Georgia Linnenbank (18366570)

102083 Diversity, Social Justice and Learning 1H 2018 Assessment 2

Gendered School Uniforms and The Reproduction of Gender-Normative Discourse

Georgia Linnenbank (18366570)

Transgender issues have been coming to the forefront of societies attention in recent years,

with an unprecedented surge of celebrities from across the gender spectrum, such as Caitlin

Jenner, Courtney Act or Laverne Cox, and increasing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,

Queer, Intersex and Other (LGBTQI+) representation in popular culture through shows like

Orange is the New Black, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Transparent. But out of the spotlight,

transgendered individuals still suffer from pervasive gender normative practices that

reproduce discourses of discrimination. This essay adopts a theoretical approach to gender

as a social construct and makes particular use of Butlers concept of gender performativity,

and Connell’s concept of gender hegemony as lenses through which we can consider the

experiences of LGBTQI+ students in western Sydney schools, particularly in relation to

mandatory gendered uniforms, as well as the problems of gendered uniforms in a broader

context.

Australian schools, especially secondary schools, have long been considered the training

grounds for entering adult society and the job market, aiming to give students the tools they

need for their future. However, it is not always clear exactly what schools are teaching, with

the concept of the ‘hidden curriculum’ highlighting how schools can socialize students

towards certain practices in a covert way that is very difficult to police. It is known that

schools are sites where gender can be ‘constructed’, where ‘social sanction’ by ‘social

actors’ such as peers and teachers, operates to decide what is ‘socially acceptable’, often

constructing gender/sexual difference as unacceptable (Ullman, 2016, p.44). This can occur
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through various practices, such as homo/transphobic bullying, hetero/cisgender-normative

sex education, and mandatory gendered uniforms. In the past, studies have focused on

transgender experience in specific classes, mostly PDHPE, and school life in general. These

studies found that sports culture, locker rooms, sports activities “fail to recognize gender

multiplicity due to a strong gender binary system and heteronormativity embedded within”

them (Devis-Devis et al, 2018, p.105), and that sexual education often functions as a “means

of teaching young people about traditional sexual values through moral rhetoric” (Abbott et

al, 2015, p.1639). One look at female uniforms found that “dress code policies emphasizing

modesty and restraint perpetuate the belief that girls’ bodies and sexualities are in

particular need of control” and that mandatory skirt wearing “persists the processes of

ritualized girling” (Happel, 2013, p.94). However, there appears to be a dearth of research in

this area based in Australia, and on the impacts of uniforms specifically on transgender

students. It is difficult to decide exactly what role western Sydney school’s ought to play

when comes to gender construction and socialisation. The discussion of gender theory

below will give a deeper explanation of what issues are at play in Australian schools,

particularly around uniforms.

Taking the theoretical view of gender as a social construction broadly means viewing gender

not as a static and innate characteristic of sex, but as a fluid and multidimensional

understanding of sexual difference that is imbued with power and that changes over time

and space. As mentioned above, this essay will look at two significant concepts within the

framework of gender theory to make explicit the potentially damaging nature of mandatory

gendered uniforms. However, it should be understood that gender theory is a much broader

discipline which encompasses many more aspects than the few decisive examples I have

chosen to highlight here. First, we will look at Judith Butler, a significant feminist theorist,
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who, among her many contributions to the field of gender studies, proposed the notion of

gender performativity. In her essay, Performative Acts and Gender Constitution, Butler

(1988) states that

“gender is in no way a stable identity . . .; rather, it is an identity tenuously

constituted in time – an identity instituted through a stylized reputation of acts . . .

[and] stylization of the body”. (p.519)

This is to say that gender is continuously and simultaneously being performed and

constructed by all people, all the time, through their everyday acts (Butler, 1988). As such,

forcing students into gendered uniforms based on there outwardly apparent sex 1 could be

viewed as forcing them to perform their gender in the ‘normal’ way. This is significant

because it raises the question of what the ‘normal’ way to perform ones’ gender is, and

why?

This leads us to Raewyn Connell, a noteworthy feminist sociologist responsible for the

concept of gender hegemony. At its core, gender hegemony refers to the leading

“configuration of gender practice . . . which guarantees . . . the dominant position of men

and the subordination of women” (Connell, 1995, p.77). Connells’ theory also considers

hierarchies within the constructed binary, where some forms or performances of

masculinity and femineity are favoured because they better serve the interests of the

hegemonic configuration (Connell, 1995). It follows, therefor, that performances that do not

fit the binary would be undesirable or threatening. Thus, it can be seen that mandatory

gendered uniforms not only force students into rigid performances of their perceived

1
It is important to remember that assumptions of sex based on outwards appearance can be incorrect, for
example intersex people or transgender people already in various stages of transition.
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gender, they reinforce a normative gender binary and reproduce discourses of disadvantage

for all school students. So, what can be done?

Newtown High School of the Performing Arts (NHSPA) made news in 2016 after a student-

led initiative was successful in changing the uniform policy, henceforth allowing students to

wear their choice of boys’ or girls’ uniforms (Wallace & Bagshaw, 2016). International

Grammar School (IGS) in Sydney’s Ultimo has since followed suit, with principle Shauna

Colnan stating that the school has “respect for gender diversity” (Pallavi, 2017). However,

this is not necessarily an indicator of improved acceptance across the Greater Sydney

Region, as both of these high school lie in the inner city, and are very difficult to get into;

NHSPA intakes local students from a small area of inner Sydney, and only accepts out of

area students based on their artistic ability in auditions, while IGS (2017) is an independent

school with fees in excess of $20,000 per year for high school students. At this point in time

there is no parallel in Western Sydney, no other schools have come forward to overtly

change their uniform policies in recognition of gender diversity, and this could have a

profound and negative impact on trans students in the west.

Regrettably, there is little reliable information available on the transgender population in

Western Sydney, however, this does not imply that such a community doesn’t exist, just

that the appropriate steps for formulating such data have not yet been taken. In the 2016

Census, participants were given the option of choosing ‘male’, ‘female’ or ‘other’, with the

opportunity to add a description. But even though the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

acknowledges the difference between sex and gender, the phrasing of the question did not

specify which they were asking participants to identify. Nationally, only 1,260 people chose

the “other” category, and a majority of these did not offer an additional description. The
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ABS admits that this data was “not considered statistically representative” and is currently

considering its course of action regarding the sex/gender question for the upcoming census

year (ABS, 2018). It should also be taken into consideration that gender information on

school aged children would be particularly difficult to ascertain correctly, as

parents/guardians are responsible for answering questions on behalf children under 18

years of age and may not be aware/respectful of their children’s gender identity. The lack of

consideration on how to effectively count our transgender population in previous censuses

is evidence of Australia’s nation-wide notions of normativity around sex and gender.

This is a sentiment that may actually be stronger in Western Sydney, as the western

suburbs of Sydney have been framed for decades as heterosexual (and therefore gender

normative) space; beyond the reach, physically and socially, of ‘gay territories’ such as

Newtown (Hodge, 1994). Data from the 2017 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey shows

a possible bias against the LGBTQI+ population in the west, with the highest percentage of

‘No’ votes in the country coming from the Western Sydney electorate of Blaxland (73.9), and

substantial percentages in Watson (69.6), McMahon (64.1), Fowler (63.7) and Parramatta

(61.6) (ABS, 2017). This is significant, as Gannon (2009) suggest that place, and the way that

we perceive certain places, can have an effect on the formation of identity and belonging.

She also employs the concept of ‘geographies of destiny’ to explain the notion that some

areas, such as Western Sydney, are seen as destined for failure due to their negative

connotations (Gannon,2009). So what does this mean for LGBTQI+ individuals in these

environments?

Research has shown that LGBTQI+ students in Australia “report routine social isolation and

marginalisation in secondary schools, perpetrated by both peers and school staff”, which
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could include verbal and physical abuse, psychological intimidation, and cyber bullying

(Ullman, 2016, p.40). These individuals have been shown to have more trouble fitting in at

school and paying attention in class, which could have a cascading effect on their social

capacity, school absenteeism, academic attainment, future education and job opportunities.

LGBTQI+ students are also at greater risk or mental health problems and suicide (Ullman,

2016). Though it can be seen that gendered uniforms can have profound effects on

transgender students, it would be difficult to remedy, significant policy changes would have

to take place.

The NSW Department of Education (2004) does have a uniform policy that allows schools to

take responsibility over their uniforms, requiring that they consult with the school

community, “take into account the diverse nature of the student population” and are

“consistent with work health and safety, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity

legislation”. It also states that conscientious objections by parents should be respected.

However, in most Western Sydney schools this is yet to manifest into a uniform policy that is

respectful of broader gender diversity. Making a truly ‘gender neutral’ uniform is fraught

with difficulties. Having only trousers/shorts still implies that it is inappropriate for men to

wear skirts/dresses, and allowing students to wear mufti clothing brings up the class issues

that uniforms aim to avoid. The best way to overcome this is to allow each student to

identify which aspects of the uniform they wish to wear, however for this policy to be

implemented effectively, it would need to be complimented by education on gender

diversity, and strict anti-bullying protocols. What we’re effectively talking about is a gender

neutral, or at least gender respectful school. There have been several attempts to legislate

for this in the past, such as the failed “Safe Schools” initiative and the overturned “Dear

Colleague Letter on Transgender Students” in the US. These failed attempts at gender
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inclusivity are evidence of the deeply entrenched gender normative culture in western

societies.

Although transgender students in Western Sydney schools have been the focus of this essay,

I would like to acknowledge that this is an issue that effects a much wider population than

the small minority identified above. Gender normative/hegemonic practices are evident in

many arenas, including our sport and popular culture, our work places and social spaces,

and effect more than just transgender people. Non trans people who may be impacted by

discriminatory uniform practices include:

- Other LGBTQI+ individuals, including but not limited to intersex, gender fluid,

agender and other non-binary or gender queer individuals.

- Otherwise heteronormative individuals who are “tomboys” or simply don’t like the

attire that is typically assigned to their gender.

- All people for whom it is very difficult to wear, or who do not feel comfortable

wearing skirts/shorts due to health reasons, such as weight, appearance, being

disabled, injured or wheelchair bound etc.

- All people for whom some aspect of their gendered uniform is impractical for their

everyday tasks, such as heels on flight attendants and skirts on athletes.

As such, it can be seen that mandatory gendered uniforms in secondary schools are a

serious social justice issue that reproduce and reinforce discriminative gender-normative

discourses, and force students into socially ‘normal’ performances of gender. This is an issue

of particular importance in western Sydney, due to the anti-LGBTQI+ bias here. The lack of

respect for gender diversity in schools can have substantial and long-lasting effects on

transgender students, however it is an infamously difficult issue to approach, with several

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failed attempts at legislation in the past. The issues of gender normativity and gendered

uniforms are wide spread and deeply entrenched in many aspects of Australian society, and

may effect many different types of people. The problems raised in this essay are highly

complex, and though not impossible, it would require additional research, education and

planning before the issues of mandatory gendered uniforms in Western Sydney schools

could be remedied.

(2125 words)
Georgia Linnenbank (18366570)

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