A vice-principal at a New Zealand high school has told female students that their skirts must be knee level so as not to ‘distract’ male staff and students.
Newshub reports that deputy principal Chris Telford said the move was: “keep our girls safe, stop boys from getting ideas and create a good work environment for male staff”.
The comments have naturally caused outrage, with Deborah Russell (feminist commentator and lecturer) stating:
“It sends a message that young women are responsible for young men’s sexual behaviour, and also sends a bad message to young men that their sexual behaviour is uncontrollable.”
Putting the onus on young women to stop male students and teachers getting ‘distracted’ is dangerous and creates a culture where the woman is responsible for any incidents that happen to her.
A student, Sade Tuttle said: “The rules themselves aren’t the problem; the problem is when these codes target girls specifically because their bodies are sexual and distracting.”
