15 November 2007
Gordon Brown has called for more opportunities for women and girls to participate in sport at all levels.
In a recorded message for a special event in London, the PM said there was a "critical under-representation" of women in sport that had "serious implications" for women’s health. Ways must be found to motivate women and girls to be more active and to help the sports sector to adapt to women’s needs, he said.
The PM said:
"There is a critical under-representation of women and girls in sport - from participation through to elite performance and leadership. In the UK today, over 80 per cent of women are not sufficiently active to maintain their health.
"Sport needs to change so that it becomes as much a place for women and girls as it is for men and boys; exercise should be something all women can integrate into their everyday lives and we need a cultural change that allows girls to see sport and physical activity as aspirational."
Mr Brown praised the England football team for its performance at the World Cup in Beijing, noting that there are currently no paid professional women in team sports in the UK. Events such as the 2012 London Olympics will provide a "unique opportunity" to alter the landscape of sport for women, he said.
Referring to a Government aim to see two million more people active by 2012, the PM said it was important to ensure that half of that number is made up of women and girls.
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