At the start of the spring, Women In Sport published their ‘Tackling the Opportunity Gap for Girls in Sport’ report. The findings include:
- Only 16% of the opportunities to be active that the report identified were for Girls Only.
- The majority of opportunities were Mixed Sex – but these opportunities have lower participation among Girls.
They go on to say: Mixed sport might sound equal, but when it’s not proactively designed and managed with girls’ needs in mind, it doesn’t always guarantee equal participation – or a positive experience for girls.
[Girls Only sport] provides a physically and emotionally safe space for girls to feel the joy and freedom of sport. Being with other girls who share their lived experience can be empowering and give girls a strong sense of belonging that can keep them engaged in sport.
The research finds that 53% of parents agree that mixed sport sessions are usually tailored to boys’ needs and interests.
One outcome is that 24% fewer girls than boys play team sport in England