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Two young black teenage girls playing netball

Research Report: The Tipping Point – Confidence and Attitudes in 7 and 8 year old girls

Published

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) commissioned Women in Sport, in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, to undertake a new study to understand more about the influences on girls’ and boys’ PE, sport and physical activity participation at ages 7 and 8. The research, which built on the substantial body of existing evidence into girls’ participation, was designed to unlock new insight into why girls start to drop out of sport and physical activity from age 7 at a faster rate than boys.

The Tipping Point – Confidence and Attitudes in 7 and 8 year old Girls (274.08 KB)

Key findings

  • Family still plays a dominant role among children in these focus groups – this is reflected in how the children in these focus groups defined their priorities.
  • For the children in this research, appearance and looking good were not on the radar yet as top priorities.
  • At age 7 and 8, girls who took part in the focus groups were already conscious of gender differences in perceptions of girls’ physical skills.

Download the report

The Tipping Point – Confidence and Attitudes in 7 and 8 year old Girls (274.08 KB)
Government equalities office