Are school uniforms socially divisive or a powerful tool for social equality?

School uniforms are a complex issue.  This is something that has been debated both in schools and outside for years.  While I’m not going to be solving this issue today, I thought as a student in a school that imposes a mandatory uniform, I may as well add my voice.  The thing about this is there isn’t really a right or wrong answer, in my opinion.  Students are not a homogenous group, and therefore what works for some will not work for all.  It’s the same with homework, which I hope to speak about in a future essay.  While some students find that uniforms level the playing field, so to speak, others find that it strips them of their identity.  In this essay, I will attempt to assess and discuss the pros and cons of uniforms in schools.

Kathleen Lynch spoke about equality of condition in her 2002 book, Equality and Power in Schools: Redistribution, Recognition and Representation.  In this, her and Anne Lodge attempt to investigate standard practice in the classroom.  Lynch argues that government interventions such as the 1998 Employment Equality Act and the 2000 Equal Status Act ‘promote equality of opportunity rather than equalising the conditions of life’.  Levels of income and wealth inequality impact on access, participation and outcome in education, and Lynch refers to this phenomenon as representative of ‘economic inequalities’.  I believe that school uniforms can help to reduce these economic inequalities.

The majority of schools with a uniform will have a slightly formal, day-to-day uniform, as well as a P.E(physical education) uniform, which usually consists of appropriate exercise clothing.  This means that students can check their schedule, and wear the formal uniform on days without P.E, and the exercise uniform on days they do have P.E.  This means that all students get an equal opportunity to participate.  This can help to reduce inequalities in school, as everybody is on a level playing field.  In this way, uniforms can be a positive thing.  Without uniforms in this type of situation, it would become quite easy to tell which students were working class and which were middle or upper class, as working class students may not have the necessary comfortable exercise gear, or they may not be as fashionable as other students.  This could lead to bullying and exclusion.  In this way, uniforms are positive.

I do, however, think that there are ways in which uniforms make the gap between working class students and middle/upper class students even more obvious.  Some schools with uniforms will help students with things like trousers, shirt, jumper (depending on what the uniform consists of) but many schools also have rules about the type of non-uniform items you can wear.  For example, you must wear plain black shoes, black socks and a black coat.  If a working class student has an issue with joint pain, for example, they may purchase a pair of shoes that would help with that.  But if these shoes turn out to be grey or green or pink or anything else outside of the uniform policy, the student may get in trouble for wearing these shoes.  Teachers will point this out, and that will end up drawing more attention to this student, as other students notice they are wearing non-uniform items.

Paulo Freire spoke about how schools train students to stay within the social class that they were when they came to the school.  I can see how school uniforms can further this training.  For one, in DEIS schools uniforms are usually enforced, which, to me, feels like training these students to work a lower income job that requires a uniform.  I sometimes feel that enforcement of rules, such as having to wear a uniform that doesn't necessarily harm anybody if disobeyed are not so much about the uniforms themselves, but rather about training young people to obey rules without question, even if they don’t necessarily understand why they’re following this specific rule.

Paulo Freire also spoke about the liberation of the working class through a co-operative teacher-student education model.  He believed schools trained working class students to accept systems that did not necessarily work in their favour.  I see uniforms as a way of furthering the inequalities between teachers and students.  Students wear a uniform, whereas teachers do not.  This represents the hierarchical structures in schools.  Teachers command the students, and the students must obey.  In schools, there are constant systems in place that mean students have to follow rules teachers do not.  Students must wear a uniform, eat lunch in a certain place at a certain time, they must ask before going to the bathroom, they must not eat in class, etc.  It feels that schools simply train students to become obedient members of the working class, rather than actually inspiring them with a joy and love of learning.

As well as this, I believe that school uniforms strip students of their identity.  In my opinion, this makes it harder for students to make friends.  I understand that maybe this can be a good thing, people aren’t writing off other students simply because of how they look, but I also think it makes searching for friends with similar interests feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

For me, if I’m seeking to make a friend or friends, I will look around at what people are wearing.  I promise, this is not me being vain.  I’m looking for indicators of identity.  If somebody’s wearing merchandise of a band I like, or maybe they have accessories relating to my favourite shows.  If I see this, I will go up to them and try to make conversation about this.  Instant ice breaker, no need for “so…  do you like…  uhh…  movies????”  When somebody's wearing a uniform, everybody looks the same, nobody has an individual identity or personality.  This makes choosing who to interact with very difficult, and can hurt young people’s sense of identity.  As a teen, identity can be very important, and uniforms take that away.

As well as these impacts for teens, there are also impacts for young people.  Studies have found that young girls specifically feel uncomfortable doing normal child activities, such as running around, tumbling, playing with friends, etc when wearing a skirt.  This, in itself, raises the issue of sexism among school uniforms.  Telling girls they have to wear a different uniform not only increases the gender divide, but also can cause harm for transgender or otherwise gender non conforming students.

Overall, I feel that there are a lot of arguments both for and against uniforms, and I haven’t even begun to discuss them all in this essay.  However, I do feel that overall uniforms are a net negative.  I feel that they do more harm than good, and if I were to rewrite the policies I would make it so that a uniform does exist and is an option, however students do not receive punishment or get reprimanded if they choose not to wear it.

Sources

• Why the debate around school uniforms is far from simple 

• 17+ Pros And Cons Of School Uniforms (2024) | UniformMarket 

• SCHOOL UNIFORMS AND STUDENT BEHAVIOR: IS THERE A LINK? - PMC 

• School Uniform: Understanding Student Opinions - Uniformd 

• School uniforms may lead to children getting less exercise, new study shows | Irish Independent 

• ‘Let us wear our own Goddamn clothes’: Students’ perceptions of school uniform as a barrier to physical activity and physical education participation in schools 

• Does Uniform Really Help Reduce Bullying? 

• schoolwearassociation.co.uk/school-uniform-prevents-bullying-and-reduces-the-cost-of-kitting-kids-out-say-teachers/ 

• 3 Benefits of Having a School Uniform | The High School of Glasgow