Research suggests that only a quarter of girls in England meet current recommended levels of physical activity each week, with the proportion taking part in regular sport falling steeply after the age of 10. What's more, one in five girls do no physical activity at all, twice the proportion of boys.However, other research suggests that more than 80% of senior women business leaders played organized sports while growing up. Similar high proportions of female executives believe sport made them more disciplined, resilient and competitive in their careers.For example, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was once a competitive figure skater and tennis player. And many Olympic medalists are excellent role models for young women. But experts say women's sport needs better funding and more media coverage. And it is necessary to offer a large range of sports to attract different types of women.
研究表明，英国只有四分之一的女孩达到了专家目前建议的每周体育运动量，10岁以上的女孩定期参加运动的比例更是骤然下降。而且五分之一的女孩根本不参加任何体育运动，这个比例是男孩的两倍。然而，其他研究却显示，有超过80%的女性商界精英在青少年时期都参加过团队体育运动。还有同样高比例的女性高管认为，运动使她们在职业生涯中更严于律已，坚韧不拔，富有竞争力。例如，美国前国务卿赖斯曾是一名颇有实力的花样滑冰和网球运动员。很多奥运奖牌得主都是年轻女性的杰出榜样。但专家称女性体育运动的发展需要更多的资金投入和媒体报道，而且有必要提供多种运动项目来吸引不同类型的女性。
