A report by the Youth Sport Trust charity has found being watched by other people, low confidence and periods are factors preventing around a third of girls in England enjoying sport.
The Youth Sport Trust found out over the last three years girls who are on their period are less likely to take part in PE while at school.
A total of 37% of girls said being on their period stopped them from getting active in school last year (2019-20). This number had reportedly increased by 10% from 2018-19.
A PE teacher from Sandwell Niamh Deasy said: “The main reason for me as to why girls feel reluctant to take part in PE at school is the fear of being judged by males.
“At my school we conducted a study that looked at the participation and attitudes of girls in mix gendered PE sessions compared to single gender PE. The attitude from the girls was a lot more positive in the single gendered sessions more so than the mixed. This was due to the fear and insecurities the girls had about being judged.
“On the one hand it did have it’s positives for certain girls as the more ‘sporty’ ones enjoyed the mixed gender sessions as they could compete/play alongside males. But for the girls of lower ability they felt in the single gendered sessions they could be themselves and improve.”
The Youth Sport Trust has started a campaign called ‘Girls Active’ in order to give girls a greater say about PE in schools.
They created this programme after conducting an investigation over the last two years around girls’ participation in PE and sport in schools.
The results from the investigation found:
- 37% said their periods stopped them from getting active in school.
- 33% said they were not confident to get active and involved with PE at school.
- 33% said being watched by other people during a session put them off participating.
The campaign is all about empowering girls in schools to help one another out, also too support PE teachers in removing any barriers surrounding girls’ sports.
Niamh added: “I feel this new programme will help girls feel more confident to take part in PE. This is because not only does it aim to empower females, but it supports the barriers teachers face too, which can be challenging on a daily basis.
“Therefore, it can support individuals to be more aware of the issue and normalise female changes just like a similar campaign to this one, ‘This Girl Can’.
“However, I do think their is a deeper issue than periods here. I work in an establishment where the children come in already dressed for PE that day so we don’t get so many period issues but what we do have is low self confidence levels.
“Periods isn’t such a huge barrier to overcome as at our school and many other schools across the country do this, we offer free products in our toilets and changing facilities to support the girls more. So the real issue that I see is self-image and insecurities.”
The ‘Girls Active’ campaign also aims to tackle the negative attitudes young girls have about their body image and overall improve their attitudes towards PE and sport.
She concluded: “I think many more charities should get involved and support this campaign. As this issue is evidently heightened during adolescence.
“I think all it comes down to is ‘Normalisation’, girls can look any way that they wish, they can play any sport, they can sweat and exercise.
“If it becomes normalised I feel it will ultimately provide females with more positive PE experiences, therefore resulting in a higher likelihood of females taking part in a sport outside of school and developing an active lifestyle.”
The charity aims to do this by working with many different schools and teachers across the country over the next couple of months in order to make physical activity and sport more relevant in girls’ lives.
Sporty AF 