Anytime we meet a new person, we can forget what they were wearing, what they said, or even what they looked like. But the chances are that we will not forget their gender. This is the kind of significance gender holds in our society. From an early age, children learn that gender is everywhere, affecting how everyone views them.
Children are constantly socialised to divide the two genders by everyone around them—parents, peers, and media. But the most important place for socialisation to occur is the school. Gender conforming and stereotypical behaviour is immediately met with praise in schools and classrooms, while any counter-stereotypical behaviour is shunned.
“Be modest”, “cover-up”, “don’t attract the male gaze” — these are some of the comments that many girls get to hear in schools, if the length of their skirts is less, or if they wear any makeup. So the decision of a Kerala school to bridge the gender gap could be a turning point.
Setting An Example– Gender Neutral Uniform In Kerala.
The Balussery Government Girls’ High School in the Kozhikode district of Kerala has introduced a gender-neutral uniform for higher secondary students.
Before this, the Valayanchirangara government lower primary school in the Ernakulam district of Kerala had also initiated gender-neutral uniforms. A T-shirt and three-fourth of pants for all, for pre-primary children in 2017. Seeing the support it received, it was later extended to classes1-4.
A welcome step was enthusiastically endorsed by parents and students alike, with the many female students saying that the new dress code is very comfortable. Promoting gender justice and equality, this progressive step focuses on, and actively involves, the future stakeholders—children and students.
Many girls claim that these gender-neutral uniforms are more flexible and allow them the freedom of movement. Thus, they can be involved in sports and extracurricular activities without worrying about their outfit.
As with any liberal change introduced, the Kerala high school’s recent decision to have a gender-neutral uniform for its students was met with protests from conservative forces.
In an age where discrimination and sexism are finally being called out, some criticised the move, saying, as reported by BBC, that distinctive identities for girls and boys need to be kept alive and that ending gender differentiation will lead to sexual liberation.
Gender And Uniforms– Why It Mattes?
The whole point of having a uniform in schools is uniformity and making all students stand equal in front of one another. Yet, paradoxically, this equality still promotes inequality–having separate dress codes for girls and boys.
Such dress codes, pants for boys and skirts for girls, create a divide between boys and girls. It has damaging effects on young minds, especially how girls are viewed. Girls’ skirts or kameez lengths are policed, and they are constantly sexualised for it.
Of course, these dress codes come from the larger social construct of gender-specific clothing. Violating school dress codes means violating broader societal norms. Thus, the punishment inflicted upon students for this is not just by the school authorities but also by parents and peers.
Gender-neutral uniforms can play an interesting role in bridging this divide between boys and girls fostered in many co-educational institutions. Because of the same uniform, most students will not have to be conscious of their attire, leading to better confidence.
By erasing the difference in the uniforms based on gender norms, another advantage of this radical change is better interaction between girls and boys. Furthermore, it will harbour an active mind and unity when pointing out classroom discrimination.
Here, gender-neutral uniforms will also serve as a breath of fresh air for gender non-conforming and queer students. Clothing and appearance, unfortunately, form an integral part of our lives. Unfortunately, a lot of the stigma around being queer is that these people’s dress might not fit the binary norms.
And what does not, stereotypically speaking, fit anywhere is automatically stigmatised. With no pressures to look a certain way, it will be easier for queer students to understand and come to terms with their identities.
When clothing alone can no longer put gender labels, gender-neutral uniforms will create an inclusive environment and remove the stigma around being queer or trans.
Starting Early–A Gender-Sensitive Education.
Sensitising children’s formative years needs to begin at the two places where they spend most of their time–home and school. This is because the environment around children forms the base of what they learn and understand.
Thus, this process can only begin with sensitising teachers and parents to gender. Parents and teachers should show children that no task or chore belongs to the people of gender. For instance, both parents should share the domestic work. Thus, it should not encourage gender stereotypes or any gender-based socio-cultural standards.
Introducing queer-friendly curriculums and openly talking about sexuality is still some way off because of the stigma around this topic. As if pubescence already wasn’t hard enough, social seclusion for queer or trans people makes things worse.
In their teenage years, gender-sensitive classrooms will make a world of difference for any student who falls outside the binary categorisation of gender. When everything around them, from the language used to their peers’ minds, is not centred on the two ends of gender, they will start to get the same respect as any other person in the room.
A creative way to achieve gender sensitivity is to rethink fairy tales. Most fairy tales portray female characters as passive, emphasising physical appearance and beauty, and male characters are shown as strong and unemotional.
Ariana Gupta’s, ‘New Age Fairy Tales’ is an excellent example of countering stereotypical characters and making strong role models and idols in children’s stories.
The core of it all is to create an accessible environment. No one should have to live with an obligation to behave a certain way. Instead, there should be free and open interaction, the free choice to play or wear anything they wish, regardless of gender.
Freeing children from the shackles of gender norms and stereotypes will support a creative and confident generation because no gender boundaries will mean no generation boundaries.
Note: The author is part of the Dec ’21 batch of the Writer’s Training Program.