Recommendations & Conclusions
19 items
1
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted
Girls face a number of distinctive health and physiology-related barriers to participation in, and enjoyment of, sport and physical activity, from early years to post-puberty. Existing programmes and interventions from the Government and other bodies, while welcome, do not yet go far enough in addressing these barriers and are yet …
Government response. The government partially accepted the recommendation, committing to reviewing and releasing updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, and conducting further work including a call for evidence to review PE delivery, but did not commit to setting specific …
Government Equalities Office
2
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
Key anxieties for girls include concerns around periods, yet education on the menstrual cycle, despite being mandatory, is only being delivered in half of schools. It is shocking that around 50% of schools are disregarding a vital, and mandatory, element of the curriculum. Where it is being delivered, in most …
Government response. The government accepted the recommendation but deflected by responding solely on the importance of offering a wide choice of PE kit and sports bras for girls, including elite athletes, without addressing the core issue of inadequate menstrual cycle education.
Government Equalities Office
3
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
The Department for Education must urgently review the quality and timeliness of education on girls’ health and physiology, including the effects of puberty, the menstrual cycle, and periods in the context of PE and school sport. Whether part of PE or PSHE, or ideally both, this education needs to be …
Government response. The government partially accepted the recommendation but deflected by focusing on existing physical activity campaigns, funding for PE and sport facilities, and the National Physical Activity Taskforce, without addressing the specific call to review and improve the quality and timeliness …
Government Equalities Office
4
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Acknowledged
The evidence on girls’ anxieties around PE kit is overwhelming. We recommend the Department for Education and National Physical Activity Taskforce review guidance for schools on school PE kit, with the aim of ensuring all schools permit the widest possible choice for girls. That guidance should include advice to schools …
Government response. The government accepted the recommendation but provided a vague commitment, describing the general activities of the National Physical Activity Taskforce and the Board of Women's Sport, without outlining specific actions or timelines for reviewing PE kit guidance for schools to …
Government Equalities Office
5
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
We recommend Sport England launch a new strand of the “This Girl Can” campaign aimed at parents, tackling early years gender stereotypes around physical activity and sport. This should include a specific focus on the positive role fathers can play in encouraging girls in sport and exercise. Sport England should …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation but states decisions on Sport England's priorities are independent. While it will focus the next phase of 'This Girl Can' on women aged 50 and over, this differs from the recommended focus on parents and …
Government Equalities Office
6
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted
Given the very distinctive issues for girls, and to ensure their needs are not overlooked, we recommend the Minister for Women and Equality Hub officials attend the National Physical Activity Taskforce, alongside organisations with data and expertise in this area, including Youth Sport Trust and The Well HQ. The Taskforce …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, stating it has already established the National Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT) and the Board of Women’s Sport, and regularly meets with relevant organisations to address women's and girls' activity barriers.
Government Equalities Office
7
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
Women in midlife face specific health-related barriers to participation, including but not limited to the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. These occur after many have experienced barriers at earlier life stages, including in early years and at school during puberty. Many women at this life stage will have dropped out …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation to rectify strategy shortcomings but believes it can be achieved through the existing National Physical Activity Taskforce and the newly established Board of Women’s Sport, rather than committing to specific updates or rectifications of its …
Government Equalities Office
8
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
We recommend Sport England prioritise another phase of the “This Girl Can” campaign focused on women in midlife, showing real life examples of women in the 40- to 60-year-old age group participating in a wide range of sports and physical activities, to inspire others.
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation but describes unrelated ongoing work by Sport England and other bodies focused on women in coaching and instructor training, not on launching a new phase of 'This Girl Can' specifically for women in midlife as …
Government Equalities Office
9
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
We recommend the DCMS update its “Get Active” strategy for the future of sport and physical activity in relation to women in midlife. It should work with organisations including Women in Sport and The Well HQ to include an analysis of the key barriers faced by women in this age …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation to update its 'Get Active' strategy for women in midlife but provides a response entirely unrelated, detailing Sport England's actions regarding Swim England's safeguarding and regulatory improvements.
Government Equalities Office
10
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Acknowledged
There has been a slow and disparate response to disproportionately high rates of ACL injury in women’s football. We have no doubt that a health issue of similar magnitude affecting elite male footballers would have received a faster, more thorough, and better coordinated response. We agree with Karen Carney that …
Government response. The government accepts the conclusion, stating it intends to work with the sector on integrity challenges, has run a call for evidence on how issues are dealt with, and will set out the results and next steps 'in due course'.
Government Equalities Office
11
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Deferred
While there are positive signs of change in the sports and exercise research sector, a more concerted and coordinated, cross-sector approach is required to achieve equality of attention to health and physiology-related issues affecting sportswomen, including those arising from kit and equipment. We note the Government’s acceptance of Karen Carney’s …
Government response. The government partially accepts the recommendation but largely responds by detailing employment rights, maternity leave, and pay for sportswomen, which is unrelated to the call for a more coordinated cross-sector approach for health, physiology, and kit issues.
Government Equalities Office
12
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Acknowledged
It is symptomatic of gender inequality and sexism in the sports sector that the first football boot in the world designed around female feet came to the market less than four years ago. Since then, limited progress has been made by the largest sports brands, who between them have produced …
Government response. The government accepts the implicit recommendation, stating that the National Physical Activity Taskforce and the Board of Women’s Sport will address issues regarding female-specific kit, and that this will form part of future discussions.
Government Equalities Office
13
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the DCMS and DfE establish a taskforce, including UK Sport, the UK Sports Institute, women’s health and fitness experts including The Well HQ, sport and exercise research institutes, and the UK divisions of leading sportswear and sporting goods brands, to develop a long-term strategy to tackle sportswomen’s health …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, stating it will use the existing National Physical Activity Taskforce and the recently established Board of Women’s Sport to tackle sportswomen's health and physiology, noting that suitable kit design will be part of future discussions.
Government Equalities Office
14
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted
The level of knowledge and support for sportswomen’s health needs varies greatly between individual coaches and coaching teams. There are also wide variations in the adequacy of support across different sports. The national governing bodies we heard from were each taking their own steps to address this. While we support …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, detailing that Sport England is establishing a Women in Coaching Taskforce to address barriers, developing a "This Girl Can" inspired training course for instructors, and undertaking a £100,000 action learning project to improve support for …
Government Equalities Office
15
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted
We recommend that UK Sport, Sport England, UK Coaching, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and the national governing bodies Health barriers for girls and women in sport 41 come together to convene a female health in coach education working group. It should draw on …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, detailing Sport England's work with Women in Sport to facilitate a Women in Coaching Taskforce, develop a 'This Girl Can' training course, and implement a £100,000 action learning project focused on female health education for …
Government Equalities Office
16
Conclusion
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Acknowledged
Public weighing and body-shaming of girls and young women is wholly unacceptable. That this should have occurred in a sports environment, in which girls already face barriers to participation, is deplorable. Swim England must restore trust in swimming’s coaching practices and culture, and Sport England must oversee the change process …
Government response. The government generally agrees with the report's aims and highlights existing commitments and targets for women's and girls' participation in sport. However, it does not specifically address the call for Sport England to oversee Swim England or provide an update …
Government Equalities Office
17
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted
Issues of bullying, harassment, abuse, and discrimination are not limited to swimming, with issues emerging across several sports in recent years. We welcome the DCMS’s call for evidence on integrity in sport, which closed three months ago, and expect to see tangible actions as a result. In response to this …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, stating it will publish insights from the integrity call for evidence and outline next steps, while noting the Sport Integrity service is increasingly used and its performance is being monitored by UK Sport.
Government Equalities Office
18
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted in Part
A long-overdue culture change is taking shape in sport around pregnancy and maternity. While policies and practices being adopted in funded Olympic and Paralympic sports and, to a lesser extent, in some professional women’s sports are welcome, there is still a long road to travel, both in maternity pay and …
Government response. The government partially accepts the recommendation, noting that employment rights for maternity and pay are determined by employment status and that sportswomen who are employees are entitled to statutory maternity leave and pay. It states that maternity leave and pay …
Government Equalities Office
19
Recommendation
Third Report - Health barriers for girl…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the DCMS, UK Sport, Sport England and the sports’ national governing bodies establish a permanent working group on best practice in pregnancy and maternity policy, including maternity leave and pay and wider policies to support pregnant sportswomen and returning mothers. This working group must consider a road map …
Government response. The government partially accepts the recommendation, outlining existing statutory maternity rights and noting that the Board of Women's Sport, with UK Sport and Sport England, will include maternity leave and pay in its player welfare discussions.
Government Equalities Office