Women and girls need more support in sport, say MPs

Women and girls are being held back in sport say a group of MPs.

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) said that poorly-fitting kit, a lack of understanding of menstrual cycles and a slow response to injuries are just some of the challenges female players are facing.

The WEC suggest that this issue affects women and girls from grassroots sport to professional leagues.

Chair of the WEC, Caroline Nokes MP, said they found "systemic gender inequality in sports and exercise research", adding that this is because most sports research is "overwhelmingly conducted by men, looking at issues affecting men."

The WEC found "overwhelming" evidence that girls felt anxious about their sports kits

The Women and Equalities Committee is a group of MPs from a number of different UK political parties.

In May 2023, they were asked to look at issues of sexism and inequalities in sport.

The report, which was published on Tuesday, found that footwear is often not well-designed for women.

"Few football boots designed for women are available," the report stated, "and those that do exist are rarely stocked or promoted by the UK's leading high street sports retailers."

MPs also criticised the "slow and disparate response" to "disproportionately high" rates of ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) knee injuries in women's football, the WEC saying this reflected a "lack of understanding and attention given to female health" and how their bodies work.

It also said not enough has been done to help girls' enjoy exercise and PE.

The WEC called for teaching about girls' health, including puberty and periods, must be "drastically improved" and that schools should provide the "widest possible choice of kit" to help girls manage any concerns they have about wearing sports clothes.

Finally, the report encouraged the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to put together a "taskforce" of leading sports bodies in the UK "to develop a long-term strategy to tackle sportswomen's health and physiology-related issues".

In response to the WEC, the DCMS said they would establish a Board of Women's Sports, to tackle some of the issues the Committee's report highlighted.

"We are supporting women's sport at every opportunity, from ensuring girls' equal access to sport in school to investing £325m in grassroots football and multi-sport facilities across the UK by 2025," said a DCMS spokesperson.