It’s official, Irish women are more active in sport than men

Lads need to pull up their socks.

We can all see it, but now we have the proof that men are just a bunch of lazy feckers while it's women who are really running this country. And by running we mean getting out and being more physically active in sports than their testosterone-filled colleagues. A new survey has revealed that women are more active than men in many areas such as running, cycling and so called low-impact sports. However, some women still feel that they can't join in sports related activity due to a fear of being judged on their looks or their performance. The survey, called Wise Up and commissioned by Liberty Insurance, was launched by well known TV sports presenter Clare Balding. Perhaps the most interesting finding is the link found between children who are brought to sports events as a youngsters and then going on to take part in sport themselves. According to the report, 60% of people who regularly exercise now were brought to sporting fixtures as a child and 73% of those who attend live sporting fixtures now also did so as children. Women are less likely to have been brought to fixtures as children - 4 in 10 women, compared to 6 in 10 men. Balding revealed, at the event in Croke Park, her concerns with the perception of women in sport. She feels the gender gap in how both sexes approach sport needs to be closed:

“There remains a gap between how boys and girls are brought up in sport. That shouldn’t be the case and it is down to all of us to do what we can to promote sport that does not define us by gender, no more than it should by race, colour or creed. We see from this research that more than twice as many men play, and benefit from team sport than women. In addition, 70% of Irish people believe raising the profile of Women’s sport is important.”

The survey also reveals that women are more likely to believe that there is a parity in the skill level between men and women's sport compared to men. There is also a growing concern of losing an entire generation of possible sportswomen in the 17-34 age group who tend to not continue their participation in sport after leaving secondary school. Somewhat surprisingly, considering the amount of GAA teams across the country, the survey also finds that women are more than twice as likely to do group exercise as men. The research also indicates that almost half the population don't do any exercise at all and describe themselves as 'inactive'