‘Gender play gap’ stops girls getting into sport, say MPS

A “GENDER play gap” is making it harder for girls to get into sport, MPS have warned.

Boys get a head start on physical activity before they take their first steps, leading to a “real gap in fundamental skills” by the time children reach primary school, according to a report from the Women and Equalities Committee.

The MPS heard that the “gender disparities” start from six months, when baby boys experience a surge in testosterone, making them both faster and stronger. By contrast, girls “move a lot less”, partly because they are constrained by unhelpful stereotypes of what constitutes “suitable” play.

Boys also tend to engage in more “rough and tumble” and “playing around”, meaning they get to know their physicality better.

As a result of these social and biological differences, the report said that many girls are “lost” to sport before they even start school.

In evidence to the committee, Baz Moffat, a women’s health coach and former Team GB rower, described an observable “gender play gap” among children at the age of five.

Asked about higher dropout rates among girls post-puberty, she said: “It is multifactorial, obviously.”

Caroline Nokes, the committee’s Tory chair, said the gap was down to “outdated stereotypes” that mean “we still have expectations of little girls sitting down and playing nicely”.

“That attitude perpetuates all through school, puberty, mid life – and we know for good bone health women and girls need to be participating in exercise and sport,” she added.

The report also found that “failings” in education are having “obvious consequences” for girls’ confidence, leading them to withdraw from activity.

The Government has approached for comment.