The school uniform debate has gained ground again due to a study surrounding restrictive clothing and physical activity.
Conducted across 64 Australian primary schools, the study found girls did considerably more exercise over a four-period wearing pants than if they wore a skirt.
The study concluded: “a physically restrictive school uniform has the potential to inhibit physical activity among primary-school-aged girls.”
While winter skirts and school dresses have a long tradition in our school system, a changing society where gender roles are blurred and an obesity crisis is very real has parents questioning if it’s time for change.
Melbourne mother Simone Cariss is one such parent who agrees the rules are outdated and it’s time Australian schools move with the times. She has launched a Change.org petition calling for legislation to change to provide uniform gender equality. She believes this move would also be in line with the Government’s physical activity campaign launched early last year. “Girls Make Your Move” aims at getting young girls to exercise more, after it was discovered they are only half as active as their male peers.
“My daughter, like many other girls, simply wants the choice to wear pants like half of her peers, with the warmth and freedom to be active at school and travelling to/from school,” Simone writes, who plans to lobby with the Government for the change at schools nationwide if enough supporters are found.
To date, 18,203 people have signed the petition.
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