Ungendered PE lessons in school.

Hello, I am here today to talk to you about a topic which is very close to my heart: gender
stereotyping in schools and in particular in PE. I would like to begin by asking: When was the last
time you did PE? For some of you, it may have been some time, sorry Sir, sorry Miss. But I am sure
that, even then, PE was separated between the girls and boys. This is because of gender stereotypes
which have always regarded boys as being stronger characters than girls, not just in PE, but in life in
general as they have been seen as protectors. My question is: What makes people think girls aren’t
as strong, or that they can’t be protectors too? Maybe ungendered PE lessons would help allow
people to accept the opposite sexes and see them both equally. For instance, football and rugby are
seen as activities ‘for boys’ whereas dance and netball are seen as activities for ‘the girls’. Is this fair?
What if boys prefer to do what are considered to be the more feminine sports, and girls prefer to do
more masculine contact sports? But what happens in society? The genders are told NO by teachers
in school as the boys do the boys sports and the girls do the girls. Is It always going to be that way? I
personally believe that these stereotypical views need to STOP. Having ungendered PE lessons at
school would be a way forward and influence people, especially the younger generation, to accept
people’s sexualities (gay or lesbian etc.). It would be a way to make the sexes recognise what they
are truly capable of and breakdown barriers that seek to limit and pigeon hole individuals too. With
reasons like these, how can you disagree with me?

So, you may be sat there thinking what difference will ungendered PE lessons make in schools? Well,
personally, I think the biggest result of ungendered lessons would be to break down ingrained
stereotypes about what the sexes can actually do. Why do people assume that all boys must want to
play football or rugby? What about those boys out there who want to play netball or take part in
dance? Unfortunately, there is no place for these youngsters in today’s society as there simply isn’t
any option to do what students want to do as they are restricted by their gender. The damage that
this has on society in terms of sport is massive. Still in the 21st century such ingrained stereotypes are
damaging how the genders see themselves and what they should do in terms of PE. Recently, a TV
reporter made this very clear when she mocked Prince George for participating in dance lessons. The
result of her mockery led to widespread outrage, but I think that her comments only served to
highlight the ingrained and outdated attitudes to sport and gender in society. She articulated what
most people think: boys should only do masculine sports. As I am sure many of you will agree, this is
wrong and needs to change. But what about girls, you may ask. Well, as a young woman in school
receiving the education system as it stands today, I can tell you that I face the same mockery and
humiliation whenever I attend PE lessons. As someone who is physically fit and able, I want to be
able to show my skills with any sex. Yet, I am continuously told No when I ask to play with the boys
on the football field. Why? Because I should be playing with my own gender or playing more
feminine sports like baseball or netball. It is a joke. Until we can break down these petty and
outdated stereotypes about what sports each gender should play, we will never have the
opportunity to truly be equal in sport. This is shown in what we are allowed to play; who we are
allowed to play with and the monetary gain each gender receives for the sports they play too. So,
why have ungendered PE lessons? Because we cannot afford not to if we want to make the world a
better place.

Additionally, why have gendered lessons in PE in the 21st century when gender is becoming a thing of
the past. We live in a world now where people are questioning more and more what their gender is
and what this actually means. We have gone from gender roles that identified what a man and a
woman should be like, to a world where gender can mean a hundred and one things. Yet, we still
speak in terms of two roles: masculine and feminine. Is this encouraging us to be more accepting
about gender identities? I think not. In our school, instead of allowing us to embrace the different
concepts of gender and encouraging acceptance, we encourage hiding. Anyone who faces the
dilemma of trying to discover who they are and what their gender identity means to them, faces a
lesson of confusion simply because lessons are gender based. Where do you go, when you simply
don’t know where you fit into with such a limited outlook? As a result, boys and girls feel pressure
and hideaway which is not healthy at all. The effect gendered PE lessons has on young people is
them hiding in the shadows and not wanting to speak out. What does this do? All it results in is
people being too scared to own their sexuality. This should could lead to depression or worse. So a
simple change could breed acceptance in life, that has to be a good thing right? Maybe if kids were
able you pick what sport they would like to do, they may enjoy PE more. Therefore, all I ask is for you
to let that sink in.

Even in today’s society, some still argue that we should have gendered PE lessons because boys are
‘physically stronger’ and girls are ‘weaker’. To that I say: ridiculous! We only think in these terms
because of years of thinking that told us that that was what the sexes where capable of. But is that
fact? According to researcher, Steven Austad, women are actually far stronger than men in a number
of ways. We live longer; we recover quicker from illnesses; we are less susceptible to diseases. It is
fascinating to think that women are actually quite resilient and are more likely to survive birth than
men! Yet, because of thousands of years of propaganda telling us that we cannot do it, we haven’t.
Imagine what we would be capable of if we simply ignored all this rubbish about what each sex
should do and didn’t set limits? It is amazing to consider, isn’t it? But remember, this belief that the
sexes somehow determine our abilities, traits or actions is not confined to just women. Men similarly
face a limitation on them when they are encouraged to ‘man-up’ after a defeat in sport, or when
they suffer an injury. God forbid they should show emotion and work through how they are feeling.
Such limitations are damaging and do nothing to help the genders. And where could these
limitations be removed to try and help the world become a more progressive and enlightened place,
in the classrooms with PE lessons.

In conclusion, we need to sort equality out once and for all. We are equal no matter what gender,
sexuality or race we are. Schools should be teaching us to be fair; to achieve what we can; to avoid
limits; to accept everyone for who they are. That is their role, but by having gendered PE lessons,
they simply defeat what they teach us. Wouldn’t you agree?