This is an archive copy of a document originally located at http://www.sportrec.qld.gov.au/zone_files/Organisational_development/why_dont_girls_play_sport.doc
For further information on this document please contact Sport and Recreation Queensland

Why Don't Girls Play Sport?

According to the 1999-2000 Australian Bureau of Statistics report on participation in Sport and Physical Activity, the overall rate of participation in organised and non-organised activities for women (72%) is almost the same as that of men (74%). There is a large difference however, between men (34.9%) and women (26.7%) in organised "sporting" activities (1).

The involvement of boys and girls in sport during the early primary school years is almost identical. Then, why do girls start dropping out of sport before they even hit high school, and why does their involvement decrease at a far more rapid rate than that of their male counterparts through their teens and beyond?

Here are just some of the many factors thought to influence their decision.

Sport plays an important role in the way we define ourselves as Australians. In our society, sport is considered to play an important role in the process of turning boys into men, and is hence a significant form of male socialisation. Sporting prowess gives boys status among both their male and female peers. If they do not play sport, or do so poorly, their masculinity may be called into question by their peers, and by society in general. On the other hand, a female's sexuality may be questioned if she does play sport, particularly if she is good at it, or if she doesn't conform to the stereotype expected of her.

This is especially the case if she has chosen to play a so-called "male" sport. Girls receive the message from an early age that boys play sport, and girls watch them. This message is reinforced daily in many different ways. For example, it is frequently argued that girls should not play football and other traditionally male sports because they might get hurt. Many schools and clubs allow girls to play these sports up to the age of 12 or 13, and then tell them it’s no longer safe for them to play.

The football field is one of the few places where girls can take part in the rough and tumble full contact play that boys are encouraged to take part in from early childhood and which girls have been discouraged from all their lives. In a 1997 survey of secondary school students in Western Australia (2), a majority of girls indicated that they wanted to play football. Convincing clubs and parents to allow them to do so may prove more difficult.

This raises a number of interesting issues: why is it that society understands and tolerates the broken noses and limbs for boys and men as a result of sporting activities, but not girls and women?

Frequently girls hit puberty and are told with explicitly or by the actions and reactions of the community that for the sake of their own safety, they can no longer play football, or for that matter any "sporting" activity, but should do something for which they are better suited, something more "feminine". What sort of message does this send?

Fortunately, some girls are rebelling against this message. Girls want to play sport for the same reason boys do: because to be good at it offers them social status, acclaim, respect and admiration.

The lack of media coverage for women's sport in this country limits Australians’ opportunities to find out more about women's sporting prowess and achievements and denies many young women and men sporting role models. The lack of coverage also decreases female athletes’ opportunities to attract sponsorship, which in many cases helps to further an athlete’s career.

In 1992 and 1996, the Australian Sports Commission conducted studies measuring the amount of media coverage given to women's sport in an average fortnight (a follow up study is planned in 2001). The 1996 study, "An Illusory Image" (3) showed that women receive on average 10.7% of newspaper sporting coverage, 2% of television sporting coverage and only 1.4% of radio sporting coverage.

This is despite the proud tradition and success of our international teams: at Olympic Games between 1948 and 1996, female Australian athletes won 40% of all gold medals despite having competed in only 25% of the total number of events and comprising only 24% of the total Australian participants. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics Australian women again won a comparatively greater number of gold medals in the events available to them (6.23%) than did the men (5.92%).

The main reason given for the poor coverage of women's sport is that it is not "marketable" enough to rate community appeal. Media executives argue that the lack of coverage is due to the lack of public interest and demand - the "we give the public what they want" argument.

However, during the Olympics the coverage of women's events at the Olympics rates as or more highly than the men's. Research by Womensport Australia analysed the quality and quantity of coverage of women’s sport during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics across seven daily newspapers (4). An average of 41% of newspaper space was devoted to covering women’s performances during these Games. However, one year later the same newspapers’ coverage had fallen to just 10.1%

Why can the performances of female athletes be considered so interesting during the Olympics and not at other times? The success of Australia’s elite sporting women and teams in international competitions in sports such as hockey, netball and cricket remains consistently high yet almost no in-depth coverage is available.

There is no reason to assume Australian viewers would not watch, read about or listen to more women’s sport if it were offered. However, women's sport is not screened sufficiently to gauge a true indication of popularity, which also relies heavily on broadcast timing. Women's sport receives little coverage in prime time, nor is it afforded the same publicity and long-term commitment as sports such as cricket, football and men's basketball.

As a consequence, many sports have resorted to dressing their female athletes in figure-hugging body suits to attract coverage, but this raises many recurring issues about the links between sport and gender, as discussed above. Why is men's sport judged on performance and women's sport on how attractive/feminine the women look?

It can not be said women do not like or want to be active – statistical evidence from the ABS indicates that women (45%) are more likely to be active in non-organised activities than men (40%) (1). They are however, 9% less likely (26% versus 35%) to be involved in organised activities.

What is the reason for such a large difference? The answer may be that many sports are unattractive to girls as they emphasise competition, whereas girls are often more interested in playing sport to have fun and make friends (5).

A 1992 ACT study (6) examining the reasons why teenagers played sport highlights the differences between boys and girls:

Studies have consistently found that the self-esteem of female athletes is higher than that of their non-athletic peers (7). Girls will tend to underrate their performance and are less likely to view themselves as talented as their male peers. While males tend to attribute success to their ability and failure to bad luck, women tend to attribute their success in physical activity to external factors such as luck or poor opposition (8).

A lack of confidence in their own abilities to perform physical tasks may then lead girls to avoid situations which could expose their lack of competence. When this reluctance begins at an early age, girls can fail to master basic motor skills such as running, jumping, catching and throwing, which will in turn result in their avoidance of any games or sports which might involve such activities, and so the vicious circle continues.

A further complicating factor is the well-documented fact that in western cultures, females are more concerned than males about eating, body weight and appearance (9). For many women, dissatisfaction with body shape, size and appearance peaks during their adolescence, when dieting can become an obsession.

For example, in a 1997 New South Wales study of 1,200 male and female 18-22 year old students, it was found that 40% of underweight women wanted to be thinner, as did 71% of those in the normal weight range. In contrast, only 30% of the males wanted a change - they wanted to be bigger, including 10% of the overweight men wanting more bulk. When the students were asked to select a drawing showing the ideal male and female size, women from all cultural backgrounds chose slim male and female figures verging on the underweight (10).

It is during this time when their perception of how they look is possibly at it lowest point that teenage girls are often required to wear school or club sports uniforms that make them feel particularly self-conscious. Many schools and some sports still require women to wear short skirts to play, and school swimming days can be a nightmare for girls who lack confidence, especially in coeducational settings. Other influences on body image and self-esteem include parents, friends, peers, women's magazines, fashion trends, models and celebrities, and the diet industry (9).

Ironically, while many girls shy away from sport because they are self-conscious about how they look and/or believe they lack skills or physical competence, women who are physically active report a higher degree of body satisfaction than their non-active counterparts. This high degree of self-acceptance comes from the knowledge that their bodies are strong and competent, combined with the satisfaction they feel from overcoming challenges. Together, this can produce pride in their body as well as a sense of harmony and wellbeing (11).

Unfortunately a very small number of women and girls see a combination of strict diet and excessive exercise as the route to their "ideal" selves. This can result in an obsessive attitude to exercise which, combined with an eating disorder, can lead to injury and even death in some cases.

Girls whose parents regularly exercise are much more likely to continue their involvement in sport than those whose parents are inactive. This is particularly the case for those girls whose mothers exercise. However, while many girls receive encouragement to play sport from their parents, some are treated differently from their brothers. Examples include: fathers instructing sons but not doing so for daughters, parents taking their sons’ sport more seriously by being more interested in their results, parents making an effort to watch sons compete but not daughters, parents making fun of a daughter’s skill level or sporting prowess in comparison with her brother’s. Needless to say these actions, whether overt or subtle, can be very discouraging.

Some mothers may also be poor role models when accepting body size and appearance. A mother’s attitude to food can have a significant effect on her daughter, and can be damaging when she spends most of her life obsessing about her (and her daughters’) kilojoule intake or the latest diet craze. This attitude can be more damaging than helpful however: some girls report that an apparently flippant comment by a parent in their teens can stay with them for years.

The lack of confidence many teenage girls already feel in their skill level, appearance and physical competence can be compounded by the way their peers treat them, particularly in settings such as a school or club. Many teenage girls endure taunts and insults about their bodies, the main culprits being schoolmates (9). During adolescence, a time when young women are particularly sensitive to comments about their bodies, such remarks can be especially potent.

Putdowns are not confined to appearance but can include comments on a girl's competence as well. One of the girls interviewed as part of a recent West Australian study offered the following insight into the sort of attitudes they encounter every day:

"When you miss a goal or whatever they say ‘useless female’ or whatever. Then when they [males] miss a goal ‘Oh, it was my leg or my groin injury’ or something" (2).

Insensitive comments from teachers can have the same effect.

Boys dominate space in school playgrounds and sporting arenas and frequently tell girls they can't play "because it's boys only". They also monopolise sporting equipment unless special measures are put in place to ensure it does not occur. Many schools are countering this culture by designating times at which only girls can use equipment and space, and often report an increase in participation by female students as a result.

The lack of promotion of female athletes further reinforces the concept that sport is a male domain. In the 1997 West Australian study (2), more teenage girls when asked to nominate their favourite sports person nomintated a sportsman (52%) than a sports woman(32%). The remaining 12% did not nominate a sports idol.

Of the 32% who nominated a female athlete, half named Cathy Freeman, indicating that when women do receive a high level of media exposure, they can become role models for young women.

Unfortunately, when female athletes are successful, unless they conform to the media's perception of "femininity", they can find it difficult to gain the exposure they require to secure sponsorships. Many successful female athletes have been virtually ignored by the media because of their "unmarketability" or supposedly unacceptable heavy builds (eg Lindsay Davenport), while less successful athletes who conform to the stereotype, are feted as superstars (eg Anna Kournikova).

Female role models in the form of coaches are also under represented in Queensland. The Australian Coaching Council registers accredited coaches across three levels of expertise, with level one coaches having a basic understanding of coaching principles and practices and level three coaches coaching elite athletes. In Queensland, women represent 34% of level one coaches, but only 18% of level two coaches and 11% of level three coaches. Of concern is the 11% comparative fall in the number of female to male level one coaches over the four year period from 45% in 1997 to 34% in 2001.

Fortunately, the picture is better in our schools, where women constitute 43% of primary school physical education teachers (although only 80% of them are full-time, compared with 97% of males), and 51% of secondary physical education teachers. These women are providing girls with positive images of women playing sport on a daily basis.

With so many negative messages being sent to our young women, is it any wonder so many of them are dropping out of sport? So why try to convince women to play sport anyway?

Quite simply, and as demonstrated by the vast amount of research in this area, participating in sport and recreation is one of the best things women and girls can do to improve the quality of their lives. The most important reason for participating in sport and recreation is that it is fundamentally "fun". Doing something that is consistently "fun" clearly makes life a more enjoyable experience.

There are a host of other demonstrated benefits of being involved in sport and recreation (12,13). Compared to non-active girls and women, women who participate have:

• a more positive body image;
• greater self-confidence;
• more social contacts;
• a greater acceptance of aging;
• better concentration, memory, learning and creativity;
• improved psychological wellbeing; and
• improved physical health (lower blood pressure and cholesterol, lower risk of diabetes and breast cancer).

Research also rejects lingering concerns that playing sport can make women more masculine, with studies showing women and girls who keep active and play sport feel just as feminine as those who don’t (13).

It is hardly surprising therefore that so many women and girls want to play sport. They like the fact that it makes them feel fit, confident and competent; they consider it to be an important, enjoyable part of life; and they see it as a new way to make friends. Unfortunately, the many barriers identified above make participation in sport much more difficult for girls and women.

Overcoming these barriers will benefit not only the girls and women who become physically active but also the clubs and organisations that they join (12). The benefits to organisations that attract more female athletes, coaches and managers include:

• a greater membership and participant base;
• a larger talent pool of volunteers (including coaches, officials, referees); and
• increased diversity and a more enjoyable environment with a greater number and variety of members.

It is clear, therefore, that getting more girls and women involved in sport and recreation is important not just for their health and wellbeing, but also Australia’s society as a whole.

The State Government is working with the support of sport and recreation organisations to achieve these outcomes for all of Queensland.

1. "Participation in Sport and Physical Activities, 1999-2000" and "Population Survey Monitor 1999-2000), Australian Bureau of Statistics; Cat. No. 4177.0
2. "Teenage Girls Perceptions of Participation in Sport: Girls want to play sport ... but why don't they?". Sue Malaxos and Nikki Wedgwood, Womensport West, 1997.
3. "An Illusory Image: A Report on the Media Coverage and Portrayal of Women’s Sport in Australia", Australian Sports Commission, 1996.
4. "Inching Forward", Womensport Australia, 1998.
5. "Sport Participation: Differences in Motivation and Actual Participation Due to Gender Typing", Nathalie Koivula, Journal of Sport Behaviour, 1999 (22), 360-380.
6. "A Mapping of Participation Rates in Junior Sport in the ACT", Clough and Traill, 1992.
7. "Girls, Physical Education and Self-Esteem: A Review of Research, Resources and Strategies", Report to the Commonwealth Schools Commission, 1986.
8. "Active Info: A Resource for Schools about Girls, Physical Activity and Sport", Australian Sports Commission, 1993.
9. "Drop a Dress Size by the Weekend - yeah sure!: A qualitative study of young women and the social and cultural influences on body image", Body Image and Better Health Program, Deakin University, 1997.
10. "Size does count, but for all the wrong reasons", Melissa Sweet; Sydney Morning Herald, 12 May 1997.
11. "Body Satisfaction and Competence: Hand and Glove?"; Jackie Kiewa, Social Alternatives Vol 15 No. 2, April 1996.
12. "Active Women – National Policy of Women and Girls in Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity, 1999-2002". Australian Sports Commission, 1999.
13. "Psychological characteristics of the average female runner", K., Porter. Physician and Sportsmedicine, 13(5), 171-175.

This is an archive copy of a document originally located at http://www.sportrec.qld.gov.au/zone_files/Organisational_development/why_dont_girls_play_sport.doc
All copyright remains with Sport and Recreation Queensland

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