Last summer I was shopping for a birthday card for my football-mad 11-year-old daughter, who plays hours of football each week for her local team. At the time, the Lionesses were heading to the Women’s World Cup final, the King was urging them to ‘roar to victory’, while Prince William was thanking them for ‘the millions you’ve inspired here and around the world.’ But faced with the birthday card aisle, the only football-themed cards I could find said ‘Birthday Boy!’ on them.
Despite parents pushing back against such gender stereotypes in recent years, some stubbornly remain. Flick through a toy catalogue right now and you’ll still see it's mostly little girls playing with the dolls and prams, and in high street stores you’ll find football pyjamas and hoodies in the boy’s section .
But even their shoes held them back. Whenever I went school shoe shopping, I would quietly rage that most of the girl’s shoes on offer were shiny black patent Mary Janes with bows, while the boys had sturdy trainer-like ones that covered their whole foot. How do you think that translates in the playground? Boys are more likely to run, climb, and football their way around it, while girls are told to be careful not to scuff their lovely shoes.
Meanwhile, a study published last month from Youth Sport Trust found that the number of girls enjoying PE drops dramatically throughout their school life, with 86% of girls aged 7 to 8 enjoying PE, compared to only 56% of girls aged 14 to 15.