SPORTS AND WELLNESS
Issue 9: Gender restrictions
During the discussions, most of the female participants cited being
uncomfortable and shy in the gym when they were alone and this often
inhibited their willingness to explore different types of workouts. Another issue
that was raised was a lack of confidence with using the equipment without
someone who was more experienced guiding them through. Most of the time
this was a male friend.
Another possible reason for the lack of female participation in sports is a matter
of availability of social networks. Most young women are unable to find
groups to play sports causally with, which is not the case for young men.
To understand why this might be the case for students, even at a tertiary level,
facilitators were keen on understanding the type of co-curricular activities
(CCAs) Tamil youth chose to be a part of earlier on in their education. This was
important because the initial social networks established in sports CCAs
assisted in keeping some of the participants active.
Maathi Yosi | 2019
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