Dress Code Biases - Common Violations (2024)

FAQs

What is the most common dress code violation? ›

Short Shorts

Our survey showed that short shorts are the most common dress code violation (which also happens to be a dress code rule that only applies to girls). 52.5% of surveyed kids were dress coded for short shorts at least once.

There are three big reasons why. Dress codes causes families to waste additional money buying extra clothes. Dress codes can make kids late for school and hurt their grades. Lastly, uniform school clothes can be uncomfortable and make it so students cannot focus.

In addition, the enforcement of dress codes is often discriminatory, as the GAO found. Educators who enforce them often unfairly target students of color, LGBTQ students, and girls. That's because a lot of school dress codes are gendered, and over 90 percent ban clothing worn predominantly by girls.

Business casual is the most common dress code in American workplaces, and it can vary based on each workplace. Men typically wear dress pants or khaki pants with collared button-up shirts, and they may also wear a sweater over this shirt. Women can wear business separates and blouses or shirts without collars.

Sex Discrimination

In our culture, it is generally acceptable for employers to impose different dress codes on male and female employees. For example, an employer might prohibit men from wearing jewelry and make-up while allowing women to do so, or it might require men to wear slacks and women to wear skirts.

The dress codes also more heavily control girls' attire: 90 percent of schools restricted girls' clothing items like tank tops or skirts, 20 percentage points more than the share of schools that restricted boys' clothing. The job of enforcing dress codes, in many schools, falls to both male and female educators.

Dress codes are typically implemented by school districts and employers to promote learning, safety, and image. Although such regulations face First Amendment challenges by students, parents, and employees, the courts generally support the schools and employers.

School's dress codes are often much more strict for girls than they are for the boys, and they arguably put blame on girls by indicating that their clothing leads to distractions for boys. Dress codes send the message to teenage girls that their bodies are a problem and, therefore, need to be covered or hidden.

The damaging effects of dress codes on girls

Effects of dress codes on girls: studies found that 83% of students cited for dress code violations were girls.

What is inappropriate dress code? ›

Clothing should be clean - no torn, dirty or excessively wrinkled items. Clothing with offensive or distracting words or pictures would remain out of the workplace. Overly revealing apparel exposing too much skin or undergarments is also inappropriate in the workplace.

Commonly prohibited attire includes clothing that reveals too much of the body, contains racially insensitive symbols, promotes alcohol or tobacco, or suggests violence.

The dress codes also more heavily control girls' attire: 90 percent of schools restricted girls' clothing items like tank tops or skirts, 20 percentage points more than the share of schools that restricted boys' clothing. The job of enforcing dress codes, in many schools, falls to both male and female educators.