This is a subject which is very regularly the subject of debate within the population., and which was even part of Emmanuel Macron’s last speech on Tuesday January 16, 2024: wearing a uniform. It would be, according to some, a way of avoiding school bullying, by eliminating all differences, and according to others, simple window dressing. At the beginning of January 2024, the government even took up the subject, and announced that voluntary establishments will be able to test it by the start of the 2024/2025 school year. And if we are to believe the study relayed by our colleagues at I’m interested Sunday March 3, 2024, and originally carried out by researchers at the University of Cambridge, this decision would not necessarily be positive for students. Indeed, after analyzing numerous data from nearly 135 countries, and collected from students in different age categories (from 5 to 17 years old), they made a worrying discovery.
Less regular physical activity
According to the researchers, students who wear a uniform every day to go to school are less inclined to engage in physical activity, unlike those who do not wear one. As stated I’m interested, “there is no question of sports practiced in class or in clubs such as football, basketball or combat sports”, but rather “small daily physical activities such as walking, cycling or running.” The reason ? The comfort of the outfit. Students who wear clothes in which they do not feel comfortable are in fact less inclined to move and make efforts in the more or less long term.
According to the study, this problem affects older students more than children. “This can be explained by the fact that they exercise more throughout the day than other students”explains the latter. “They run, jump, climb, do more physical activity during their lunch break periods and during the rest of the day.” And if the primary goal of the uniform is precisely to erase inequalities, they only become more apparent as children grow older. Thus, the researchers were able to notice that the disparities between boys and girls were large. The fault is the uniforms made up of skirts, which are impractical for cycling or running.