Play equipment is a feminist issue

[artisanparsnips]

I've posted the message below on chat, but would really like your perspective on this as well. I'm starting to talk to people who might be interested in campaigning on this, so would love feedback.

Quick question, what outdoor play facilities are there in your local area for older children - skate park, graffiti wall, pump track? And how much are they used by girls? And is there anything else that the girls use?

I'm asking because my eyes have been totally opened by the Caroline Criado Perez book, where she points out, almost incidentally, that almost all facilities for older/teenage children are used mostly by boys. I looked at what was on offer in my town and lo, it was all the above, and a football/basketball pitch. And I watched all summer and they were all used by 80% boys at best.

So I really want to know how usual/unusual this is, and any other thoughts that you have.

And yes, I have name changed because anyone who knows me will recognise this issue straight away....

Anecdotally its really common for girls to give up sports during their teenage years. Navigating changing bodies, stupidly revealing clothing and the male gaze is tough. One has also entered the period of life where one is public property and looks, clothes, facial expressions etc are up for comment by any passing male strangers

While all of this is true I also think there is a problem with schools concentrating on sports to the exclusion of other physical activities which is off putting. I know it put me off. I have no interest at all in competitive sport as a participant. Especially not team sports.

I'd have been much less inclined to skip PE (which I did from 3rd year of high school onwards) if there had been a non sport option in every block. Things like circuit training, orienteering, aerobics and so forth always appealed to me much more.

I'm not sure the conflation of fitness and sport is very helpful.

I can speak for myself, and while I was younger, we all played together on bike and stuff. But once I got to teenage years the boys and girls very much split off. And whilst at school I was fine being the only girl in more than one class, outside of school it was more risky - yes, I sometimes hung out with the boys, but occasionally you could feel the atmosphere change (generally when certain boys were there) - it was always a little bit of a tightrope watching what I was doing and what I was wearing so I didn't invite thoughts/actions that would escalate.

TBH, it's similar as an adult - I work mainly with men, and now I'm a mid-40s mother it's fine, but as a younger, single woman I had to be very careful with the message I gave off - I've had to make a quick exit to escape more than one slightly drunk colleague who got a bit aggressively handsy.

OP - you are right that this is an issue. I think there are two pieces:

1. Why are girls who DO want to use this type of equipment, not using it (eg safety, lack of female leaders etc)

1. For girls who DO want to do different things, what are the options?

I don't have answers for the second one but also picked this up in IW and am planning to reread the book as frankly, there was just SO MUCH that I can't keep most of it in my head.

Stillathing
Would have been too intimidated when I was a kid. I loved skating but was very average
That is exactly it isn't it?
Spontaneous play practice at an early age, larking around climbing trees, climbing frames, balancing on logs and walls etc. All the potential skills and confidence, lost.

Next stage is do a sports competition in which girls have lost the crucial early stage of spontaneous play around the age of 9 or 10.

I remember it well.

why so much of nature writing is produced by what Kathleen Jamie brilliantly called 'the lone, enraptured male'
Artisan, that is so true

This chapter of CCP's book really opened my eyes. I agree it's a feminist issue. I think it needs a lot of us petitioning local councils.

This is really interesting question OP.

There's currently a BBC item called 'What would a city designed by women be like?' in my news feed. Sorry can't link it at the mo. It has a section in it about playgrounds in Barcelona designed by a group of female architects . They divided up play areas with paths and benches with equipment dotted around rather than a large empty central space surrounded by benches which they found tended to get taken over by football.

My eldest is only 8, but I've noticed the three big draws at a park for groups if young teenagers are swings, zip lines and those massive spiders webs.

How about we support girls more in sport, rather than assume the sports equipment is for boys and girls would like a play park with swings in it? Basketball is a pretty neutral sport, if you put netball hoops in which is a female sport (happy to be corrected if boys ever play it at school or have any professional teams?) would that be fair? When I was a teen plenty of us used to skateboard, although admittedly the issue with these facilities is overwhelmingly that they are used inappropriately by older teens; which affects both boys and girls. I'm not saying it isn't an issue, but what sporting facilities for girls would you like to see?

As girls have the opportunity to join football teams now.
Do pre teen girls play spontaneous games of football in parks like the boys have always done?

I’ve never thought about this before, but it’s so true. My local park has a small skate park and a basketball/football court. If I walk the dog there at lunchtime I often see the boys from the local schools playing football, the girls are mostly sitting at the benches or picnic tables. Occasionally I see them on the swings, but I’ve also seen them being told to get off the swings by the parents of preschoolers as they’re “too old” for them.

Although my local park doesn’t have one I’ve seen girls using the outdoor gyms which are popping up in parks. I have a almost 12 year old DD who hates sport because she’s not good at it, the one thing she likes is swimming, but she’s not good enough to swim competitively and there are very limited hours at my local pool for children not having lessons or in the squad. She also love mucking about in playgrounds, but she’s rapidly aging out of this. I’d love to see more climbing and scrambling stuff for older children.

I believe it is the fun, random forms of active play of primary age children that prepares them for organised sporting activities later on.

Many girls are missing this early stage.

@Curtainly Yes, I loved basketball as a teenager too, but part of the problem here is what @sillysmiles describes, running the gauntlet at narrow entrances. If courts are more open, girls use them more, so this is one simple way in which design can change and become more equal.

@Wrath, yes, twice. Here is a problem with girls trying to play football

Also, here is the whole Kathleen Jamie review. Her nature writing is brilliant, I love all of her books.

I've just posted a link to a bbc video which looks (briefly) at this issue!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-50269778/what-would-a-city-designed-by-women-be-like

Sadly, my only memories of playing sports in public places outside of PE and youth clubs was when dubious older lads in their twenties would get us to play basketball with them with undertones of grooming. Sorry I don't know what the solution is, but I agree it's an issue, a lot to do with girls needing to feel safe from dominating, violent, bullying behaviour from the lads. I look at my life now and don't go to the gym at certain times of day due to unwanted attention from the Neanderthals who dominate at particular times, and seem to think their bigger muscles equate to more rights to dominating the equipment and space, despite paying the say subscription as the women. This is the real problem, male entitlement that needs to be tackled early on in school PE sessions.

My memory from the book is that is it also about access points and not having a "gauntlet" effect that teenage girls find intimidating.

This is so very true. When boys take up a space, it becomes very scary for girls to enter it. When my DD was at primary school, the boys would sometimes take up the whole playground with a game of football, while the girls would huddle in the corners, chatting, so they could avoid being hit by a football or a charging boy.

There used to be a park ranger in our local park and relatively good loos.

Toilets could be an issue. Young boys know can pee behind a tree.

This is a really interesting set of issues.
As is the 'city designed by women' - someone's started another thread which includes link to bbc item mentioned upthread. They're obviously related subjects but worthy of separate discussion I think.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3736656-A-city-designed-by-women

@WrathofSIxFootSIxEIfKIop Totally agree about the toilets. Especially when periods become an issue.

When my DD was at primary school, the boys would sometimes take up the whole playground with a game of football, while the girls would huddle in the corners, chatting, so they could avoid being hit by a football or a charging boy.
This is an issue in every playground. (Many) Boys (and some girls) want to play football, which is absolutely fair enough ... but it does take up lots of space. This need to be considered when making play spaces - there should always be smaller areas where other activities can take place, divided up by benches, small walls, trees and bushes, play equipment, etc.

Please don't remove the skateparks, though, I love seeing kids skating, and an increasing number of girls are joining in these days. According to my teenage niece boys are generally welcoming and encouraging.

Have a look at that Barcelona video, the bit about playgrounds is exactly about maintaining a balance between football and other activities.

And no, I'm so not lobbying for removing the skate park. But our council is considering renewing it, at a cost of many tens of thousands, so my argument is that if there is money for this, there legally has to be money to make the parks more accessible and welcoming for girls.

We have ball courts,cricket pitches and skate parks. 80% boys. Its actually quite a lot of investment in keeping boys occupied isnt it. I hadnt noticed before. The ball courts are set up for 5 aside football and with basketball height/type goals and markings.
I dont have teen girls but the boys friends seem to do a lot of dance routines so id say dance space with mirrors. And perhaps some ball courts set up with markings for netball...
Id also suggest more female led skate workshops. There are a few each holiday at they are male led. The graffit worksops are let by a man and woman and they have a more mixed attendance.

@WrathofSIxFootSIxEIfKIop Hey, you know you said about bars. I've just found a space designed by girls in Sweden and look bottom left on the after photo - bars!

At all the skate parks I've ever seen, the boys do the skating and the girls hang about sitting on benches.
I don't think the girls are intimidated, or they wouldn't be there at all.
I can't think of a similar physical activity which girls do, which would require equipment (no, not netball, who plays netball in their free time?).
Quite a few parks have those outdoor gyms now, and I have seen kids of both sexes messing about on those.

Girls round here seem to spend ages coming up with dance routines, sometimes involving pretty impressive gymnastics. Facilities to support those would be good.

Football at our school is heavily controlled precicely because it has such a detrimental effect.