For my #19 post, I would like to talk about hidden curriculum in Japan. Hidden curriculum refers to the implicit and often unintentional lessons, cultural norms, and values students learn in school. It is the byproduct of the institution of education that society often fails to question.
In Japan, the most notable hidden curriculum that can be observed is the school uniform. Most middle and high schools in Japan have school uniforms regardless of whether it is a public or private school, and the majority of schools still make women wear skirts and make men wear pants. I went to an all-girls middle and high school, but when I was a student there, only skirts were available for everyone, and we were not allowed to wear pants. When someone tried to wear sweatpants under a skirt, some teachers gave a lecture to that student and said, "This is not what the school rule says, and girls look more elegant with a skirt." I thought it was ridiculous, but it was the school's rule, so I continued wearing a skirt even on the coldest winter days for six years. I suppose it's not only schools in Japan that assign skirts as a uniform to female students and pants to male students, but since most middle and high schools in Japan have school uniforms, I think it is a more serious issue in Japan compared to the U.S.
We should be able to decide what we wear without anyone's judgement, and in terms of school uniform, we should at least have both skirt and pants options for both female and male students so that they can choose whichever they feel more comfortable in!
