Last year the charity Women In Sport, on behalf of Sport England, painted a bleak picture of the exercise habits of the UK’s teenagers as the country left the pandemic behind. Via a survey of over 4000 teenagers, they found more than one million teenage girls (43%) who once were active in sport had disengaged with it after primary school, compared with only 24% of boys of the same age.
The report underscores the impact of intricate barriers and deep-seated negative attitudes on overall enjoyment, with issues related to self-belief, capability, and body image posing significant challenges.
A substantial number of girls in this demographic were reluctant to participate, giving reasons such as the fear of judgment from others (68%), a lack of confidence (61%), academic pressures (47%), and feelings of insecurity outdoors (43%).
The urgency to involve girls in more active lifestyles has never been more pressing. Huge numbers of teenagers are grappling with troubling mental health issues, reporting diminished happiness, increased anxiety, and growing dissatisfaction with their appearance – with many of these challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.
An underlying narrative persists—one that undermines the competitiveness of girls, downplays the importance of sports for them, suggests they may never excel as much as boys, and implies that sports may conflict with femininity. When coupled with the harassment and unwarranted attention that teenage girls often face during exercise, participation becomes more of a burden than a source of freedom and joy.
This year, a further study in the journal Sport, Education & Society, found 70 percent reported incidents of girls dropping sport at school due to ‘clothing and related body image concerns’, in research led by England Hockey star Tess Howard, whose goal is to tackle the issue of gendered uniform across all sport.
While fencing does not have an issue with gendered sporting uniforms, it does not mean that the fencing community should not be aware of all the above issues and consider their implications. British Fencing has been involved in specific projects like Muslim Girls Fence, which aims to use the sport to confront preconceptions and narratives associated with their gender, racial, religious, and other identities.
The charity Women In Sport is urging the sports, leisure, and education sectors to intensify their efforts in preventing teenage girls from gradually losing interest in sports, especially during the transition from primary to secondary school and throughout puberty. There is a call to reshape activity offerings to align with the evolving needs of girls, ensuring they feel deserving of participation regardless of their skill level. ⚔️
Resources are available at: This Girl Can Women In Sport