Abstract: Inequality is a mindset. When schools, colleges, and universities start practicing inequalities, inclusiveness fades away. But most of the school administrations that belong to the old school of thought are still lingering in the haze. They believe that dress code rules should only apply to girls rather than to both boys and girls. In their opinion, freedom in the dress code for girls at schools could be distracting for boys and lower their efficiency. Instead of following the rule of a "neutral dress code" they tend to follow a "girl-focused dress code". The implementation of this sort of thinking comes with several consequences such as lower confidence in girls, the promotion of a culture of male hegemony, the prevalence of prejudice and suppression, the promotion of discriminatory behaviors, declined inclusiveness, suffocated freedom of speech and limited productivity. Unfortunately, this category of prejudice and intolerance is universal with only few exceptions.
The independent personalities of men and women, and girls and boys cannot be circumscribed by dress code rules based on discrimination. A dress code must be designed equally for all students regardless of age, community, region, state, color, and creed. Instead of seeing girls as distracting forces, there is a dire need to accept girls and LGBTQIA+ communities as autonomous souls who must be given the right to wear whatever they want. However, it is also essential to impose a few justified gender-neutral dress code restrictions. The examples of schools that have successfully implemented gender-neutral dress code rules could be followed in this regard. Such practices would lead to a more inclusive and prejudice-free school environment.
Keywords: LGBTQIA+, Gender Neutrality, Dress Codes, Conformativity.
Title: From Gender-Based to Gender-Neutral Dress Codes: How Rethinking the Concepts of Gender and Gender Identity Can Help in Creating an Inclusive Environment at Higher Education Institutions
Author: Florian Booneiam
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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