DJ Sara Cox on gender neutral uniforms: ‘Let girls wear trousers’
Sara Cox attends the Glamour Women of The Year awards. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
In a new interview, the BBC Radio DJ has suggested that gender neutral uniforms should be adopted by schools.
DJ Sara Cox has called for schools to amend their policies to take a more gender neutral approach to uniform in order to create a culture of equality.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, the DJ said: “I think everyone should be in trousers. Girls, too. I think skirts for girls, trousers for boys is old-fashioned.”
Cox, who will soon become the first solo female presenter of BBC Radio 2’s Drivetime show, said that her own children get to choose the uniform they wear. She added that her daughter chooses to wear trousers to school.
“I would have loved to have worn trousers when I was at school. I never had a choice,” the DJ added.
People on social media were quick to share their thoughts on Cox’s comments. One user said: “Agree girls should be able to wear trousers as they do in my school but they should also be able to wear skirts. Some girls don’t want to wear trousers.”
Another said: “Disagree. They should be able to choose what they want to wear.”
“Pupils should have the freedom to dress appropriately for their personal identity.”
Earlier this year, a 15-year-old Jess Insall told politicians they felt that gendered uniforms were restrictive for pupils, criticising the “harmful gender stereotypes that sexist uniform policies promote.”
“I’m not telling anyone to take away their skirts, I’m telling you all that pupils should have the freedom to dress appropriately for their personal identity regardless of their gender.”
In July, The Sunday Times analysed the uniform policies of schools in England and found that at least 40 secondary schools in England had banned girls from wearing skirts.
In response to the report, Trans Actual, an organisation that highlights issues affecting the transgender community, said that banning skirts could do more harm than good. The organisation tweeted: “A uniform policy that doesn’t allow students to wear skirts really wouldn’t cater very well for transgender pupils. Lots of trans girls would want to wear a skirt for school.”
Meanwhile, a private school in England recently decided to let pupils wear a skirt if they wanted to, regardless of gender. Uppingham School headteacher Richard Maloney said the decision had been made to allow all pupils to express themselves how they wanted to.
Many groups have campaigned for gender neutral uniforms. One such group, Trousers For All, campaigns to allow girls to have the option of wearing trousers as part of their uniform should they wish.
