1. Equality of opportunity
Equal opportunities and barriers to participation in sport
Symond Burrows
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2. Target groups to focus on in the UK
Women
People with disabilities
Ethnic minorities
Target groups
Poorer socioeconomic groups and elderly people
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3. You must be able to
Understand the barriers to participation in physical activity (i.e. causes)
Give strategies to increase participation (i.e. solutions)
NB: Many of the barriers/strategies are the same for each group (e.g. lack of money/limited time/access to facilities)
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4. Common barriers to participation
Can you think of any?
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5. Common barriers to participation
Attitudes
Discrimination (i.e. unfair treatment/imbalance of power)
Myths/stereotyping (e.g. false beliefs such as sport is harmful for women, women are not aggressive)
Lack of confidence/esteem/few positive role models (attitudes/influence of family/friends/not seen regularly in media)
Social class/cultural norms
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6. Access to active leisure
Equipment/facilities – adapted specialist facilities/equipment for certain groups
Lack of clubs catering for specific needs
Lack of specialist transport
Lack of information/awareness
Funding/fees/disposable income (money available)
Lack of time due to family and/or work commitments
Poor initial health/fitness levels
Education/influence of schooling
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7. Common solutions to low participation in target groups
Reduce discrimination/make it illegal/take legal action
Education (or re-education!) raising awareness of the abilities of each target group
Reduce fees/improve funding (e.g. subsidise hiring of facilities)
Inclusive policies in schools/local authorities
Campaigns (e.g. Kick it Out, This Girl Can)
Positive role models/positive images of groups involved in physical activity
Emphasis on ‘recreational’ involvement (raise confidence)
Improve access to/around facilities
Train/provide more specialist coaches
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8. What about you? Relate it to yourself
What factors have hindered your participation or the participation of someone you know in the target groups outlined above?
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9. This resource is part of PE Review, a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts. To subscribe to the full magazine go to
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