There is a particularly demeaning reason women’s participation in sport drops radically in late adolescence, and it has nothing to do with their willingness to take part.
Almost 100 per cent of female soccer players surveyed recently have been forced to wear “stinky used men’s uniforms” – an ugly precedent that has strangely carried through to 2023.
“They have been treated essentially as second class citizens,” said Sam Davy, Co-founder and CEO of sport brand PARK.
Women have had no choice but to accept the dregs of sporting kits designed for men, which for those who persisted with the sport, was an ongoing source of discomfort.
A survey conducted this year by Professional Footballers Australia found that 96 per cent of women players had been forced to wear men’s kit.
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