Lizz Clarke said her young daughter is not allowed to wear trousers to school, instead is forced to wear skirts or dresses
A furious mother says she was left ‘shocked and horrified’ after her eight-year-old daughter was told she had to wear skirts or dresses instead of shorts to her private school.
Lizz Clarke said many private schools in Western Australia did not give girls the option to wear shorts and trousers because it could ruin the school’s public perception.
‘[Schools have said] not offering shorts and pants is tradition, they like the idea of girls wearing skirts and dresses,’ Ms Clarke told Daily Mail Australia.
‘That’s how they present themselves to the world, it’s part of the school identity.’
Ms Clarke, one of WA’s representatives of Girl’s Uniform Agenda, said while state schools have to offer students a choice, they want the same opportunity for private schools.
‘The majority do not offer shorts and trousers [in WA],’ she said.
Many private schools in Western Australia don’t give girls the option to wear shorts and trousers because it could ruin the school’s public perception.
‘It has to change, it’s a clear disadvantage to girls if they’re not offered trousers.’
The mother, who has an eight-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy, said emphasis was being place on what the young girls look like, making them ‘responsible for a school’s identity’ rather than ‘putting comfort and learning achievements first’.
‘I think in 2018, the fact we’re telling girls they must wear skirts and dresses without a good reason is quite concerning,’ Ms Clarke said.
More than 40 per cent of Perth’s northern suburbs surveyed schools did not offer female students an option besides a skirt or dress, according to WA Today.
The push comes after a Brisbane high school offered to buy a student school shoes after the student came to school wearing a pair that were on the banned list
Ms Clarke told Daily Mail Australia up to 80 per cent of girls at Brisbane schools said they would wear shorts if they had the choice.
The push comes after a Brisbane high school offered to buy a student school shoes after the student came to school wearing a pair that were on the banned list.
The Year 11 student was originally given detention for wearing the wrong shoes, but when her mother confronted the school the punishment was lifted.