Girls’ enjoyment of physical education in school has declined over the past six years, with a lack of confidence, concern about periods and anxiety about their appearance holding them back, according to research.
Less than two-thirds of girls and young women (64%) who took part in a survey this year by the UK charity the Youth Sport Trust (YST), said they enjoyed PE, down from 74% when the poll began in 2016.
Enthusiasm decreased as girls got older and was lowest among secondary school girls, where just 59% said they enjoyed PE, resulting in a growing gender “enjoyment gap”, with boys’ enthusiasm remaining high at 86%.
The Olympic pole vault bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw, who has experienced the barriers described by young women in the survey, said she was not surprised by the results and called on teachers and others working with girls and young women in sport to listen to their concerns and allow for flexible solutions.
Bradshaw, who has worked with YST’s girls active programme, said: “It’s not surprising but it is disappointing to see that so many girls still lack confidence to really enjoy PE and physical activity at school.
“I can really empathise with their worries about being watched and judged by others. I too have struggled with body confidence issues whilst competing for Team GB, particularly after facing online abuse in relation to my body shape.”
Bradshaw has campaigned for more choice around kit for girls, “so that they can wear something which feels most comfortable to them, allowing them to focus on the activity, and not what their body looks like. The priority has to be supporting more girls to be active in a way that works for them.”
