The Research Bit

Research indicates that boys do more exercise than girls. 

According to the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey 2018-2019 for children 5-15:

• Only 18% of girls met the 60 minutes of activity each day requirement

• The decline was most marked for girls aged 11-15

• Girls are more likely to be in the lower activity group (32% of girls vs 24% of boys)

• There was a higher increase since the last survey of girls being sedentary in week days, 23% of girls vs 18% of boys

According to our MindRun4Girls Surveys

• 27% of Girls aged 9-12 didn’t do any running at all (either at school or at home)

• 70% of Girls preferred running games to running track or field

• The biggest barriers to girls running were “I find it boring”, “I find it tiring”

• 65% of girls preferred to run with other girls

In addition, Girls’ anxiety issues can start as early as 9. Mental health issues in Children receive limited funding, suffer from long waiting lists, difficult to access help, yet, Young Minds (the UK’s leading charity for children and young people’s mental health) believes 3 children in every classroom have a mental health disorder, and  90% of school leaders have reported an increase in the last 5 years in the number of students experiencing anxiety, stress, low mood or depression.

The Hearts and Minds Bit

Girls at the age of pre Secondary/early Secondary start becoming more body conscious, concerned with self image. Sport in schools can be traditionally boys-orientated, overly competitive and focus solely on the physical rather than the positive mental well-being benefits. Some girls will call it “boring” or “embarrassing”

According to the Youth Sport Trust, the biggest drop off occurs in transition between primary and secondary with disruption to friendship groups and declining body confidence impacting girls participation in PE and Sport