A few years ago, women athletes ran no further than 3,000 metres and rarely played games such as rugby or football. Although they now take part in most sports, do girls and women get a fair deal? And why do so many girls avoid PE classes during adolescence?
Girls and sport
Which sports are usually favoured by women as (a) participants and (b) spectators? Why are women more likely to enjoy swimming, badminton and tennis, than the traditional sports they played at school, such as hockey and netball? Mixed football is allowed in primary schools, but not in secondary schools or adult leagues. Do you think this is fair? Should women play to the same rules as men, or should the rules be modified (for example, smaller pitch, lower height for net in volleyball or badminton)? In athletics, women now run marathons, take part in events such as the pole vault, not the case a few years ago, so are there any sports they should not play?
Equal opportunities
Do girls and women get equal opportunities in sport? Is it right that the prize money for women’s events, such as Wimbledon tennis, golf championships, Grand Prix athletics events, should be less than it is for the men? Do men’s clubs, such as basketball, five-a-side football, get favourable treatment in sports halls compared with women’s clubs (the women’s basketball team in an American university went to court because the men’s team was given more practice hours)?
PE in school
The heart needs three periods a week of demanding activity (vigorous movement; running rather than walking), each lasting about 20 minutes, to function at its best. Does PE prepare children for a healthy adult life (most adults are inactive, except when swimming on holiday)? Why do many adolescent girls lose interest in PE in secondary schools, and what might attract them more (different clothing, such as leotards instead of traditional gym kit; activities such as aerobics and disco dancing - girls will maintain healthily high heart rates for long periods when dancing, but are often reluctant to run during competitive games; relating PE to health, diet, beauty)?
Writing
Work with others (and your PE teacher if possible) to create a PE programme that will appeal to girls, test it out and write up the results. Do people enjoy it more, feel fitter; does it produce fewer excuses (forgotten kit, sick notes)?
Ted Wragg is professor of education at Exeter University
Talking points
Should girls take part in contact sports such as rugby in school?
For
Some traditions are wrong. If rugby is popular with many girls, if they find it exciting and enjoyable, it is discrimination to prevent them from playing. Women have proved they are tough enough to play physically demanding games. There are now professional women footballers, wrestlers and boxers, and female mountaineers have climbed Everest.
Against
Although capable of playing rugby, girls are better off playing well-established team games such as hockey and netball, as there are more opportunities to play these outside school. Contact sports such as rugby and boxing can be disfiguring, and many girls would not want to take such risks.
