True-Sport-Report

Studies have found that a frequent explanation
for girls dropping out is conflict
with other activities. In several studies,
“not having fun” was the main reason
students—and particularly girls—dropped
out of organized sport. More girls than
boys also stopped playing in order to focus
on academics or to focus more on other
clubs or activities. Girls may pursue a
wider array of social interests than do boys
and therefore may respond positively to a
wider array of choices in exercise and sport
opportunities as a retention strategy. 7
Reasons for never playing or dropping out
also vary by physical ability, economics,
ethnicity, and urban/rural setting.
Across studies, several psychological
barriers have been correlated with lack of
girls’ participation in sport, such as limited
confidence in one’s physical abilities or
knowledge of the sport, low perceived
behavioral control, and low self-efficacy. 55
In sum, many girls lack the self-confidence
of boys in sport and fear the embarrassment
and emotional consequences of public
failure on the field or in the arena. For
girls who are not great athletes, research
shows they are even more vulnerable to
Figure 5: Top Reasons Why Girls Become Less Active in Sport
(Based on ratings of 6 and 7 on a 7-point scale where 7 means ‘strongly agree’, ranked on general
population adults ages 18-64 and includes top 3 reasons for each subgroup)
Found something else
to do they like better
59%
56%
57%
54%
58%
51%
Become shy about
their bodies
14%
22%
57%
54%
55%
52%
54%
58%
Want more free time
45%
52%
51%
62%
Friends quit
No longer having
fun in sport
33%
49%
57%
63%
50%
45%
44%
47%
46%
45%
46%
60%
Adults ages 18-64
NGB adults ages 18-64
NGB coaches
Teachers
General population
teens ages 14-17
NGB teens ages 14-17
Q 131: You may have heard the statistic that young people tend to be less active in sport in their teens compared to
when they were younger. Regardless of whether you’ve heard this before, please indicate why you think this might
be the case for girls?
51