Why Are Uniforms Effective?

A uniform marks these players' membership in a football team.

Uniforms are standard sets of clothing that are worn by workers at some jobs, especially in law enforcement and the military. Uniforms are also a requirement at some schools, usually kindergarden through 12th grade. Uniforms usually include clothing in a specific color, and may include a hat and shoes as well. People wearing uniforms have a very similar appearance to one another.

Class Differences

Uniforms are useful in reducing the effects of social class differences. In a situation where some workers or students have more money than others, some individuals may wear more expensive clothing than their peers. This reduces the sense of camaraderie among students, so some schools require uniforms, especially when students are mistreating each other because of designer clothing. Uniforms may also reduce theft since it is not as obvious whether another student has valuable possessions.

Gangs

Uniforms reduce formation of cliques, gangs and other organizations that are not desirable to an institution. In a school without uniforms, a group of students could decide to wear red shirts to represent a gang color, for instance. Gang colors and insignia can also be a problem in other institutions, such as prison. Uniforms are useful in reducing the likelihood of groups committing violence against each other.

Intruder Detection

Intruders are more recognizable when people are wearing uniforms. At a military base, attackers must be quickly detectable, so guards can immediately watch anyone who is not wearing the proper uniform. Visitors without authorization at schools are also more conspicuous when the school enforces a uniform policy for its students. Under the Geneva Convention, an international legal agreement, captors must treat a combatant who wears a uniform as a prisoner of war, and not a murderer, under civil laws.

Uniforms versus Dress Codes

A uniform policy is stricter than a dress code. Dress codes prohibit specific items, such as miniskirts and leather jackets. They are a blacklist of unacceptable clothing. A uniform is a whitelist that mandates that all students, for example, wear the same clothing. Since a uniform policy is stricter than a dress code, it may also provoke more resistance to the policy. Uniform policies are simpler to implement and maintain than dress codes, since administrators do not have to decide whether individual pieces of clothing are allowable.

Confidence

Uniforms can increase a person's prestige and confidence. Uniforms can symbolize membership in a professional sports team, such as basketball or football. A uniform may also show that the wearer is a soldier defending a country, which can increase respect shown by others to the soldier. Similarly, a school where all the students wear uniforms appears more orderly to parents, outside administrators and other observers.

References

• University of Missouri Kansas City: School Uniforms
• University of Oregon: School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies
• University of California Berkeley: The Difference Uniforms Make