More Canadian girls playing organized sports, but still lagging behind boys, study shows

A new study shows that more Canadian girls are participating in organized sports but are still lagging behind boys.

The Rally Report was commissioned by Canadian Women & Sport and done by IMI Consulting.

More than 5,000 Canadians, including 2,000 girls and women, responded to the study.

The report shows that 63 per cent of Canadian girls play organized sports weekly, compared to 68 per cent of boys.

Despite this, nearly four in ten girls are still missing out on the benefits of sport, a number that rises to five in ten by age 16.

Adolescence and the middle teenage years seem to take a toll on girls’ participation in sports with the report finding that dropout rates increase at age 16 and accelerate through their late teens, with more than one in five leaving sport during adolescence.

The report found a few reasons why dropout rates surge in girls’ teen years.

Two in five girls report that comments about their appearance, clothing, or religious attire impact their participation in sports.

One in two girls said participating in sport positively influences their body image, though one in three report that comments about their bodies undermine their confidence.

Nearly one in two girls aged 13 to 18 feel that their menstrual cycle impacts their participation in sport.

Canadian Women & Sport is a national non-profit with a 43-year history of work as the leading voice and authority on women and sport.