Welcomed introduction of genderless uniforms at some high schools

In Japan, a very high 98.8% of students enter high school. There, most of them are required to wear school uniforms that typically are differentiated by gender and designated according to the sex the student was assigned at birth. As not all students are comfortable with this, some schools have begun to introduce genderless uniforms.

High school students are usually between 16 and 18 years old. It’s a time of discovery and learning about oneself and social interaction. This means that while the enforcement of traditional, gender-based uniform is particularly difficult for students who are not cisgender, it can also be hard for those who are.

The rules cause internalization of norms among the students and the reproduction of them. As one high school student said of the uniforms, “I feel as if I am being told, ‘You are a man, and this is how a man should be.’” (Yoshikawa, 2018)

A survey by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper found that approximately 83.1% of high school students would like to see their school introduce a “choice of uniforms.” This suggests that the majority of high school students feel uncomfortable with the existing mandatory uniforms based on gender, even if they do not feel a pronounced pain that the uniforms do not match their gender identity.

It is even harder for those who do. In discussion at a support group for transgender youth at the University of Okinawa in 2018, one of the group said, “I cried in frustration when I was told, ‘At our school, it is difficult to deal with girls wearing boys’ uniforms because of strong opposition from parents.’” (Yoshikawa, 2018)

Efforts to remedy such situations include the introduction of selective school uniforms, and unisex designs, both approaches that could be called genderless uniforms. Selective designs let students pick the items of uniform clothing that they want to wear, regardless of gender, such as skirts, slacks, ties, or ribbons. Unisex uniforms, meanwhile, are designed so that all students can wear the same uniform. A positive aspect of unisex uniforms is that students do not have to choose what pieces of clothing they wear, such as deciding between a skirt or pants, which can prevent forcing transgender students to indirectly come out to their peers.

Another way to get around this problem is how some schools state the reason for introducing slacks is to offer protection against the cold. Offering reasons for wearing slacks other than them being gender-free makes it easier for students to choose them. Although we wish for a society where students can choose their clothing without needing such a coping mechanism, in Japan now, where society still does not accept transgender expression, it is still necessary.