Shorts, Skirts or Leggings? How kit choice could help keep girls in school sport

The useful part

Yet the findings suggest this is not simply a question of teenage girls losing interest in physical activity. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of girls said they wanted to be more active at school but faced barriers to doing so. Among 14 and 15-year-olds, 46% said a lack of confidence stopped them being more active, while 52% identified periods as a barrier.

How it works

• For girls navigating puberty, periods and body confidence, what they wear can have a significant impact on how comfortable they feel taking part.
• Research led by Great Britain hockey player Tess Howard has brought the issue into sharper focus.
• The GDST 's wider research into girls' futures has previously explored how girls' relationship with sport changes as they grow older, including the role confidence can play.
• "Has the kit been considered through the lens of puberty?" Does it work for changing bodies, different body shapes and periods?
• "Does the kit work across different activities and conditions?" What works for hockey in January may not work for athletics in June.

What to take from it

What girls wear for PE may also be an important, and comparatively easy to address part of the problem. Tess' study of more than 400 women found that 70% had seen girls drop out of sport because of sports kit and related body-image concerns. If a girl begins to associate PE with embarrassment or discomfort, schools risk losing more than her participation in a lesson or club.

Example or evidence

• The research helped prompt a change in England Hockey's domestic playing-kit regulations, giving players greater freedom to choose between shorts, skirts and skorts rather than requiring every member of a...
• And 58% of girls said they wanted more PE kit options, compared with 29% of boys.
• For schools, that raises an important question: are we designing PE kits for tradition and uniformity, or for the girls who have to exercise in it?
• Across the GDST, sport provision has increasingly focused on ensuring girls can participate with confidence, including offering a range of sportswear designed around girls' needs and experiences.

Details worth keeping

By the age of 15, that figure has fallen to just 56%. PE kits can seem like a minor part of school sport. It demonstrates a deceptively simple principle: choice matters.

Related coverage

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• Blackenterprise: The findings draw on surveys of more than 9,500 people across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom
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