Provincial requirement for female athletes could deter them from participating: sports psychologist

Concerns are being raised that Alberta's new fairness and safety in sports policy could actually result in more girls dropping out of sports.

Earlier this week, Alberta’s Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides defended a provincially mandated requirement for female athletes to disclose their sex at birth, saying many women and girls drop out of sports due to the “physical nature it can sometimes have.”

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The province’s new policy requires women and girls to confirm their sex at birth to ensure trans athletes are not competing in female divisions.

“We want to see women and girls continue to participate in sport activity and this will help to ensure that it is an absolutely fair and safe playing field,” said Nicolaides in an interview Monday.

But sports psychologist Katie Castle said the province could be doing other things to better ensure girls stay in sports.

She said the most common reasons girls leave competitive sports are related to body image, social pressures, bullying and the commitment needed for elite sports at a young age – not the physical demand of the sport itself.

Meanwhile, Castle said the policy is pulling kids into the debate which could ultimately discourage participation.

“They’re feeling influenced by the messages they’re seeing on social media or from their parents,” said Castle. “They may not know where they stand on this, but it’s an added stress, for sure. It’s kind of pulling kids into the argument and it’s a very complicated argument.”

She said while some young athletes may just be checking off a box, others may have strong feelings about the issue, even if it’s not relevant to them.

“Them filling out that form could mean they know someone who can’t participate now, or they are thinking about all of the kids who wouldn’t be able to or if their parents aren’t letting them fill out the form,” said Castle.

As the province calls the mandate a safety measure for young athletes, Castle said that evidence shows girls playing sports are more at risk of being abused from the adults around them.

“That is a much bigger risk factor for girls in sports than trans athletes, statistically,” said Castle. “If we had better policies regulating the adult behaviour around kids, that would statistically keep them safer than they are now.”

Under Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, which came into effect in late-August, girls under the age of 18 must disclose their sex at birth before playing competitive sports at school, post-secondary institutions and provincially recognized sports organizations

The ministry said there are no current plans to require young male athletes to do the same.