14/04/2026
Important reading below ⬇️
When her daughter was just 3 years old, Sarah Styles, then-leader of Australia’s Office for Women in Sport, heard her say something she would never forget.
Walking to the playground after nursery, her daughter said: “I can’t go on the big swings, Mum. I’m a girl.”
Where had she got this idea from? Especially considering her mum’s job meant that she had only ever seen women play sport live and had always played dress-up in women’s sport kit.
Everything in her life up to this point had shown her that women belong in sport. But somehow even she was susceptible to society’s harmful gender stereotypes.
Why? From the moment they’re born, many girls are stereotyped away from sport and towards a life on the side-lines.
They’re told – however subtly – that they’re more fragile, less sporty and less brave than the boys their age.
So, by the time they reach primary school, they have already developed fewer skills, and by the time they’re teenagers, 4 in 10 will walk away from sport.
If we’re serious about closing the gender play gap, we must tackle the issue at its core.
Our toolkit helps parents and caregivers to challenge stereotypes, dismantle barriers and question their own subconscious bias, so that every girl knows there’s a place for her on the big swings.
Download the kit: https://womeninsport.org/resource/parents-toolkit-creating-mini-allies/
✍️ Source: Sarah Styles for Women’s Agenda
