Girls in UK who play sports are twice as likely to get top jobs, study reveals

Girls in the United Kingdom (U.K.) after school sports are 50 percent more likely to get jobs later in life, according to new research. The study career benefit is equal to having a university degree.  

Despite this, girls are still less likely than boys to join sports teams; between the periods of 11 and 18 years old, girls miss out on 1.4 hours of sport each week compared with boys. 

The reports also say 340,000 girls are unfit to play because of cost or lack of access to installations. 

Researchers set up that women who played extracurricular sports as children were more likely to reach senior roles in their careers. The skills learned through sport, such as adaptability, cooperation, and confidence, were linked to this progress.

The United Kingdom (U.K.) government has promised £400m in new backing for sports installations in deprived areas. It has also pledged to give boys and girls equal access to school sports and launched a new task force for women’s sports.

The study, produced by Public First and commissioned by Sky, estimates that if 18-year-old girls were suitable to play sports, the United Kingdom (U.K.) economy could see £6.5 bn in benefits by 2035. This would include productivity earnings of £570m a time and £73m in savings for the NHS.

The exploration also highlights that, nearly a third of girls said, the boys’ team got precedence for pitches and installation, numerous girls drop out of team sports by age 11, missing the chance to make leadership skills. 

Girls reported sexist commentary while playing, rising to 42 percent among aged teenagers.

Experts say these findings reflected a long history of inequality in sport. They argue that better media content of women’s sport, along with targeted backing and policy changes, could help close the gap.