School girls should be allowed to wear pants

A POWERFUl blow for gender equality was struck earlier this week in North Carolina, USA, when a Federal judge ruled that schoolgirls should not be forced to wear skirts and are entitled to wear pants if they so desire.

The judge’s ruling was in respect of a case brought by a parent who alleged that schools have no right to compel girls to wear skirts to school. This, the judged ruled, was unconstitutional and amounted to discrimination and a violation of the Equal Protection Act of the USA in that there was no similar restriction on what boys should wear.

The case had been argued that prevailing regulations stipulating the wearing of skirts limit the ability of girls, make them uncomfortable and unable to participate in certain activities when so dressed, and disrupt the learning process. The learned judge concurred with this, agreeing that gender discrimination is outdated and that school uniforms should be comfortable and practicable. Girls should therefore have a choice as to whether they prefer to wear pants or skirts, said the II which is bound to stir interest and comment the world over.