This additional expense is just not possible for many families. Fewer opportunities within schools mean families must pay to play in private programs while also footing the bill for expensive coaches, equipment and out-of-pocket travel requirements. Why they drop out:Ĭost. School sports budgets are being slashed every day, all across the country. More than three-quarters of working women feel that sports participation helps enhance their self-image. In short, sports just aren’t “fun” any more. Equipment, and even uniforms aren’t funded for many girls’ programs at the same levels as boys so their ability to grow and enjoy the sport is diminished. The availability of quality, trained coaches may be lacking in their community or these coaches may be more focused on the boys’ programs that have more money for training. The facilities are not as good as the boys’ venues and the playing times may not be optimal. Why they drop out:ĭecreased quality of experience. As girls grow up, the quality level of their sports experience may decline. Sports are an asset to American families, fostering communication and trust between parents and children. During socially fragile adolescence, the fear of being tagged “gay” is strong enough to push many girls out of the game. Girls in sports may experience bullying, social isolation, negative performance evaluations, or the loss of their starting position. Social stigma. Despite recent progress, discrimination based on the real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of female athletes persists. Girls active in sports during adolescence and young adulthood are 20% less likely to get breast cancer later in life. And if there isn’t a safe option like carpooling with other families, the only option for a girl and her family may be to stay home. Safety and transportation issues. Sports require a place to participate – and for many girls, especially in dense urban environments, that means traveling to facilities through unsafe neighborhoods or lacking any means to get to a good facility miles away. Through sports, girls learn important life skills such as teamwork, leadership and confidence. Often there is an additional lack of access to adequate playing facilities near their homes that makes it more difficult for girls to engage in sports. Lack of physical education in schools and limited opportunities to play sports in both high school and college mean girls have to look elsewhere for sports –which may not exist or may cost more money. Lack of access. Girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys have. Read on to learn more about how these factors influence girls’ sport experiences and why they need to stay in the game. 1Through more than 25 years of research, the Women’s Sports Foundation has identified key factors which contribute to this alarming statistic. By age 14, many girls are dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys.
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