Guest post: “All women and girls should be able to experience the joy, fulfilment, and lifelong benefits of sport”

[JuliaMumsnet]

"When someone says the word "sport" what’s the first thing you think of?

For me, it is gazing longingly out of the window at the netball courts during French class. But our charity Women in Sport knows that for many women the opposite is true. "Sport" brings back horrible memories of school. Whether it was being forced to wear “gym knickers” or a leotard when you were on a period or never getting picked for the team because you weren’t “sporty”.

And yet the word sport means “being carried away from stress and responsibility”. It’s about having fun. I don’t know many women who would reject the idea of less responsibility and more freedom.

Now think about exercise. What do you first think about when someone says the word “exercise”? Many women we talk to wince because they think they should be doing more of it. For others, serious exercise conjures up pain and suffering. But when we actually get around to going out for a brisk walk or even a run, we feel great. Our bodies release endorphins when we exercise, which is the healthiest way to get high.

Women in Sport has been looking into the lives of teenage girls and women during the last year and finding out how lockdown has affected women’s experiences of, and views on, exercise and sport. Before the pandemic, Sport England statistics showed that the gap was closing but women were still slightly less active than men overall.

The biggest gender gap was in team sport – with 25% fewer girls than boys involved in teams and paltry opportunities for girls at school. That’s why the closure of schools affected boys’ sports the worst.

Why should we care about team sport? Because being in joint endeavour, in a team, trying to win while having fun brings lifelong benefits. If more girls had positive experiences of team sport at school, more women would enter the workplace and wider society trained to lead, to take risks, and to be resilient if they lose.

So, what did we find out about girls in lockdown? During the pandemic, the Government put exercise front and centre as one of the few ways we were able to leave our homes. This opportunity has released some girls into new worlds. We talked to teenage girls going for walks outside with friends for the first time, and 82% of girls said they would put more effort into being active when life returned to normal. Teenage girls we spoke to recognised the value of exercise for their physical and mental health, some for the very first time. They may not know that research shows a positive impact of outdoor sport on body image, but they are feeling it.

Then we spoke to the women. We know that women have borne the brunt of pandemic redundancies and that home-schooling has exposed ongoing stereotypes and gender inequalities in the home. The women we spoke to were time deprived. 32% of women said they could not prioritise exercise during lockdown as they had too much to do for others. But on the positive side, the crisis has led people to reappraise. People have been resetting their priorities and there is more motivation to exercise than there used to be. 85% of women in our research said they would either put more effort into being fit and active or would keep up being active after lockdown.

Our recent new research into women around the menopause showed that this too can prompt reappraisal. So, the double whammy of an unprecedented pandemic and an unprecedented change in hormones seems to be triggering a bit of a revolution amongst midlife women.

One of the most fascinating insights we gleaned even before the pandemic was how much teenage girls cherished time alone with their mum or mother figures in their lives. They saw such relationships as ‘safe spaces’ without fear of judgement. Lockdown has exaggerated this feeling and girls have appreciated time being active outside, in nature, in a safe context without toxic commentary from peers.

Last year we launched our #TimeTogether campaign based on our understanding that midlife women and teenage girls both face unique physical challenges and pressures, and that they want to support one another. Women and girls also know they ought to be more active, but many find it hard to act on that. So, we’re inspiring women and girls to team up, to get active and have fun together outside. As we go back to some normality post lockdown, this special relationship may well help overcome shared concerns about loss of fitness or being in large groups.

The pandemic has led to a growing intolerance of inequality, whether racial, economic, or gender inequality. At Women in Sport, we’ve been intolerant of this for a long time. We know that less wealthy women from certain diverse backgrounds are the least active of all. How wrong is this, that society is denying these girls and women joy and health?

The pandemic exposed underlying inequalities in society across the board, and elite sport was no exception. In August 2020 a BBC survey of elite British sportswomen showed 86% earnt less than £30k from sport, and 60% less than £10k and one in five believed they may have to give up their sport due to the crisis to focus on having a normal job. At the same time women’s sport all but disappeared from our screens. The women’s football Euros were pushed back to 2022 to make way for the men’s Euros to be played in 2021. The Women’s Six Nations was never completed, the 2020 Netball Super League, Football Women’s Super League and Championship were all cancelled. In contrast, the top three tiers of men’s football continued their 2019-20 season; the men’s Premiership Rugby 2019-20 season restarted in August, the men’s Six Nations was completed.

So it is hardly surprising that half as many girls as boys dreamt about reaching the top of sport (30% cf 60%) in a survey we ran with Sports Direct in March 2021. We should not be denying our girls the chance to dream.

We want to redefine the relationship that many girls and women have with sport and exercise. This should be about fun, and we have a right to fun at every time in our lives. Yes, we could be drawing joy from sport, even as teenagers when everywhere you look people are commenting on your appearance; and even in mid-life when that pressure cooker of responsibility means our own needs come last. We want the legacy of the pandemic to be a break down in negative gender stereotypes and the emergence of a new normal in which all women and girls can experience the joy, fulfilment, and lifelong benefits of sport."

EDIT: Stephanie will be coming back onto the thread at 11am on Thursday 17th June to answer your questions.

Hello

We know this can be an emotive topic (always loathed PE with a passion myself tbh) and we appreciate all the thoughtful responses but can we ask that you remember our rules for guests and address them as though they were a guest in your own home please - we ask people to write these Guest Posts for us and we're really grateful to them for taking the time to do it.

We usually specify in the OP that the guest will be coming back on to answer users' questions - we were in a rush to get this one up so we haven't yet nailed down a time at which Steph will be doing that but we hope to sort that out soon as there's obviously a lot to discuss!

Thanks
MNHQ

Can't see anything rude here, MN (don't know what was in the deleted posts). Just people pointing out the obvious barriers that your guest poster does not know about, as she was good at the running and throwing sports and would not have experienced team game bullying. And presumably didn't get bullied by her PE teacher either due to being good at those sports. Food for thought and atittude change. I hope

I career changed into teaching in my late 30s and while I found some aspects of school sport for girls had improved (choice of activities, role models), the annual Sports Day remained compulsory. When I occasionally get told off by colleagues for being less than enthusiastic about this event, I sometimes innocently suggest that we could all have an off timetable day where we paint or learn a choral work. "BUT...but some people can't sing!" Well precisely. Everyone can learn...right?

Exercise is good but sport doesn't deserve its pedestal in my opinion.

Phineyj exactly.
I was outstandingly good at certain academic subjects. Imagine if I’d bragged about my prowess and mocked and taunted those that weren’t. Used my skills to reduce others to tears and make them feel failures. Or if it was common for the teachers of said subjects to do so without question.
Why is PE and sports allowed this level of spiteful competitiveness when it wouldn’t be tolerated in other disciplines?
Life is hard enough for females, if you want more to participate in sports, the culture needs to completely change.
PE in schools should be about fitness and lifestyles, not pack behaviour and othering.
I hope the OP bothers to come back and interact. Or perhaps they’ll just dismiss the negative opinions as losers and bounce on their way.

@RowanMumsnet - why on earth was my post deleted? Where was the personal attack? I looked at other "guest posts" and saw that "guests" don't usually respond, so I was suggesting that someone tweets Stephanie to come and engage. What's wrong with that given that Stephanie is so keen on encouraging us to engage in sports?

Is it because I said "bloody sports" and you thought I meant "blood sports"?

People often forget that for many girls (and some boys too) they would much rather be dancing than playing sport.

It's equally strenuous and is just as good for fitness and wellbeing, yet it is so often either forgotten or dismissed entirely as not really worthy of attention.

Exercise is good but sport doesn't deserve its pedestal in my opinion

This.

Why not have a special Languages day or DT day or whatever. Why is sports day so special.

Dancing, yoga, tai chi, cycling, running, juggling...and a dozen other sports that could be lifelong.

Ok I won’t quote the (utterly inoffensive post)

Is was inoffensive, wasn't it?

Exercise and activity is great and should be promoted, but a lot of people just don’t like sports. Maybe they’re not competitive or they don’t want to be physically injured. I quit karate the first time someone hit me in the face. I quit swimming because it made my skin dry. I quit tennis because I got hit with a ball and it made an unsightly bruise. I don’t like sport and personally I find that the emphasis on sport (especially in schools) puts people off, when actually there are lots of other ways that people can exercise which don’t involve team sports or carry the risk of injury. For example dancing, yoga, weights, gardening. Instead of promoting sports (which many people hate) the emphasis should be on promoting non-sport exercise (which everyone can enjoy).

Luckywookie absolutely.

Sport was such a huge huge turn off. It maybe about printing a healthy lifestyle, but so are lots of other things.

Like why is netball more important than say mindfulness or healthy eating.

Promoting🙄

I think there are more barriers to team sport participation when women have children. The vast majority of childcare and housework falls to women, so many simply don't have the time or worry they'd be letting people down if they can't make a session. Many men (as evidenced on MN!) think nothing of playing a sport several times a week, and/or spending half their weekend cycling or golfing, leaving their spouse or partner to look after the children. Women tend not to do that, as they value family time more and many men refuse to look after their children whilst their other half goes to matches etc.

I think investing in family sports might help - stuff like dodgeball, safe cycle spaces etc.

I do see the appeal of women's team sports though, I enjoy competition.

I don't deny people who are fans of teams sports but at school it all backwards - team sports first, everything else as an add on. I learnt nothing about basic anatomy, how to avoid injury, form, progressive overload and pacing at school - martial arts and YouTube is my PE.

Why aren't children taught the building blocks of movement first and then team games? And make them elective - I had zero motivation to improve when classroom hierarchy is writ large in a PE lesson and people fight to not have me in the team. Also DT lessons and science lessons were more of a workout than any game of rounders - I might actually have to get up and walk around in those lessons rather than spend 90% of the time sat down making daisy chains.

Thing is, even for those who like team games, you need a team and at least enough people to make a team happen - there are more barriers to this for women than men. Perhaps re-think some team game rules for more inclusive smaller groups?

I know this is about women and girls but I asked my DS12 about what he had actually been taught in PE re. form and movement etc and he gave a hollow laugh and said 'rugby tacking'.

I'm his effective PE teacher.

🏆 for the longest post ever! I do agree though. Title was enough to start a discussion.

I’m quite physically active, enjoyed PE at school and got a great deal of pleasure out of two separate sports I took up as an adult. But I had/have friends who couldn’t stand PE at school and had/have absolutely no desire to get involved in organised sport and I completely understand them. (If someone suggested I took up crochet or ballroom dancing I wouldn’t be the slightest bit interested.)
Two points: I believe that periods and associated problems are a huge factor in putting girls off. You’re not going to perform well with horrendous cramps and heavy bleeding (stopped me continuing with athletics, I was a very good high jumper). Additionally, the trans thing. What girl or woman is going to want to compete with a male bodied person, with all their physical advantages? Until this is sorted out, women and girls will be put off.

Stephanie I note that you were formally at the Wildlife Trusts, so I am sure you recognise the benefits of being outdoors in nature as well as physical activity. On that basis would you consider lending your support to increased equestrian access in the countryside?

Horse sport is the only elite sport where men and women compete on equal terms. It is also dominated by women and girls in this country.

It is a sport that is accessible to both able bodied and disabled people as well as young and old. It is multi-generational, and easy to participate alongside small children. Many families have three generations of women enjoying the sport together, hacking in the countryside side by side. Even at the highest levels mother and daughter can compete alongside one another due to the age inclusive nature of the sport (check out Mary King, a British Olympian, still competing aged 60, but frequently competing at the same events as her daughter).

For many middle-aged and older women horses keep them active. For some horse riding enables them to get into the country in a way they could not manage on foot. Many women report feeling safer exercising alone on horseback than on a bike or on foot.

Horse riding is a sport that engages women and interests women and that women are already participating in. That should be supported but increasing urban sprawl threatens the accessibility of horse riding. Roads are becoming more dangerous, and off road access is being limited. Women are giving up the only sport they have ever willingly participated in because of a lack of safe off road trails.

The government are funding more cycle paths but these often exclude horse riders. Large landowners like the National Trust, the Forestry Comission, Water Companies, and Councils are increasingly either stopping equestrian access altogether, are putting in place heavy restrictions or implimenting expensive and restrictive permit schemes.

Please consider assisting with the campaign to save our bridleways and increase equestrian access as this will facilitate many women to remain fit and active.

@lottiegarbanzo

What I get from your article, is that the girls and women you surveyed about lockdown, said they valued exercise and fitness, citing walking as an example of an activity they'd enjoyed. They saw exercise as a social activity; with their friends, their mothers or daughters. Girls were less badly affected by lockdown than boys, because they're not so rigidly invested in team sports but take a more informal, flexible, adaptable approach to exercise.

You say that girls should do more team sport, to equip them for the workplace, then highlight the stark inequalities between male and female top-level team sports.

I would like to suggest that, rather than women trying to become more like men, in order to fit into workplaces, employment and career structures that are still designed primarily to suit men; those workplaces and the professional bodies that define career structures, could learn a thing or two from the more informal, social, flexible and adaptable approach to fitness and exercise, modelled during lockdown by women and girls.

Who was more resilient, in terms of maintaining their fitness? More enterprising, in seizing the opportunities offered by lockdown, to develop new ways to be fit and healthy? More inventive, in squeezing something of value into less promising pockets of time? Women and girls.

Surely it is the world of work that needs to learn and benefit from the skills, enterprise and resilience of women?

One important point made by the book Invisible Women was that we need to listen to what women want and how they live their lives rather than assuming they are like men. This goes for sport as well as work/transport/infrastructure. One key point the author made was around facilities not suiting the way women want to exercise and this scheme seems likely to fall into the same traps.

I would encourage Stephanie to read the book, and then read it again.

If more girls had positive experiences of team sport at school, more women would enter the workplace and wider society trained to lead, to take risks, and to be resilient if they lose
Honestly though, sport isn’t necessary to learn these skills. I play team board games and have developed all of these skills and more, without the risk of getting whacked in the face. I think any team activity can develop these skills.

Gemma correl the cartoonist recently also made the same "mistake" as you by putting "women and girls" (who menstruate"), she was swiftly corrected to delete "women and girls" and replace those triggering and insensitive terms with "people" and "everyone". I would imagine you will also at some point be pressurised, at risk of losing your whole livelihood, to also erase the insensitive terms of "women and girls".

(I don't agree, by the way, with that insane bullying drive to erase those "transphobic" terms that "aren't inclusive", "women" and "girls").

Sometimesfraught82. Fine. I think you've misunderstood. Allowing children to feel comfortable while participating in sport is what I meant. That could mean allowing say jogging bottoms in the school colour (unbranded) and an (unbranded) plain T-Shirt for example.
What put me off was being forced to wear regulation gym knickers when I was always (despite my best efforts) one of the bigger kids. It was demeaning and humiliating, and I would not wish that on any child. It most definitely did not foster a love of sport. Quite the opposite.

@LuckyWookie

If more girls had positive experiences of team sport at school, more women would enter the workplace and wider society trained to lead, to take risks, and to be resilient if they lose Honestly though, sport isn’t necessary to learn these skills. I play team board games and have developed all of these skills and more, without the risk of getting whacked in the face. I think any team activity can develop these skills.

As I'm so crap at team sport, I'm very good at losing, thanks.

And you only have to look on Mumsnet to see women's resilience I doubt it all came from team sport.

Well I guess it's better that girls have positive experiences of team sports, than negative ones. (Or they could gain positive experiences by doing something else).

Personally, my best team exercise experiences have been doing individual activities, in groups, in adulthood. People of both sexes, with different skills and abilities, co-operating, in sometimes difficult circumstances, to do amazing things.

Like others, my experience of team sports at schools was actually of individual valorisation and cherry-picking of the naturally capable or privately tutored, rather than any serious attempt at developing teams or teamwork.

It's certainly a preparation for a certain elite type of workplace, of the 'be the cream of the cream or F off' variety. Doesn't tell you what to do with yourself after you've F'ed off though.