Senator Raffy Tulfo proposed a measure allowing female students to freely wear trousers or pants in all public and private schools, at all levels, to ensure gender-neutral and flexible school uniform options for everyone.
Tulfo filed Senate Bill No. 1986 seeking to create a more inclusive and equitable educational environment for all students regardless of gender.
“In today’s social climate, it is imperative that young women are given another alternative to the traditional skirted-uniform.”
“In today’s social climate, it is imperative that young women are given another alternative to the traditional skirted-uniform in order for them to feel comfortable and promote a gender-neutral environment,” the bill’s explanatory note read.
“The right of young women to wear trousers to school needs to be a given, and not a privilege that needs to be argued for in each individual case,” it added.
In filing the measure in time for the celebration of National Women’s Month this March, the legislator noted that skirts for women and trousers for men have been used as identifiers to differentiate the two genders from one another for decades.
While said school uniform policy may seem harmless, it does have potential to fuel gender inequality. That’s why he said uniform policies need to be developed in such a way that it encourages equity by extending gender-neutral options to students.
In doing so, the lawmaker said that students and their parents are fully aware of the choices available and increase the likelihood that students will wear what they feel most comfortable in. The senator stressed that this too can boost self-esteem for girls facing body challenges.
“The ‘Pants for Her Act’, is also in correlation with the yearly dengue outbreak in the country, considering that wearing pants is one of the easy precautions one may take to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes that spread dengue.”
SB No. 1896, or the “Pants for Her Act,” is also in correlation with the yearly dengue outbreak in the country, considering that wearing pants is one of the easy precautions one may take to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes that spread dengue.
Over 220,000 dengue cases were reported in the Philippines in the previous year.
Additionally, wearing pants can also make riding motorcycle and other public modes of transportation easier and more comfortable for female students.
