Gender-neutral uniforms are catching up and here's why these 4 schools are implementing them

As kids, the condition of our uniforms was often seen as an indication of our character and discipline. Short skirts meant we were unsanskari, muddied white shirts meant we were the troublemakers, hanging around without a tie meant that we didn't give a damn, and so on. 

But today, things are changing ( Thank God!). An increasing number of schools have allowed students to go casual on their OOTD. On Fridays, kids can wear jeans while some schools have done away with the concept of uniforms entirely. While some schools are lenient about shoes, some have recommended gender-neutral uniforms. 

SO WHAT ARE GENDER-NEUTRAL UNIFORMS?
Remember the days when your parents would have to buy two sets of uniforms for the boy and the girl? Well, that doesn't happen for students studying in some schools. Because anyone can wear anything. 

As the word suggests, gender-neutral uniforms come in many forms. Either the skirts are done away with and the girls wear trousers like the boys. Or Skirts (or even Skorts ie. an amalgamation of shorts and skirts) can be worn by boys and girls alike.

BUT HOW DOES THIS HELP? 

Uniforms like these remove gender stereotypes and encourage girls to take part in sports. Also, in times when there is more variation in how people identify with their gender, there is a need for schools to be non-discriminatory and inclusive. As more people become aware of gender identities like 'non-binary' (where people do not identify people as either male or female) and face situations where there is gender dysphoria (where biological sex and gender identity don't match), there needs to be more awareness and acceptance of situations and modes to implement them.   

WHICH SCHOOLS FOLLOW THIS? 

1. Aditya Birla World School, Mumbai 

From the next academic year, children of any gender (assigned at birth) will be able to choose from trousers, skirts, or skorts. Meaning, that a child assigned the gender of 'male' at birth may choose to wear a skirt to school. 

As per Principal Radhika Sinha, the school wanted to prioritize comfort and freedom of expression for kids and wanted to break stereotypes about gendered clothing. To create an inclusive environment, the school sent an email to parents. They hope to “reduce the gender differentiation in uniforms so that students of various genders, gender non-conforming, or questioning gender can feel safe discovering and expressing themselves at school”.

2. Tridha School, Mumbai 

The Tridha School in Mumbai has found a way to combat gender disparity by implementing a genderless uniform. The Tridha Uniform comprises multiple colorful Kurtas with the school logo on it. Children are free to wear the color of their choice on any day and pair it with either trousers, knee-length shorts, skirts, or capris. 

The school follows the Steiner philosophy of education which is based on a more humanistic approach to learning than just rote learning. It believes that every child deserves equal treatment and that clothes are one of the biggest factors that divide the sexes. Thus by removing that visual cue, schools can allow children to grow up, knowing that differences and similarities come from more than just genders.

3. Valayanchirangara Government Primary School, Kerala

In 2017, the Valayanchirangara Government Primary School in Ernakulam, Kerala began the trend of switching to gender-neutral uniforms for school children of pre-primary grade. As of today, both pre-primary and primary students wear shirts and three-fourth pants as uniform. 

When C. Raji, the headmistress of the school, found that girl students were being over conscious about their school dresses and were hesitant to participate in outdoor activities or sports in frocks, she introduced a neutral uniform.

As per Raji, “The mothers particularly asked for a change of dress code. They wanted their daughters to feel safe in their uniform and were ready to bear the additional cost of the new uniform,”. 

Now that the uniform is in place for a few years, the principal finds that the uniforms have boosted the girls' confidence. The teachers found a visible change in the number of girls who participated in outdoor and sports activities. She told India Today, ''The new dress code, of three-fourths and shirts, has offered them great freedom”.

4. Banqiao Senior High School, Taiwan

Taiwan is one of the most progressive countries in Asia when it comes to implementing liberalism. After being one of the first Asian countries to legalize same-sex marriage in 2020, Taiwan saw its first gender-neutral uniform policy in Banqiao Senior High School near Taipei, Taiwan. 

The school first encouraged students to wear uniforms from the opposite sex for a day, in order to curb gender stereotyping and bullying. This inspired ad agency Ogilvy Taipei and designer Angus Chiang to create a uniform that comprised a long skirt for boys and girls alike.

Angus designed 11 pieces of exclusive gender-neutral uniforms and photographer Zhong Lin worked with student models to create a look book to bring this unique project called 'Project Uni-form' to life. As this project took off, the school allowed all students to wear gender-neutral uniforms at school to celebrate diversity and inclusion as it would also give transgender teenagers the freedom to choose what they want to wear in school. 

“It is to boost the students’ autonomy in choosing their uniforms while respecting their rights,” the Banqiao Senior High School said in a statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

What do you think of this gender-neutral policy?