vulnerable while they work out their place in the world. Policies that reinforce that girls and boys should look a certain way can be problematic and potentially have a wider impact on children being proud of their own individual identities.
I recently attended a tour at a school and a young tour guide shared that all students can wear pants and shorts. The same school also allows boys to have long hair and wear plain jewellery. Both have been a motivating factor for students attending the school. These seemingly small measures are valued forms of self-expression for children, and part of their identity.
My desktop research on school policies showed that same-sex schools seem to be the worst offenders. Calling out hair length, ‘extreme’ styles and jewellery particularly for boys.
Imagine the impact of telling a boy who has had his hair long his whole life that he must cut it, simply because that’s the ‘school rules’.
I shudder to think what these restrictions are telling our boys, particularly our young ones, about how they need to present themselves physically for approval from the outside world.
While single sex girls schools seem to be slightly more progressive, the introduction of pants and shorts is still relatively recent.
The impact this has on girls can have further implications that might not be considered at first glance. For example, young women are four times less likely to ride to school in comparison to young men of the same age.
Recent research in Australia on 10-year-old students found that girls were significantly more active at recess, lunch and overall when they wore sports uniforms compared to winter uniforms, while uniform type did not impact boys’ physical activity levels.
A seemingly simple policy is having an impact on the outcomes of our children, and we must question any policy that reinforces strict gender stereotypes from an early age.
Gender equality starts in our homes, but school settings influence important behaviours.
And so, as the last term for the year creeps up on us, I encourage schools and parents to think about and question uniform policies and how they might be impacting (or challenging!) gender stereotypes.
After all, aren’t we all seeking a world where we aren’t judged by how we look but rather who we are as a person?
Originally published as Same-sex schools are the ‘worst offenders’: CEO calls for unisex uniform rules
