Fear of judgement, lacking confidence, not having enough time – our research shows there are a mix of practical and emotional pressures that stop many women from being as active as they would like.
In fact, 39% of women aged 16 and over are not active enough to get the full health benefits of sport and physical activity, compared to 35% of men.
We’re looking to close the gender gap and persuade more women to get active. Because not only does regular activity improve women's own physical and mental health; women have a strong influencing role within their own families.
That’s why in 2015 we launched our groundbreaking This Girl Can campaign.
This Girl Can challenges the conventional idea of what exercise looks like, and aims to inspire more women and girls to wiggle, jiggle, move and prove that judgement, time, money and energy are barriers that can be overcome.
Getting women and girls more involved in sport and activity through campaigns like This Girl Can was a crucial part of our Towards an Active Nation strategy.
Our new 10-year strategy launched in 2021, Uniting the Movement, is our plan to make being physically active a normal part of life for everyone in England – to make it easier for all of us as we go about our everyday lives.
Because currently, it’s not always a level playing field.
We know that women are less active than men, and this gender gap starts with girls being less active from a very young age.
This inequality, as well as others, is at the very core of Uniting the Movement and we have a laser focus on tackling them in all that we do, because providing opportunities to people and communities that have traditionally been left behind, and helping to remove the barriers to activity, has never been more important.
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