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....

I can confirm that "one goal park" is fucking useless for dd. ds and ex place football. the installation of a few swings would keep her busy. They tend to play at a park on the outskirts of the city as there is football space and climbing space next to each other, instead of being able to walk to one goal park in the inner city.

That coombe abbey one is outside the city if I remember on a visit with relatives, needs driving to and charges for parking, thus restricting use by those on limited income.

I think It is interesting once children are off to the nearby park away from parental supervision. Usually from 7 or 8 years old maybe, ie junior age group. They might take their bikes, they might walk, then what?

If the climbing frames and swings are suitable for their age group they will generally have fun.
Do they take a ball with them like the boys do?
I think the play equipment is lacking in this particular age group of girls.

The size of climbing frames, swings and slides have been reduced for the safety of toddlers, rightly so, but...

I would think novel ideas for gymnastic style equipment would appeal to this age group, boys as well. Girls love to balance and swing.

But in terms of funding, our local council doesn't fund much of that kind of thing at all (is only a town council). And they provide no facilities in the parks which are used by older girls more than boys. So I would argue that they are not being equal.

Not all public facilities, even of a given type, need to be used equally by all types of people. There is even room for funding things for groups that are seen as needing extra services of some kind.

It would be worth looking at getting some figures on who is using what, and not just at one level of government. If girls are over-represented in school programs, as an example, it doesn't necessarily indicate a problem if boys are more represented in other places, or vie versa, even if it is separate funding streams.

Teen boys in a lot of places are considered a high risk group, compared to teen girls, and it can be more difficult to find activities for boys as well. Where I live there are a fair number of girl only activities but few for boys, and certain mixed ones are often dominated by girls because of developmental differences in early childhood. And there are some activities like dance that typically attract more girls.

I'd be very hesitant to be levelling charges of inequality and sexism without a good sense of the overall numbers, so that is the kind of information I'd be looking for, maybe with a view to identifying any groups that are being missed out in terms of services across all levels of government. I daresay if they aren't collecting stats for sex they aren't looking at a lot of things.

There's no sexism in trying to establish why girls self select themselves away from the fun activities they secretly enjoy.

Obviously boys grow bigger and they enjoy their newfound strength and greater speed, rightly so.

We also need to make sure the girls don't lose confidence in their physical ability too.

@Goosefoot No one is collecting this data for parks, at least as far as I can tell - and I've been talking to some of the big lobby groups in this area.

I would also argue that the decline in activity levels in teenage girls is something that would require, at very least, equality in funding. Gothenburg did a study which showed that a) they were mainly funding sport for boys, and if they redirected some of the money to girls sport, not even half, it would pay for itself in terms of less osteoporosis in later life. That's in the Caroline Criado Perez book.

Also, it's not like that round here. No mainly girls sport activity, at least not that receives funding. And I think, in terms of what you describe, a lot of the girls activities are funded by parents. Perhaps that's because they can't go to the park...

What happens in the playgrounds at all girls schools? Do the girls play football or other active activities or do they mostly hang about and chat?

There were no single sex schools where I grew up so I've no idea.

Well they can go to the park and the reasons why they may not do have been comprehensively addressed in this thread.

If boys are utilising the basketball courts then that is surely a positive in terms of antisocial behaviour and tackling the obesity crisis in the future. I took both my children to courts to learn to ride their bikes and there are any number of uses for tarmac areas in suitable locations.

Aside from that I agree osteoporosis is a big concern. I am a big fan of girls sports but also high impact exercise classes (e.g. combat/attack) aimed at girls that teach skills that (importantly) can be maintained after leaving school. If I was a LA I would be funding these in schools. Aerobics has died a bit of a death but I've done aerobics/step classes with women in their 60s who are incredibly fit still and the high impact is great for their bones.

One other concern for girls sports/exercise is the lack of awareness of women's injuries. I worked with a physio who donated her time to lecture women's netball teams on core strengthening, she said there were a very high number of ACL injuries in the sport linked to insufficient core strength and weak hamstrings. Men's sport teams are addressing these needs but women's sport needs to catch up.

Rambling now but more girls doing PE at GCSE would also be a positive step.

There’s nothing where we live so at least everyone’s treated equally .

If boys are utilising the basketball courts then that is surely a positive in terms of antisocial behaviour and tackling the obesity crisis in the future.

Yes, but if you can redesign an area so that both sexes use it, then why not do that?

Oh shit.

This perspective had never actually occurred to me before, and I've just realised it is an issue in my ward.

In my defence though, I've been very vocal over the last two years about ensuring small grants are awarded to an equal ratio of female and male activities (and that has been a battle in itself). I got pissed off that so much money was supporting mostly male football, cricket and bowling clubs.

And yes, outside of toddler and small child facilities (which we do well on), our teen provision is ... a skate park, a football field and a basketball ring. And yes, teen boys tend to use the skate park while the teen girls hang out watching them on the benches. And we have a problem with drug taking and drinking. However, during the day, quite a lot of smaller children of both sexes use the skate park with scooters and tricycles.

But still ... it's shit. And it is even more shit that I didn't realise it.

I can definitely use the PSED to back up my arguments. That would put the shit up the rest of them.

I do wonder whether part of the problem is that girls are largely socialised to take up physical activities that are indoors. When I think about the girls that I know, it's all about dancing, swimming, gymnastics or martial arts, whereas with the boys, it is all football, rugby, bikes, skateboards and cricket.

There's also a dogs issue with some of our local parks. Some residents seem to be under the impression the park is primarily for exercising their dogs off lead, which does cause an issue with young children using the fields and teen girls. Teen boys don't seem to be so bothered about it.

Lots to think about here.

Yes, but if you can redesign an area so that both sexes use it, then why not do that?

Girls can play basketball - you don't need a penis to do it believe it or not.

Far more junior age participation going on in basketball for both sexes than ten years' ago and participation from less wealthy backgrounds is higher in basketball than other sports. Basketball England is focusing on recruiting more women's coaches to the sport and 1 in 4 regular players are now female.

The proportion of male to female usage of a outdoor basketball court may look at lot different in ten years' time than it does now

At the single sex school I work at, the girls happily occupy the entire space - and yes, they do sit and chat a lot whilst eating packed lunches - but they also have free access to indoor spaces throughout the year, not just in rain or cold and, what's more, they have the choice of ten before school sports clubs and ten after school sports clubs a week, so I think they deserve a bit of a rest when they're quite likely doing up to 2 hours extra sport a day - including things like Rugby, Lacrosse, Trampolining, Gymnastics, Netball, Gym, Badminton, etc - as well as their timetabled PE.

@Packingsoapandwater. Our council has the same issue with grants too, so well done on that. Re the dancing, there is a park in Malmo which has dance areas and bars to swing from and at, and space for music - all designed by girls. DM me and I will send you the collection of case studies I have.

@Ilovetolurk I do realise that it's not about having a penis. But most basketball courts are designed - like ours here - with one or two small entrance ways. The boys hang around there and deter the girls. Design a more open, free flowing space, with a basketball court and other spaces, and the girls will use it much more. This is the kind of intervention I mean; changes to design means that girls are much more likely to use the facilities.

It's a very good point - these facilities tend to be very male dominated with girls very much taking on a spectator role if they're present at all. I was a teenage girl when the skateboarding craze took off in earnest in the UK (late 90s) and I was extremely intimidated about having a go and getting laughed at by boys i was trying to impress. It was very male orientated and i doubt it's changed much in twenty years.

most basketball courts are designed - like ours here - with one or two small entrance ways. The boys hang around there and deter the girls. Design a more open, free flowing space

Well that is a bit of a subjective comment based on what you have seen, but not necessarily representative of basketball courts in general.

You could make entrances larger however a basketball court needs to be an enclosed space for safety reasons. Getting hit unawares by a basketball can cause concussion, plus it's a pain in the arse to keep retrieving a basketball out of play.

It's not about "needing a penis" @ilovetolurk it's about creating a culture in which girls feel welcome and valued too.

@Ilovetolurk. This isn't my subjective opinion, it's recommendations from a range of play areas which have designed to be more inclusive.

The Cowley play area you mention in the report has photos which show entrances no different to any other basketball court and fencing.

The skate parks around here are all ramps and jumps. Maybe there needs to be more space for just skating (like on roller skates rather than just skateboards) so the kids who don't want to do the 'daredevil' stuff can use the skate park - something like a meandering track around the ramps.

another observation - I rarely see teen girls riding bikes, DD was happily riding hers until around 11 when she suddenly stopped. She would still come on family bike rides, but never cycle down the road to see a friend, for example.

When I was a teen we all used to ride bikes, what has happened?

When I was a teen we all used to ride bikes, what has happened?

I have gone back to cycling and this is a subject I have 'opinions' on. I feel that we have forgotten cycling is, primarily, a mode of transport, not a sport. For the longest time I was put off because all the cyclists I saw around me were on racers, clad in lycra, legs pumping, sweat pouring.

I spend a fair amount of time in Holland and was always struck by the difference there. People in ordinary clothes on 'sit up and beg' style bikes just going from A to B. I thought for several years about buying such a bike, but live half way up a steep hill so it didn't seem workable, then electric bikes came along. Very expensive so I hummed and hurred for a bit longer before finally trying one out and deciding to invest. Haven't looked back.

My council is now investing in shared bike schemes for some of the poorer estates and we have a cycling hub locally that offer repairs, and courses to help nervous riders get back into it. Long way to go but there are definitely more going from A to B types around lately.

This is maybe a bit off topic, but related. I just thought I'd say that as a girl who had an unpleasant father, I enjoyed having male sports coaches and leaders for games. They allowed me to see a kind of father figure that could interact with kids in a fair and appropriate way whilst also being fun, which was honestly a revelation to me. Just saying that coaches need not be the same sex as the group they are teaching for them to be beneficial if they're doing their job well.

@ArnoldWhatshisknickers Have you seen Bike Nation? It's all about how ordinary cycling from A to B is really important, and how to make it happen. What your council is doing sounds great.

I have not artisanparsnips, looks interesting (and Christmas coming too).

The council are starting to put thought into cycling but we still need better infrastructure in terms of separate from major roads cycle lanes. As it happens that could be done relatively easily as the two major routes around both have wide pavements with not very many pedestrians that could be restructured into pavement, cycle lane, road Dutch style routes that cater to all. It would cost but we do at least have the space to play with which a lot of towns don't.

Girls in our area skateboarding on sloping paths near the council-provided skate park because the boys dominate and occupy it and refuse to let the girls share the space. 😡