Holyrood committee seeks views on women in sport

A Holyrood committee is looking for views ahead of an inquiry into women’s participation in sport.

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee launched its inquiry on Friday, looking for perspectives from individuals and organisations involved with female sports at all levels.

Committee convener Gillian Martin said the MSPs heard “evidence of a significant decline in participation in sport and physical activity by adolescent girls”.

She added: “This has prompted the committee to launch a dedicated inquiry into barriers to female participation in sport and physical activity, and how these might be overcome.

“Statistics show that female participation in sport and physical activity in Scotland is lower than that of males from the age of 11 years old, with typically a 10% gender gap in participation.

“This has clear negative repercussions on the long-term health and wellbeing of women and girls.”

Speaking about the call for views, Ms Martin said: “Today, we are launching a call for views to find out more about the barriers women and girls of all ages face in participating in sport and physical activity.

“We are particularly keen to hear the experiences of those with a disability, from ethnic minority or economically deprived backgrounds, or those who may face other barriers to participation in sport and physical activity.

“Our aim is to identify actions that should be taken to help increase the numbers of women and girls participating in sport and physical activity, and crucially to make recommendations to ensure they are able to remain active throughout their lives.”

The consultation opened on Friday and will close on December 9.