Gender and physical activity

This focus area looks at ways to address the imbalance between boys' and girls' levels of participation in physical activity. While much of the following information is targeted at encouraging girls to be physically active, we also need to take into account the need to encourage some groups of boys to be active and examine why some students (girls and boys) do not participate in physical activity.

When we refer to "girls" and "boys" as particular groups, we need to be mindful that not all girls and all boys are the same. Research has found that there are many more differences amongst boys as a group, and amongst girls as a group, than between the group, "girls", and the group, "boys".

While it is acknowledged that some boys need extra support and encouragement in pursuing physical activity and sport, this focus area targets the social factors which may affect girls as a group. Research suggests that girls as a group are not as active as boys as a group, and many girls tend to drop out of physical activity during adolescence. However, by examining physical activity from the perspective of gender construction, this section provides strategies for how the needs of both girls and boys can be addressed.

Before we start

This section explores some of the background information and research behind gender construction and physical activity participation. Issues explored include:

Why focus on girls?
What are girls saying?
What do girls and boys think about physical activity?

Factors influencing participation

This section explores some of the factors that research has shown influence the level of physical activity participation of boys and girls.

What schools can do?

This section looks at some practical ideas for increasing physical activity participation at your school. Ideas for use in the classroom are provided for teachers.

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