Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Conclusion 7
Third Report - Health barriers for girls and women in sport
Published 5 Mar 2024
Paragraph 44
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Sexism and inequalities in sport All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
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 of sport and physical exercise many years previously. These barriers are compounded by the convergence of gendered social factors, including caring responsibilities for children and ageing parents, leaving them particularly time poor. Encouraging and facilitating women in midlife to become more active is therefore a challenge that requires a thorough understanding of their needs and specifically designed interventions. Current efforts, including the Government’s “Get Active” strategy, are inadequate for this group. The strategy lacks detailed analysis of the issues, measurable targets, and specially tailored interventions. This must be rectified.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, Third Report - Health barriers for girls and women in sport (HC 130), paragraph 44, 5 March 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 17 May 2024 (deadline 7 May 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's report and states that it accepts "most of the report recommendations", partially accepting some, including those on RSHE education, the This Girl Can campaign and maternity policy.
- On menstrual cycle education (Recommendation 1), the Government "partially accepts" and says menstruation is already taught within statutory RSHE. The Department for Education is reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance and will release updated guidance "as soon as possible".
- On PE kit (Recommendation 2), the Government accepts the recommendation and says the Department for Education is "committed to continually reviewing" its school uniform and PE kit guidance.
- On the School Sport and Activity Action Plan, the Department for Education "does not accept" the part of Recommendation 3 on updating it with targets, as there are "no current plans" to do so. It points instead to non-statutory PE guidance published in March 2024.
- On integrity in sport (Recommendation 10), the Government accepts the recommendation and says it received over 600 responses to its call for evidence. It will set out the results and next steps "in due course".