EVERY week, I think: ‘What will there be for me to write about – surely by now people have got the message and we are moving towards an inclusive and equal society for girls, boys, men and women?’
Never having thought myself as particularly naive, it does still surprise me to read of some of the situations that continue to arise. Take the decision by a primary school in the Highlands which, on the recommendation of the local authority, advised parents that from now on, sports day would be a mixed event, with girls and boys competing against each other.
The absolute fury this unleashed among parents was startling. One mother said: “It was a big talking point for me and my mates. There was a race between five girls and one boy and he came last and all the boys were like, ‘ha ha, you got beaten by a girl’.”
This comment says a lot about how we bring up our children and speaks volumes for the value we put on young women and girls in sport and society in general. Then, I read that The Forbes annual list of the 100 best-paid sportspeople, did not contain the name of one women.
This is the first time since the list was expanded from 50 to 100 in 2010 that there have been no females, but there have only ever been a total of three women named, all from tennis.
They are Li Na, who is now retired, Maria Sharapova and, of course, Serena Williams, who has dropped off the list following the birth of her child last year.
I am not sure any father has ever fallen off the list due to the arrival of his offspring! Friday’s Scottish Women in Sport conference #WeWantChange discussed many of the current barriers and it is hoped we can take what we learned at this event and use it to further promote the benefits to all and break down even more barriers for females and sport.
With some wonderfully insightful presentations on the day, all of those present were challenged to look at breaking down barriers in order to ensure a healthy and vibrant future for all the young people of Scotland.
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