Influences on Female Participation in Sport and Physical Education

Evidence suggests that there is a crisis in female participation in sport and physical activity. The Department of Health distinguish that only 19% of females take part in physical activity for the recommended weekly amounts. As this paper will show, this lack of participation is due to a range of factors from government, parents, friends, media and the females themselves. The study was conducted in a secondary school in Plymouth with years 10 and 11 females. 30 females were questioned with the use of questionnaires and then further follow up interviews were conducted with students, teachers and parents. The results revealed that despite the literature, many females were not influenced by their friends with regards to participation. The media, time and parents were highlighted as an important factor to increasing participation with the government and current strategies being outlined as a problem for some schools to incorporate. These issues created a basis as to why female participation rates appear to drop in years 10 and 11.