School Uniforms: Yes or No?
Jessica Sjöstedt
Damian Finnegan
Academic Writing
3 March 2011
School Uniforms: A Non-Military Proposal for Sweden's Students The word school uniform has negative connotations for many people. It makes them think of war, of soldier, of death, brainwashed airheads doing exactly the same as everybody else. It makes them think of reformed, collectivized groups of people with no personal identity. There are, however, reasons for the existence of the uniform; one of them being, as the name suggests, the purpose of uniting. At schools all around the world the school uniform is a key factor to the success of the students. Sweden currently does not apply the rule of a school dress code, but there is a definitive need for one. School uniforms are economically favorable, morally necessary, team building and they reduce bullying. School uniforms are popular in many countries all over the world and they usually look quite similar. For girls this means a skirt or pants, a blouse and a blazer; for boys the equivalent is shorts or pants, a shirt and a blazer. Key factors like the climate in which the school is situated and the economical situation of the school's clientèle is of course also taken into account. Colors, fabrics and cut of the garment can vary slightly from north to south and from continent to continent. One place on earth where school uniforms are absent is Sweden. Here private schools use to have obligatory school uniforms and later school hats, but they all disappeared some forty years ago. In 2005, the Swedish Christian Democrats presented a suggestion of a law that would allow schools around the country to decided themselves whether or not they wanted to introduce school uniforms to students. The suggestion was met by protesters and was never brought any further (Hägglund, web). In a country like Sweden where 17 percent of all children (individuals under 18) are from another country or have two parents that are born in another country, that is around 330 000
Damian Finnegan
Academic Writing
3 March 2011
School Uniforms: A Non-Military Proposal for Sweden's Students The word school uniform has negative connotations for many people. It makes them think of war, of soldier, of death, brainwashed airheads doing exactly the same as everybody else. It makes them think of reformed, collectivized groups of people with no personal identity. There are, however, reasons for the existence of the uniform; one of them being, as the name suggests, the purpose of uniting. At schools all around the world the school uniform is a key factor to the success of the students. Sweden currently does not apply the rule of a school dress code, but there is a definitive need for one. School uniforms are economically favorable, morally necessary, team building and they reduce bullying. School uniforms are popular in many countries all over the world and they usually look quite similar. For girls this means a skirt or pants, a blouse and a blazer; for boys the equivalent is shorts or pants, a shirt and a blazer. Key factors like the climate in which the school is situated and the economical situation of the school's clientèle is of course also taken into account. Colors, fabrics and cut of the garment can vary slightly from north to south and from continent to continent. One place on earth where school uniforms are absent is Sweden. Here private schools use to have obligatory school uniforms and later school hats, but they all disappeared some forty years ago. In 2005, the Swedish Christian Democrats presented a suggestion of a law that would allow schools around the country to decided themselves whether or not they wanted to introduce school uniforms to students. The suggestion was met by protesters and was never brought any further (Hägglund, web). In a country like Sweden where 17 percent of all children (individuals under 18) are from another country or have two parents that are born in another country, that is around 330 000
Cited: Aarland, Sven Otto. “Bullying and Violence”. Stockholm: Natur&Kultur. 1998. Print “About Fabrics.” Schoolwear International Beane, Allan L. Bullying Prevention for Schools: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful Anti-Bullying Program. John Wiley and Sons. 2010. Print. Behling, D. “School Uniforms and Person Perception.” Perceptual and Motor Skills. 1994. Print. “Children Family Statistics”. Statistics Sweden. Scb.com. 5 Oct. 2009. Web. 2 March 2011. . Clinton, Bill. “State of the Union Speech.” U.S. Capitol, Washington. 27 Jan. 1998. Speech. Cohn, C.A. “Mandatory School Uniforms.” The School Administrator, 2. 1996. Print. Danielsson, Mia, Bengt Sundbaum. “Bullying Among School Kids.” Statens Folkhälsoinstitut. Fhi.com. 2003. Web. 2 March 2011. Hägglung, Göran, “Motion 2005/06: A370.” Christian Democrats. 4 Oct. 2005. Web. 2 March 2011. . Högsander, Linda. “Bullying at School.” University of Linköping. 1999. Print. LaPoint, Velma, and Holloman, Lillian. “Dress Codes and Uniforms In Urban Schools.” Education Digest. 1993. Print. Larkin, Cheryl. “School Uniforms: A Good Thing.” 25 Oct. 2006. Web. 2 March 2011. . Loesch, P.C. “A School Uniform Program That Works.” Principal. 1995. Print. Rose, Gareth Skiba, Russel J. “Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence.” Indiana Education Policy Center. 2000. Web. 2 March 2011. . Thomas, S. “Uniforms in the Schools: Proponents Say It Cuts Competition; Others Are Not So Sure.” Black Issues in Higher Education. 1994. Print.