A challenge for schools

Preamble

Critical thinking is far more important for a good education than is the learning of hundreds of facts which will help students to pass exams at the end of their schooling but the vast majority of which will never be used again. In Western societies our curricula tend to push more and more information into the school years at the expense of critical thinking, effective use of our language, and exercises which will help us survive into later life. If a proverb about giving fish or teaching fishing comes to mind it's quite intentional. We don't have to look far to see examples of where some critical thinking could change the world around us. How many have looked at Western Australia's "Fuelwatch" website and complained about significant price rises, but not noticed the glaring evidence of resale price maintenance? How many of us ditched signatures on credit cards because the banks were telling us that a farcical 4-digit PIN was more secure, or there was little risk of allowing thieves to waft a stolen card a few times and rack up multiple $100 entries? These, and many other issues, need the willingness of others to deal with them effectively. By way of contrast, here's an issue where we can do our own critical thinking, including decision making and research, both of which bring educational benefits, so please take the challenge seriously, and ask questions which arise from the answers to other questions. See how far you can go towards getting to the root of the issue, and then ask yourself what's stopping you doing something positive about it.

Combatting violence against women

Various governments have been seeking ways of reducing the level of violence against women. According to The Conversation, "rigid gender roles and stereotyped constructions of masculinity and femininity are key drivers of violence against women." Consequenly, if we break down those rigid gender boundaries we will be contributing to a likely reduction in violence against women. This very serious issue should not be discarded because our perceptions are being challenged.

Background summary

For a number of centuries up to, and including, the first half of the 20th, society deemed that men should wear trousers and women should wear dresses. During WWII it was necessary to have women working in factories, and, for safety reasons, they wore trousers. In the 1950s and 60s women who wore trousers for everyday tasks were frowned on and told not to wear men's clothing. Deuteronomy 22:5 was often quoted, out of context of course. It's now common to see women in trousers/slacks. Women pushed strongly for equality of the genders, but as the push wasn't reciprocated it really turned out to be a push for women to have the rights reserved for men without men having the rights reserved for women.

In recent times temperatures have been rising in various parts of the world, and boys in the UK and Europe, required to wear trousers to school even on a hot day, and not being allowed to wear shorts, have turned to wearing school skirts to make a point. If there were genuine equality across the genders that wouldn't have been a noteworthy issue, but it continues to be so.

With the rise of LGBTI communities, and some children being considered to have gender dysphoria, Education Departments in Australia and the UK - and probably more - have moved towards gender neutrality in school uniform descriptions. That is one step towards gender equality for the male half of the population, but the language still screams "boys don't wear skirts." That's because the thinking behind the move is to allow boys who feel more closely aligned with femininity to express themselves openly as girls. I can't help wondering how many boys would feel very much at home with their assigned gender if they had actual gender equality in decisions such as clothing and activities. Persistently being told "you're a boy/man, so stop wearing girls'/womens' clothing" will have a drag on all but the strongest, and even they will be limited.

The real reasons behind opposition to men and boys wearing skirts are rarely canvassed. Please read www.men-in-skirts.org/skirtsinAus.html for some eye-opening, and mind-provoking, thoughts on this issue.

The challenge

Ensure that the school's uniform policy is ungendered. This does not necessarily require a change to the uniform, just the wording.
Ensure that the design and length of skirts included in the uniform are suitable for boys. Aspects such as fullness and colour may also need to be addressed, and may require some modification to the uniform itself.
Run a critical thinking exercise based on www.men-in-skirts.org/skirtsinAus.html in the lead up to
a week, in the middle of the last term before the summer break, where as many boys as possible wear school skirts instead of trousers or shorts, along with suitable extras - own shoes, short socks, but not pantyhose or tights. A single day would be considered a novelty and not be taken seriously; two would allow everyone to relax in an unfamiliar environment; and by five the boys would be used to wearing skirts and no-one would be making disparaging remarks. Indeed, many staff and girls are likely to be supportive. Also, as a group exercise the boys would be protected from ridicule, though not friendly banter, by the numbers involved.
At the end of the week, encourage boys to continue wearing skirts and getting the benefits leading into summer. An award could be prepared for those boys keeping to skirts the longest. Boys could also be encouraged to wear skirts away from school.
At the end of the school year, and as enrolments are processed early in the new academic year, remind boys that they are free to choose to wear school skirts instead of trousers or shorts.

The educational benefits

A critical thinking exercise which goes deep into the way society behaves, and into the way we control others
A willingness and ability to think critically about other matters of potential concern to society
Real gender equality, rather than rights for girls and women only
A better attitude of boys/men towards girls/women
Respect for others
Health benefits for the male anatomy
A focus away from self.
A real life research project

Suggestions for questions arising - just for starters:

Why do we buck when asked to do this sort of exercise?
Does a perceived lack of interest reflect social conditioning - we're like mice receiving painful stimuli if we don't do the right thing - or an unwillingness to stand out from the crowd? Delve deeply as this is far more complex than might seem at first.
Why do we have no problem with a man having a towel wrapped around his lower half, but we object to the same man wearing the same pattern and size, in the same way if the item is made of a lighter weight material, as with a skirt?
Why is it that so many people react as if something is wrong when it is different?
What underlies the reluctance to accept something different?
Why do people react as if something is wrong simply because they don't agree with it?
Do we acknowledge that opposition implies inferiority of those wearing skirts?
What does that say about our attitudes to equality and respect?
What does it say about women wearing slacks for status gain?
What are we able to do about it?
What are we going to do about it?
Can we run an exercise in which a large group of boys are encouraged to wear skirts to school for a week or more?
Is a boy regularly in a skirt so much of distraction to other students that his attire impedes real education?
Can we use the level of distraction to show how easily we are led astray?
What educational benefit can be achieved by running such an exercise?
How much truth is there in a claim that some men think of someone in a skirt as an object for their own sexual gratification?
Would boys who have been wearing skirts for a few days have more respect for the girls?
What does this critical thinking exercise do for our (un)willingness to ask critical questions in other areas?
How does asking questions about men/boys in skirts challenge our way of thinking and our own relationships with women/girls in skirts?
Would boys and men wearing skirts change the approach of women wanting to climb the corporate ladder by removing the perceived need for them to dress in trousers and shirt?
Is the current open opposition to the idea of men/boys wearing skirts based on the perception that they will suddenly start wearing something challenging, such as frills and florals, instead of something plain, such as a basic A-line skirt in a colour we frequently see men wearing?
What impact on our thinking results from the realisation that a skirt can differ from a pair of shorts in as little as the number of stitches between the legs?
Why do we use clothing to limit people?
Are we concerned about prejudices and domination? If not, why not? Is ignoring them effectively running away?
Why is something "professional" for a woman not suitable for a man?
Why do men tolerate being restricted to a black/grey/dark blue suit and a tie to be managerial?
Why can't men have the same freedom of choice of clothing that we afford to women?
What else do most men refuse to do simply because women do them?
Many great discoveries have been made because of testing of new ideas, so why shouldn't we give men in skirts a proper trial?

Further information

Unlike most exercises in schools, this one is essentially free, and has potentially far-reaching benefits. If you have questions then please email me. If your school decides to take up the challenge please let me know the school name, location, and when you intend running this exercise, and provide feedback on how it went.