More needs to be done to get both women and girls into sport, claims a new report from Women in Sport.
Changing the Game for Girls: In Action, a two-year project aimed at improving PE for girls in school, found that only seven per cent of girls meet the government recommendations for exercise. The report also found that, in England, a third of girls aged between 12 and 15 are classified as obese.
There are nearly 2 million less women partaking in weekly exercise than men and the research suggested that despite previous thinking, girls were losing interest and being put off from sporting activities at a much younger age – around eight years old. The reasoning behind this varied from being put off through previous experiences; feeling like their bodies were on show; and not liking the sports they had to do in PE.
Ruth Holdaway, Chief Executive of Women in Sport said, “At Women in Sport, we believe that getting girls active at an early age, ensuring they have a positive, empowering relationship with sport, is the key to them continuing to play sport and stay healthy through their adult lives.”
“Our report demonstrates the potential of sport and physical activity to impact on girls’ wellbeing, leadership and achievement across all aspects of their lives. There is an urgent need to articulate these messages strongly to senior leaders, teachers and girls themselves to raise the profile of PE and sport for girls in school.”
“This, we believe, is an effective and long-term way to tackle the entrenched gender gap in sports participation – and a key method to truly transform sport for the benefit of every woman and girl in the UK.”
Women in Sport are now recommending that schools and organisations do more to improve female participation. These suggestions include ‘making active attractive’; improving extra-curricular opportunities; use female role models to inspire; a create fitness ambassadors.
To download the full report, click here
