Latest news with #SportParticipationinVictoriaSurvey
Sydney Morning Herald
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Gender play gap: Girls lag far behind in sport participation
It's been called 'the gender play gap': girls' participation in sport drops off in their mid to late teens, coinciding with part-time jobs, a burgeoning social life and sport becoming more serious than social. But Girls Sport Victoria, a coalition of 23 private girls' schools, has set itself the challenge of not only stopping the gender play gap but extending female participation beyond the school gates. The most recent data from the Sport Participation in Victoria Survey, released last month, found that 21.8 per cent of 15-19-year-old girls participated in community sport, compared with 41.4 per cent of boys. The gender discrepancy was evident among five to nine-year-olds as well, with just 47.5 per cent of girls playing sport compared with 68.6 per cent of boys. And while almost half (47.5 per cent) of girls aged five to nine participated in community sport in 2023, just 21.8 per cent of 15-19-year-old girls remained involved in sport. 'That's always where we have seen a big drop-off in sport,' said Federation University professor of sport science Professor Rochelle Eime. 'A lot of girls don't necessarily like the competitive nature of sport, and sport can get very serious around 15 to 19, but the majority of girls at that age just want to play with their friendship groups.' Loading Genazzano FCJ College principal Loretta Wholley, who became president of Girls Sport Victoria this week, will focus her efforts on keeping those aged 15 to 18 involved in sport, as well as creating pathways for students into sports at an elite level by working with organisations such as the Australian Women's Golf Network.
The Age
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Gender play gap: Girls lag far behind in sport participation
It's been called 'the gender play gap': girls' participation in sport drops off in their mid to late teens, coinciding with part-time jobs, a burgeoning social life and sport becoming more serious than social. But Girls Sport Victoria, a coalition of 23 private girls' schools, has set itself the challenge of not only stopping the gender play gap but extending female participation beyond the school gates. The most recent data from the Sport Participation in Victoria Survey, released last month, found that 21.8 per cent of 15-19-year-old girls participated in community sport, compared with 41.4 per cent of boys. The gender discrepancy was evident among five to nine-year-olds as well, with just 47.5 per cent of girls playing sport compared with 68.6 per cent of boys. And while almost half (47.5 per cent) of girls aged five to nine participated in community sport in 2023, just 21.8 per cent of 15-19-year-old girls remained involved in sport. 'That's always where we have seen a big drop-off in sport,' said Federation University professor of sport science Professor Rochelle Eime. 'A lot of girls don't necessarily like the competitive nature of sport, and sport can get very serious around 15 to 19, but the majority of girls at that age just want to play with their friendship groups.' Loading Genazzano FCJ College principal Loretta Wholley, who became president of Girls Sport Victoria this week, will focus her efforts on keeping those aged 15 to 18 involved in sport, as well as creating pathways for students into sports at an elite level by working with organisations such as the Australian Women's Golf Network.
