Gender in youth sports

Gender in youth sports refers to the role and influence that both young male and females have in sports. The participation of youth in sports is a matter that is always trying to be improved and appeal to all genders. There are organizations across the world that are trying to improve the disparity of participation rates between boys and girls.

In the United States, 8 million 3rd–12th grade girls and 12 million boys play sports Women's Sports Foundation (2011): ERIC. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. There are more boys participating in sports than girls in urban and suburban areas. Studies on third to fifth grade children found that in urban areas 59% of girls participated in sport compared to the 80% of boys who participated. In suburban areas, 81% of girls compared to 89% of boys involved in youth sports, while in rural areas 73% of girls participated compared to 69% of boys (Sabo, 2008). Gender equality for younger children was better in rural and suburban areas than in urban areas. Young urban girls, especially, have a narrower window of opportunity for becoming involved with sports than their male counterparts and girls from suburban and rural communities. 1 in 4 ninth-to 12th-grade urban girls have never participated in organized or team sports, compared to about 1 in 6 urban boys (Sabo and Veliz, 2008).

Age and social class contribute to differences in gender participation. Half of low-income parents agreed that their schools and communities were not meeting the needs of girls as much as those of boys (Hessel, 2000). More African-American and Hispanic parents feel schools and communities are failing their daughters. Boys in immigrant families are more likely to play sports than girls are. Nearly a quarter (23%) of children have at least one parent born outside the United States. Compared to boys, girls in immigrant families report lower rates of athletic participation. Many immigrant parents also hold more traditional attitudes toward girls' and boys' interest in sports (Sabo and Veliz, 2008). However, girls are exploring a wider array of sports and exercise activities than boys do, including traditional, recreational and newly emerging sports such as cheerleading, dance, double dutch and volleyball. Boys focus more on traditional sports and exercise activities, which, most often, take the form of organized school and community sports (Sabo and Veliz, 2008). In short, progress on the gender front in U.S. sports has been made, but it remains uneven, and it is often poor and urban girls who are being left behind.

Girls of color are doubly impacted by both gender and race discrimination in sport (Sabo and Veliz, 2008). Fifteen percent of all girls and 16% of all boys who participate in sports are African-American. 17% of female athletes and 15% of male athletes are Hispanic, while Asian girls and boys comprise 8% and 12%, respectively, of children who play sports. And yet, proportionally fewer girls of color are involved with sports than white girls. Girls of color are also much more likely than their male counterparts to be non-athletes. The same discrepancies across racial and ethnic groups do not exist among boys.

...
Wikipedia