In my experience at school I feel that my gender did not have much of an impact. I was lucky enough to attend Primary and Secondary Schools that allowed their pupils to be themselves. Males and females were seen as equal. The only time there was any kind of separation due to gender was for sports. Gym classes were all inclusive but when it came to sports teams and clubs that’s where the divide came based on genders. The boys in the football and rugby teams, the girls in the netball or dance club. Only now looking back I realise this wasn’t fair and that actually children should be allowed to choose a sport that interests them, rather than them doing it just because their gender fits the stereotype for that specific sport.

We are constantly encouraging children to take part in sports and to keep themselves fit and healthy. So why are we narrowing their opportunities to do so? Any child should be able to do what sport they want. In my 5^th/6^th years at High School I coached the junior netball teams. Despite the fact that I couldn’t enter teams into competitions that had a male player I still made the practice sessions open to boys too. They loved it! Sport should be available to anyone, no matter what their gender is. You don’t get to decide whether you’re born a boy or girl so to be told you can’t do something because you’re one or the other is just simply not fair.