You might have seen the marches and protests for gender, caste, race, and community equality. Schools and educational institutions want to make their brand name and standard famous by introducing a unique dress code for students. This is a motive to establish equality too. But the appearance of this equality in children disappears as soon as other factors contradict the efficiency of school uniforms. So, if you want to understand the idea of wearing uniforms, you need to categorize the pros and cons of school uniforms. The reason why students should not wear uniforms lies somewhere among these questions.
1. Why Students should not wear Uniforms?
Students are sent to schools to engage and grow. Schools are the only space for the expression of themselves. But certain rules and regulations regarding their dress code might make you wonder why students should not wear uniforms. The ability of the child to understand its likes and dislikes is disciplined when a dress code is enforced on the child.
The student grows without any sense of their appearance. If there is no awareness of self and its importance, students will find it difficult to communicate their desires to people around them. Uniforms might bring equality in appearance, but the inner world of the students is underdeveloped due to the discipline imposed on their desires. (See Plague Doctor Suit Meaning)
2. What are the Negative Effects of School Uniforms?
The effects of school uniforms are different and varied.
- When students go to school in a uniform, the freedom to express themselves is denied.
- Another factor comes when the uniform cost becomes unaffordable for the poor.
- School uniforms are not effective for every body type.
- Students who find themselves weak and unable to form friendships due to their appearance would a=make them lose confidence in school. Usually, this leads to stress and tension, which retards the growth of the child’s mind. (See Why Do People Wear Clothes?)
3. Why Students should not wear Uniforms Statistics?
There are studies conducted to analyze the effect of school uniforms on students.
- An early study conducted in 2012 indicates that the uniforms were a burden on the student despite the assertions of morality and disciplinary education.
- Another study indicates that girls were not allowed to participate in physical activities due to school uniforms. This indicates the uselessness of school uniforms in affirming equality.
- According to a peer-reviewed study from America, students’ behavior worsened after school uniforms were imposed.
Studies also show that the policies related to dress codes are usually never revised, and students were required to change schools. All these studies indicate the reasons why students should not wear uniforms to school. (See What is the Difference between Empathy and Sympathy?)
4. List Pros and Cons of School Uniforms for Kids
School uniforms for kids have their pros and cons. The pros and cons of school uniforms are equally important in estimating the efficiency of school uniforms and understanding why students should not wear uniforms:
- Solidarity among the students is established through school uniforms.
- Class and caste barriers are avoided.
- Students can focus without distractions.
- Uniforms can assure safety from gangs and political associations. Must read what is Ideal Self and Real Self?
Likewise, there are demerits of school uniforms for kids
- Gender roles are established through uniforms.
- Expensive materials for uniforms make them unaffordable for parents.
- Standards of uniform policy can force the students to behave a certain way.
- Hierarchy is maintained through uniforms which mandate different types of uniforms for different staff and students. This creates a bias in the interaction between students, teachers, and other staff. Also, check out why many people choose to wear branded clothes?
5. How do School Uniforms affect Mental Health?
When students are taught to express their interest in studies through exams, they are never taught to learn to clasp their creativity. The education system ignores this ability due to the uniform system. Various mental health issues can arise out of strict dress codes. Go through the list to get a better view of why students should not wear uniforms.
- There are different kinds of students in a school. Their differences cannot be expressed if they are told to look similar to establish uniformity. The suppressed nature of their ability creates frustration and anxiety. This affects the child’s mental health before they can understand these issues. Also, check out why do I hate my self?
- Usually, students cannot focus on a level expected from the introduction of school uniforms. Most of the students become self-conscious when they wear uniforms. They start doubting their appearance and eventually lose their self-confidence. Although they talk about it to their parents, their problems are ignored as excuses.
- Strict rules for the perfection of uniforms and the strict penalties reflect a severe threat to the children. The students are punished for petty issues regarding their uniforms like not being properly ironed or the length of the shirts etc. When they are punished in public for such reasons, it hurts their dignity and makes them insignificant on their own. It leads to prolonged silence and depression. (See 14 Reasons Why I Like To Be Alone)
6. Why Students should wear Uniforms?
The most important reason for wearing school uniforms is to protect children and assure their safety. Apart from this, other reasons are listed below:
- The students from a particular school are easily identified due to their school uniforms. In this way, if they misbehave, they are spotted and corrected.
- School uniforms save the time required to decide what to wear to school.
- The material of the school uniforms is usually affordable like normal clothes.
- Disciplining children and teaching them to adapt to situations is an advantage of school uniforms. (See How to Fold a Pocket Square?)
7. What are the Disadvantages of wearing Uniform at Work?
The concept of wearing a uniform imposes restrictions on work. Disadvantages of wearing the uniform are:
- Employee performance is seen to have reduced once uniforms are preferred.
- The influence of uniforms appears negatively in the work as it reduces the comfort level.
- Differences among the employees are not acknowledged while designing a uniform.
- Self-esteem is lowered, and the individuality of the employee is affected.
- Excludes happiness and fun in work life as people are not allowed to wear clothes according to their wishes even after earning money. (See What to Cosplay for Beginners?)
8. What are the Advantages of wearing Uniform to Work?
Wearing a uniform to work represents the identity of the employee, the individual. There are other advantages to this:
- First, wearing a uniform to work will depict the collective identity in the workplace. The workplace becomes a single unit.
- Second, uniformity serves the purpose of advertising the company or industry.
- The efficiency of the worker or the employee increases when they are considered equal with others in the workplace. This also leads to collective growth in the workplace and increases productivity.
- Protection is also another factor that comes with uniforms. One can feel secure and protected when one identifies with others.
- In the field of marketing, wearing a uniform acts as a tool to influence the customers. The impression of the uniform on the customer is a valuable strategy to enhance the company or organization’s productivity. (See Why Steve Jobs used to wear the same clothes?)
