School Uniform: Gender Trends


Figure 1.--Many school uniform styles for boys and girls are based on British styles originating in boys' public schools. Items lik boaters, ties, blazers, and knee socks were adopted by the preparatory schools and the gir;s public scjppls. These English boys wear some of these items, including sandals that were popular for girls and younger boys.

Our primary focus has been on boys' school uniform. Readers have inquired about girls school uniform and sent along information to us on girl's uniforms and school wears. As a resuklt we have begun working on a girl's school uniform section as well. As with the boy's section, we also address regular clothing worn to school. Children in most countries do not wear uniforms and this it is important to include this in our discussions. Thus our main school uniform page is largely a discussion of boys schoolwear. We now have a page specifically addressing girls' schoolwear. Most school uniform garments are gender destinctive, but an number are worn by both boys and girls. Here it is almost always the girls adopting boy items and not boys adopting girl items. This was begun at an early stage when girls public schools ere founded in England and were heavily influenced by the traditions at the boys' public schools, including the uniform traditions. Thus from an early stage girls began wearing boy items like ties, blazers, and boaters.

Boys Schoolwear

School for most children is the major experience with the world outside the home. About a third of the day is spent at school and about half of a child's waking hours. School clothing did not used to be a great issue. Mom and dad chose it or the school had a uniform. In our modern world, kids haver become much more concerned with their clothes. The cost of those clothes and conflicts associated with them have caused many schools and parents to reaasess the school uniform. Some countries are beginning to reverse the decline in uniform usage. School uniforms have varried from country to country and over time. The school uniform familiar to our British friends consist of a blazer, school tie, and dress pants which is worn by boys in many countries, especially English-speaking countries. This uniform evolvedin the England during the late 19th century. Blazers were at first sports wear, but in the 1920s began to replace Eton suits and stiff Eton collars and by the 1930s had become the standard uniform at many private schools. This is our primary school uniform page, but it largely deals with boys's schoolwear. It would be sonmewghat redudant to create a separate boys' section.

Girls Schoolwear

Girls school uniforms vary arond the world. We plan to develop information on girls school uniform. There is some information on girls in the HBC-SU section on boys school uniform, but our information on girls' uniforms and schoolwear is still quite limited. We have begun a gender section in HBC-SU section, but have not yet worked on it to any extent. We have also begun to work on England. England is particularly important because so many school uniform styles originated in England. Garments like blazers, ties, jumpers, gym frocks, school sandals, all seem to be English in origin. Some garments were worn by both boys and girls. Others are destincly for girls only. We note garments worn in other countries, but some have not held up as well as the English styles. We are hoping that a HBC reader interested in school uniform will help us develop this section or even link with a reader with a separate site on girls' school uniforms. Interested readers should contact HBC.









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Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
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[The 1930s] [The 1940s/a>] [The 1950s]
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Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main country page]
[Long pants suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits]
[Jacket and trousers] [Blazer [School sandals]



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[United States]



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Created: 2:05 AM 8/16/2011
Last updated: 2:06 AM 8/16/2011