Girls and women being active
According to Sport England, more men do sport and physical activity than women at almost every age group. Thankfully, research shows that the gap between numbers of men and women who are physically active is decreasing, but there are inequalities that need addressing by society, as a whole.
There are (unfortunately) many reasons why staying active can be difficult for women, and we’re taking a closer look at some of them below:
1) Socio-economic background
With the cost-of-living crisis and the rising costs of travelling, membership prices and even simply parking somewhere to access the outdoors, for example, it’s no surprise that there’s a 13% gap in activity levels between those who are living in the least deprived places to those living in the most deprived places. With the current UK gender pay gap at an average of 7% (meaning women earn 7% less per hour than men), it’s pretty clear that women, especially those with a lower socio-economic background are going to be less active than their male counterparts.
We’ll explore this in more detail further on, but we also know that those with disabilities are often disproportionately affected by socio-economic barriers, so women living with a disability and in areas of high economic deprivation are even less likely to be active.
2) Health and Wellbeing
Menstrual cycles: Nuffield Health claim that more than 84% of teenage girls say their interest in sport and fitness diminished after starting their first period and 6 out of 10 feel this way due to fear of embarrassing situations in being ‘caught off guard’. As an activity centre with a large number of school residential trips visiting us, we implement a ‘Red Box Scheme’, just like the one rolled out in many schools. This involves us providing emergency sanitary products for girls to use, should they need them during their stay. This encourages participation in our activities and ensures no one misses out.
Pre/post-natal health: during and after pregnancy, the changes that may take place in a woman’s body as part of this process can be limiting if an activity provider doesn’t take these into account. Sometimes, the effects of pre or post-natal health issues can be long-lasting and, due to stigma surrounding this topic, significantly overlooked.
Menopause: according to Women in Sport, around a third of women drop off from physical activity during menopause, yet the desire to be active is still high. This could be due to their menopausal symptoms, low self-efficacy and physical activity knowledge or social stigma and lack of support.
3) Ethnicity and marginalised communities
Sport England and survey data from the government found inequalities in levels of activity relating to ethnicity, where women in minority ethnic groups are found to be less active compared to White British women and even less so than male counterparts. Is it any wonder why, according to Land and Wave, 98% of females working in the outdoor industry are White Caucasian?
4) Effects on women of mixed-gender activity settings
Some sports, gyms and clubs can unintentionally follow outdated, male-dominated and patriarchal ways of thinking, which can have numerous real impacts on women – physically, socially and emotionally. Especially in mixed-gender environments, these challenges can surface in various ways, such as:
- Lack of confidence or fear of judgement, often stemming from the more competitive environment that places worth on traits or results that are less attainable or desirable to women
- Lack of representation
- Cultural and religious sensitivities
- Fear of harassment
- Unchallenged and outdated male-orientated norms (those relating to outdoor expeditions and the outdoor industry itself are explored later on)
5) Lack of accessibility for women with disabilities
For both men and women, those living with disabilities are 20% less active than those without disabilities, according to Sport England. However, women with a disability or long-term health condition are 2.4% more inactive than men with a disability or long-term health condition. (Active Lives Survey 2022/23). This disparity could be due to a variety of both visible and invisible barriers. For example:
- Language and teaching styles being inaccessible for those with learning or sensory processing difficulties
- Sensitivity to clothing, auditory overstimulation or sight impairment as well as other sensory disabilities could make it difficult to learn a sport without the right circumstances
- Lack of accessible facilities from parking spaces to changing rooms and equipment are essential for those with physical disabilities or needs (this includes facilities that are essential for women who are pregnant or may have energy-limiting disabilities)
The solution
We know that this is a long-standing problem and it’s not going to be solved overnight, but there are ways, according to Sport England’s Active Lives Survey, that we can make a greater impact on this movement:
1) Co-designed and co-produced activities – allowing women and girls to have some agency in shaping programmes to their own needs. This will help them feel heard and increase their investment in the activity.
2) Using settings and venues that are convenient, safe and accessible – providing sessions that coincide with times when women are already at that location or where they can bring their children, for example.
3) A holistic approach – recognising that the benefits extend beyond the physical and in fact will positively impact mental health and sense of belonging within a community. Opportunities to connect and socialise with other women as part of the activity was viewed as equally beneficial in increasing participation.
4) Partnerships – working across different sectors can increase engagement, reach and boost participation from even the most inactive groups. For example, working with women and girls, local organisations that are trusted by communities, schools, charities, local community and faith leaders, social prescribers, GP surgeries, children’s centres and more…
At Calvert Exmoor, we partner with organisations across the UK, providing accessible and stimulating activity breaks for their members that, for many, introduce or even re-introduce them to outdoor adventure. Working with UK Youth and their Adventures Away From Home fund has enabled us to offer fully-funded places to young people of marginalised backgrounds, including young girls who would otherwise be unable to access these opportunities. We also have our own bursary scheme that provides particular groups with more financial support.
5) Empowerment and confidence-centric schemes – providing female role-models and leadership opportunities.
6) Find alternative and non-standard activities or opportunities to get girls and women active – joining local groups that encourage participation in activities that are not usual or less common with girls. For example, Wave Wahines, an organisation that introduces girls and women to the outdoors and the ocean through surfing. More examples of these kinds of groups, especially local to us in Devon, can be seen towards the end of this blog.
Residential trips to outdoor activity centres are also great examples that can often give the opportunity to try sports girls would never normally get to try, like canoeing, horseriding, climbing etc.
Women in the outdoor industry
The outdoor industry has, for a long time, been male-dominated. However, this pattern is changing, with women now increasingly taking up space, taking on leadership positions and demonstrating collaboration, resilience and inclusive practices, as well as competence in the outdoors. While this is improving, we still have a long way to go.
Land & Wave reported that 28% of permanent and full-time seasonal staff within the outdoor/adventure sector in the UK are female. Only 33% of managers within the sector are female. It’s also effectively confirmed that the proportion of females being ‘active outdoors’ pretty much matches with the proportion of females working within the outdoor/adventure sector – suggesting that to increase the number of women working in the industry, we need to increase the level of physical activity in girls and women.
There could be a whole host of reasons for why women are less likely to work in the outdoors, but Outdoor Partnership wrote a helpful summary exploring this:
- The industry is often less supportive of working mothers, with lack of flexibility in working hours – this often leads to women leaving the industry or scaling back their careers.
- Hormonal or health factors that affect women’s physical and mental wellbeing can discourage them from taking part and even attempting to reach leadership positions in the industry
- Facing gender bias from colleagues, clients or leadership structures can leave them feeling misjudged and overlooked, despite having the correct qualifications or experience
- Women being less active due to all the reasons discussed above dissuading them from pursuing anything similar in their career
The argument that exploration and the outdoor expedition industry have intrinsically begun as a patriarchal and male-dominated space is also important to mention. While it’s not an area we’ll go into in vast detail in this particular piece, we wanted to highlight a blog by Emily Pitts, who explores the subtle undercurrents of sexism and stereotyping that women often endure within the outdoors, which ultimately create more barriers for them to overcome.
The instructor team at Calvert Exmoor Equestrian Centre
The solution
We know from research that there are strong links between girls and women staying active and them entering the outdoor industry. Keeping females engaged in sports will encourage them to participate further, hopefully leading to careers in the area too. This Girl Can is a movement that promotes this, covering a range of topics on their website from overcoming nervousness to staying motivated, as well as sharing local projects and communities you can get involved in.
Finding local groups that support, empower and encourage participation for girls and women will be a gamechanger. Try searching for clubs and organisations that run a sport you’re particularly passionate about. If you haven’t yet found what gives you that buzz, why not look into unique groups that allow you to try something new.
For example, here’s a list of groups local to North Devon that encourage girls and women to get outdoors and/or become more active:
- Wave Wahines – surf coaching for girls and women
- Wander Women North Devon – adventurous hiking meet-ups for women
- Saunton Surf Sisters – a surf collective who have sub-groups of golfers, mountain bikers and more…
- Warrior Women Project – non-contact boxing classes designed to empower women through psychologically informed practices
- Love Her Wild – an inclusive community providing opportunities, support and funding to make the outdoors more accessible for women
- Powerhouse Ladies Gym – an example of a women-only gym in Bideford, North Devon
- Rock & Rapid – Ladies’ Night climbing sessions encouraging women to try the sport and make friends
Research suggests that creating a more open and supportive environment for women, especially openly addressing menstruation and dismantling the barriers that leave women feeling isolated is also important. If you run a gym, give lessons of any kind or own a company that delivers these services, actively take time to consider if your product is fully (and we mean fully) accessible to women.
We would also recommend ensuring opportunities for women in leadership and instructor roles are available, as seeing other women in these positions can be a catalyst for inspiration and drive more women to get involved. At Calvert Exmoor, we are incredibly lucky to have strong female representation within our staff teams and we recognise the unique skills and insights these members bring to the table. We’re proud to have 71% of our Senior Management Team (with a female Centre Director) and 46% of our Instructor team be women, both figures almost double the national average in our industry.
The activity instructor team at Calvert Exmoor
Lastly, it’s vital that, as an industry, we begin to pass the torch and push this movement further by encouraging participation in and creation of communities, mentor schemes and support networks for women within the industry. This could include funding opportunities for those who may want to attain qualifications they would usually not be able to afford. A couple of notable providers for these kinds of programmes would be:
- Outward Bound Trust, who run a ‘Women’s Outdoor Instructor Development Programme’ and a ‘Women’s Outdoor Leadership Course’. They also have a page where you can donate money towards their ‘Her Adventure’ fund, ensuring this movement can continue.
- Plas y Brenin run Women-Only Courses, which specialise in empowering and supporting women in learning outdoor adventure skills
We truly value the impact women have in society, in our local communities and especially within our industry. It might be slow-moving, but we can break down these barriers one step at a time. There’s no better time to join the movement than right now.
Want your own outdoor adventure?
As an activity centre that specialises in inclusivity, we offer unique and fun-filled activity breaks in North Devon.
If you want a taste, just give us a call and get yourself booked in.
Don’t forget, we have funding options that can help make things easier for you financially. Just mention your interest in our bursary scheme at the point of booking. We can’t wait to show you just how accessible the outdoors can be. For more information, head to our website.
[Written by Bryony Lewis, Digital Marketing Executive at Calvert Exmoor]
