Girls vs. Boys: Gender Integration in Youth Sports

One topic that has gotten a lot of attention on TV and on team websites is the issue of coed teams. Traditionally, leagues are separated along gender lines. In the older age groups, the difference between genders can be pronounced. Predominately, young men are bigger and stronger than young women, so the separation makes sense. Additionally, locker room culture prevents integration between sexes, as do requirements for equal opportunities.

But in the youth leagues, gender mixing can be beneficial to competition and can help promote equality. Girls often mature faster than boys, so up to and including puberty, the differences are muted. Plus, depending on the sport, size and strength advantages may not be the be-all, end-all. Here are a few examples and tips to consider if you’re thinking about including girls and boys on the same team or league:

• Ability should have the final say:
  If a girl has a mean throwing arm - like Mo'ne Davis did for Philadelphia’s Little League team - there is no reason to keep her off the squad. In fact, most of the boys on the team will probably support that. They want to have the best chance to win, and if that means accepting a girl as their pitcher, many of them will have no qualms with it. This also sends a message: no matter what, if you are good enough to make the team, you will make the team. Rather than playing a political game, give the girl a chance to prove herself.
• Play the numbers game:
  Some leagues, teams and schools are simply too small to field an entire team of one gender. In this case, it would be much better to form a single team including boys and girls than to forfeit the season entirely.
• Consider the sport:
  In cross-country meets, it is not uncommon for girls and boys to run in the same race, and be scored separately at the end of the race. This saves time and sunlight late in the fall season. Track and field is similar - during the 5k or 10k, which tends to spread out, take up time and feature a low number of athletes, meet directors will opt to run the men and women together, even in some collegiate meets.

It can be a difficult to do the right thing in this situation - someone will almost always be upset. But you can be the authority on the matter and use your sports team website to clarify your views.