Factors Influencing Girls’ Participation in Sports

Compared to 60% of boys, just 30% of girls aspire to be at the top of the sports they take part in. Part of this gap is due to lower participation among girls. By age 14, girls are 1.5 times more likely than boys to stop participating in sports, and by age 17, more than half of girls stop playing sports altogether. The question "Why does this matter?" Should we spend so much time and energy trying to get girls back into sports if they don't want to? The answer is "yes"! Girls can benefit from participating in sports for the rest of their lives. Some benefits include better overall health and fitness, enhanced life skills (such as cooperation, initiative, and perseverance), higher self-esteem, better academic achievement, lower risk of obesity-related illnesses (such as heart disease and diabetes), and improved emotional and mental well-being and resiliency.

As per the recent surveys, self-regard is one of the main factors influencing a girl's decision to stop participating in sports. This lack of confidence may result from problems with their body image, a sense of not being accepted by others, or the belief that their athletic abilities are insufficient. Girls may give up sports in order to blend in with their friends, escape social stigmas, or pursue alternate endeavors like the arts, music, or education.

In addition, girls’ sports lack sufficient financing, facilities and qualified coaches. Sports participation may become less pleasurable as a result of this. The low participation of females in sports can also be attributed to travel constraints, safety issues, and lack of necessary amenities. The question is, how can we address these problems?

Although a lot of these problems have to be tackled from a point of authority, we should not underestimate the power of influence. A child’s activities indeed become their habits if they are approved by the surroundings, and since they spend a significant amount of their time at home, it matters what their parents approve of and practice themselves. “Help girls learn about the different ways they can stay active. Girls can incorporate physical activity into their daily activities in a variety of ways. By firstly trying various different sports to find the one they enjoy, joining a group exercise class, or going on family bike rides, you may include fitness into your family’s daily routine too. Give them advice on how to integrate physical exercise into their schedule, such as getting up early to go for a walk before class or work or dividing daily activity into three 20-minute sessions rather than one hour-long session. Encourage girls to understand that strength and sweat are not only attributes of men and that athletics and femininity can exist together. “Run like a girl”, “This a boy’s game”, sexist comments like these should never enter the conversation, teachers and coaches should promote neutrality and address these stereotypes to build confidence in girls,” says Anoop Singh Bishnoi, Chairman of The JDS School, Village Mehrajpur, Distt Fazilka, Punjab.

Promoting girls’ participation in sports is more than just a trend. It’s a wise, effective step we can take as individuals and as a society to enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of women. An inclusion of transgenders in sports should also be discussed openly as they are likely to face even more obstacles.