To wonder why communal parks are so biased towards boys

[arethereanyleftatall]

Looking around our parks, it occurred to me all the normal type equipment paid for by the council is geared towards a certain type of play.
You tend to see a slide/swing type area (great for everyone) plus football goals, skate parks, and basketball hoops.
Of course either sex could play on the last 3, and do, but in general, these 3 types of equipment are occupied by boys.
Or, let's take sex out of it - these 3 types of equipment are played with by energetic/sporty/rough and tumble type children.
Where's the community stuff for the children who prefer more gentle/imaginative role play/dance games.
Where's the netball courts, the fairy houses?
I'm actually not even sure what you would build to make it more even, but at our local park yesterday.... 8 approximately 10 year old boys playing football; about 10 teenage boys on the skate park;basketball hoop unused; swing area equal girls/boys.

Yes, I know organised matches pay. My apologies if the thread has evolved again! I missed it. I thought we were still talking about males using the free spaces in parks for a kick about, whereas women/girls don't get a look in. Sorry.

What are the play areas like in girls’ schools?

@worriedatthemoment there are plenty where you can just rock up and play. You don't need nets to play, just the posts is good, better than a pile of jumpers.

What I'm saying is that these pitches, that are available to 'all' are dominated by males. If you are female and playing on these pitches when a group of males wants to play you will likely be hounded off. I have experienced this personally over a number of years.

This is a completely different scenario to an organised team renting pitches. Off course if you rent something it's yours for the duration.

But the point is it's hard for females to turn up and casually play on a pitch that is usually provided by the council and supposedly there for everyone's wellbeing

Good question @Ozgirl75
I only know of a few single sex schools. Secondaries. The girls grammar has brilliant sports facilities - on a par with the boys. But our private school in town - separated for secondary - they share the same sports facilities but the girls have zero grass space for break/lunch time - the boys have a field.

@NotBeforeCoffee it will be hard for some boys as well though as often people using these think they have right
Last year my ds and mates got kicked off by a grouo of men , theres two goals so no reason why couldn't of played each end
These men took over for weeks until we went and spoke to them as young boys weren't going to do much eitheR
My ds hangs out in a mixed group and we have lots of mixed groups here so maybe our area is a bit ahead of times so don't see this much as in a boys v girls way , just more of a selfish group against another

@Ozgirl75 boys and girls private school in next town to me , both have excellent facilities incl swimming pools etc
No all girls / boys state nearby
Local mixed state offer more sports for girls than boys presently
Lots of mixed private not too far and all have amazing sports facilities

State schools have less space as some sold off land for housing , sport in states schools here isn't that great

We must just live in a particularly inclusive and friendly area then, which is nice to know. Last two weekends I watched my son play football on the park pitch with the small goals, using the medium sized goals next to them were two teams of girls, who appeared to have no problem holding their own, and in the big goals across the field was a team of teens, mostly boys but including at least two girls that I spotted. I see this many weekends too.

Any groups that want to play may have to wait a bit but there is a mix of boys and girls of all ages.

I haven't seen a lack of girls in any of the parks near me.

Again, the overall argument is flawed. Parks are places in part for exercise and group play, and there's plenty of scope for both physical and imaginative play I meet up in one with my book group and several of us go on walks where we mostly stroll around and chat.

The problem is much, much wider than the parks themselves, the parks are a microcosm of the society around them. Tinkering around the edges by redesigning parks isn't the answer; there are much deeper social difficulties that need to be tackled first.

@Mayorhum21 likewise I'd love to know how many girls they've actually spoken to ong with the socio economic demographic split! Teenage girls in 2021 want stages to make up dance routines?!? OK yeah 8 yo maybe, but teenagers

We speak to lots of teenage girls, and so do other people. All our ideas have come from suggestions made to us, or from work done by other people in Europe. We've shown them to teenage girls and they are positive about all of them.

We're campaigning for the girls who go to the park on their own, which in some areas are from ten upwards. So some of them do want dance stages.

Most of all though, these are meant to be just ideas. When councils ask us what to do we say, don't look at us, we're middle aged. Go and ask the teenage girls. So if they don't want a dance stage, they will tell them.

Finally, the designs are not pink. They are purple and green which are the suffragette colours...

I think a lot more girls would get into skate boarding if they didn’t feel intimated using the local facilities. The local authorities need to be more pro active and organise girls skate boarding sessions etc.

But then they will be bullied into accepting boys and self identifying girls as they will be called out for being sexist and not fully inclusive.

It’s really not about providing equipment and sessions it’s about needing a whole change about how we view women, girls, physical activity etc.

For example park run is really friendly and inclusive. How many parents take their teenagers to it?

@Feelingoktoday Design of skate spaces is also really important - breaking them up so that girls, and other learners, don't feel intimidated when they are beginning. Not putting skate parks in a dark corner helps too.

Unfortunately the evidence is that simply doing girls only sessions is great while they last but rarely has a long term effect. Girls choose to use indoor skate parks, because they are staffed all the time.

Also, we are conflating sport and play here. Parents have a role in encouraging activity in teenagers (I laugh hollowly as the parent of a teenage girl here). But they want to go to parks in part because, for teenagers, it's the only autonomous space they have, to do what they want to do, not what their parents tell them to. Hanging out in a group is an important part of growing up (and they have a right to play under the UN Rights of the Child) and where else do they do it?

@arethereanyleftatall

Looking around our parks, it occurred to me all the normal type equipment paid for by the council is geared towards a certain type of play. You tend to see a slide/swing type area (great for everyone) plus football goals, skate parks, and basketball hoops. Of course either sex could play on the last 3, and do, but in general, these 3 types of equipment are occupied by boys. Or, let's take sex out of it - these 3 types of equipment are played with by energetic/sporty/rough and tumble type children. Where's the community stuff for the children who prefer more gentle/imaginative role play/dance games. Where's the netball courts, the fairy houses? I'm actually not even sure what you would build to make it more even, but at our local park yesterday.... 8 approximately 10 year old boys playing football; about 10 teenage boys on the skate park;basketball hoop unused; swing area equal girls/boys.

Parks are designed for children to use energy and play in ways they can't inside. They are designed to develop gross motor skills and tears of research and theory actually sits behind them. All children need to develop these skills and both of my girls enjoyed using play equipment. However there should be more within parks that encourage children to be mindful and connect with nature. Sadly the resources and budgets are so small that standardised equipment is used.

Planners tend to be male so put in things they would have wanted when young. Each Council should be asking local communities what they want in their parks and community spaces. It means you as parents need to soeak up when ask.
I know our Community Council asked for feedback before it bought new play equipmentfor a local park and only 2 people responded. So the same old, sane old was bought and installed.

This is such a bizarre post OP. All the things you mentioned are completely for girls as much as they are boys @Clymene I have 2 girls. Youngest chilled and girly. Eldest feral, loud and needs lots of outdoor time.

It's pretty regressive to assume that playground equipment is geared towards boys because it's active and rough and tumble. I've been in parks that have huts and equipment for playing make-believe and they the areas of parks that are utterly devoid of children, who come to the park to be active.

Oh dear Op, really clutching at straws.
I can see why looking at the poisoned, bitter, unhealthy attitudes on here why we have one of the worst young male suicide rates in the world, sadly no one seems too bothered about that in here.

we have one of the worst young male suicide rates in the world

Really, that seems unlikely, do you have a source for this?

Also, the rest of you post is a wildly hyperbolic - even if the above statement stands.

Surely the equipment etc isn’t the problem, the problem is girls being discouraged from being active. Some parents put their girls in unsuitable clothes, lots of girls won’t want to go on a climbing frame, play football etc if they’re wearing a skirt/dress as it means being exposed, they’re often bought unsuitable shoes for outdoor active play. They hear negative comments, adults frequently stating to be careful around girls, so girls either feel weak, or some worry that basic playing may actually hurt them. Boys hear that they can’t play with girls, girls are weak, they can’t do x y or z.

It doesn’t matter what equipment you put in parks, while a significant number of adults continue to discourage girls from being active nothing will change.

I think you'd have got a very different response from a lot of posters if you'd posted about wanting parks to be managed better so that they're safer / more available for girls, and less available for antisocial behaviour, rather than going down the rabbit hole of "what girls want" and suggesting fairy doors and netball pitches. Booking systems, better lighting, security, teaching men to bloody behave themselves - you're definitely not unreasonable to think that these would be good things in many parks. God knows where you'd get the money to fund it all, but...

@Mirw the vast majority of town and parish clerks who make decisions on play are equipment are female. Planners have little to nothing do with the installation of play equipment.

I am one such clerk, who looks after 30 play areas and 40ac of public space.

In my real world experience, all of these seating ideas are expensive, taking away from play equipment with play and development value and will make no difference. They’ll just encourage ASB providing people with a place to gather. The country park with a big seating bank I manage is constantly surrounded by broken glass. Also, what is stopping all the boys also sitting on the seating.

The focus should be on empowering girls to feel that they can speak up, not taking away already limited funding from equipment that provides exercise and developmental functions. I think the whole thing is regressive.

Surely the whole park space is a place for imaginative play? Children don’t need ‘designated imaginative areas’ when the whole place can be turned into one by using their imagination. To me, playground spaces aren’t gendered; they tend to take on a one size fits all policy which often has shortcomings through. There need to be more opportunities for play and perhaps that’s something that can be addressed more in communities (and indeed at governmental level).

@elbea So what equipment does your local council provide for teenagers?

I work for a council. When installing new play equipment we always consult the community. We visit schools, we have teenagers on the design panel, we have show and tell days.

Ultimately we need a cultural change where girls are respected and not harassed or sexually abused or mocked for playing sport.