Is this supposed 'sports equality' actually sexist?

[manicinsomniac]

The school I work at (and have daughters at so interested more as a parent than a teacher really) has had a big push on girls' cricket in the last couple of years. Now they're starting the development of girls' rugby. This is supposed to be a way of improving/equalising girls' opportunities in sport.

But there is no corresponding attempt to increase (or begin!) the participation of the boys in rounders or netball. And the initiatives mean that the girls spend less time on netball and rounders so the value, and skill level, of those sports is going down.

I think I feel that it's actually sexist and implies that the traditional boys' sports have more intrinsic value than the traditional girls' sports. Equality would be either getting all the children to play all the sports or keeping to the status quo but ensuring the girls get the same quality of resources, staff and training.

I don't even know why I care so much but it just doesn't sit right with me that cricket and rugby are being held up as these superior sports that everyone should be 'allowed' to play. What's wrong with netball and rounders? AIBU?

(everyone plays hockey and football btw, they aren't left out altogether.)

I agree with you entirely. They should all play all sports.

They should all play all sports, no reason why boys can't play rounders or netball.

Well, they should all be given the option for all sports, I do think that would be true equal opportunities. Can't see many boys wanting to play rounders but netball might be popular, although personally I loathed both.

I agree.

I've recently played in a mixed netball team - not anything formal, but a work networking social league with a few other firms in the city.

TBf the men who have joined in (there's a rule that each team must contain at least three males) have all expressed surprise as to how physically challenging it is - although they do seem to be enjoying it thoroughly.

Equality shouldn't be about 'letting' girls or woman join in. It should be about all sports being open to either sex.

I don't see why boys wouldn't want to play rounders?

Both genders did all sports in my school. Boys even had to do gymnastics and dancing. Girls did hockey and football separately from the boys but basketball was played together, as was tennis and swimming. No one did rugby or netball, at the time. Might do netball now.

Oh forgot, we all did rounders occasionally too as a treat. And athletics towards summer, we all did all areas of that. I was shite at long jump but great at high jump.

Glad it's not just me.

Maybe I should start boys' netball ( sadly that really would put them off - I teach performing arts and have the sporting ability of a baby sloth)

Don't know why I care so much but it really wound me up today.

I would assume this is to address the fact that girls drop out of sports/exercise at a much faster rate than boys. In which case I don't think equality of access is the goal.

Wow, that sounds amazing Santaclarita Ours all do swimming and athletics and gymnastics but I have almost 100% failed to get any boys into my dance classes (they're extracurricular, not part of games dept). When I do get one to sign up they see that none of the other boys are coming and soon give up. So sad.

I don't know for sure Democracy but I don't think so - daily games is compulsory at our school and 80% of the children adore it/take it very seriously.

This wound my DS up when he was in primary. The girls could do all sports, including cricket, but boys couldn't. So no netball, rounders or cricket for the lads. Weird. Doesn't really help the equality stakes, IMO. So, YANBU!

Netball should be dropped for all if anyone is aiming for equality in sports, at least until the sports governing body start to do at least something to get men interested. At the current time they argue that it would ruin the sport for women and are quite frankly purposely blocking any attempts for males to be involved in their sport (while receiving significantly more funding from sport england than the more popular basketball which is expected to provide opportunities for both men and women on literally a quarter of the money (obviously nothing at all to do with multiple senior sport england officials being former professional netball players.....)).

Ds 9 has just signed up for the netball team/club.

He is very excited about it

That's such a shame user - netball is a great game for schools.

I hope your son enjoys it, twinkletoe !

But in general, in society, that is the case. So I applaud them trying to address female health issues in a way that they can.

Back when I was at school in the early 70s we all had a shot at each other' sports. It was right laugh. Boys were shit at hockey.

Precisely this issue has surfaced at DS’s school and I feel exactly as you do. It reinforces the patriarchal hierarchy in which girls are expected to aspire to male behaviours whereas for boys to adopt female ones is somehow degrading (see girls wearing trousers vs boys wearing skirts).

Democracy - but they aren't addressing a female health issue? Our girls and boys all do an hour of sport every day. But the 'boys'' sports are now being taught to the girls to the detriment of the sports the girls already had. The 'girls'' sports are not being played by the boys.

Arguably, it's doing the reverse of addressing a health issue because you move around more in rounders than you do in cricket!