Socio-cultural Factors and the Active Leisure Industry

Who gets to take part

Sport should be open to everyone, but in practice some people take part more than others, and it is worth understanding why. Socio-cultural factors such as age, gender, disability, ethnicity and how much money or time a person has can all affect participation. When a group takes part less, it is almost never because they are less able; it is because barriers stand in the way, such as cost, a lack of accessible facilities, or few role models to look up to. The good news is that barriers can be removed. Media coverage and sponsorship help by raising the profile of sport, and the active leisure industry provides sport in three ways: public, private and voluntary. This module covers the factors affecting participation, the barriers and how to remove them, and the types of provision.

Socio-cultural words

Learn these terms before the barriers are matched up. They name who takes part and how sport is provided.

Match each barrier to a way to reduce it

Public against private provision

Sport is provided in different ways, and each type of provision suits different needs.

What reduces a barrier?

The cost of joining a club stops some people from taking part. What best reduces this barrier?

• Subsidised or free sessions
• Raising the price even further
• Doing nothing at all
• Limiting places to those who can pay

Sport for everyone, not just some

Everyone should be able to take part in sport, whatever their age or background, and whether or not they have a disability. When a group takes part less, that is almost never because they are less able; it is because barriers stand in the way, such as cost, a lack of accessible facilities, a lack of time, or few role models to look up to. The task is to remove those barriers: subsidise sessions, make facilities accessible, offer flexible times, run beginner sessions, and give a wide range of people role models to see. Public, private and voluntary providers all have a part to play. So when you answer a question on participation, name the barrier, then name a fair way to remove it, and keep the focus on opening sport up rather than on judging who takes part.

Pick the factors affecting participation

Select every socio-cultural factor that can affect whether someone takes part in sport.

• A person age
• Gender
• Cost or income
• The colour of the kit
• Only the day of the week

Order how to widen participation

Put the steps of widening participation in a sensible order.

• Identify who is taking part less than others
• Find out the barriers they face
• Put in place ways to remove those barriers
• Promote the activity to that group
• Review whether participation has improved

Complete the participation facts

Taking part in sport is _____. Something that stops someone taking part is a _____. Making sport open to everyone is _____. Sport provided by local councils and often subsidised is _____ provision.

Tap the two ways to promote inclusion

Tap the TWO actions that help make sport more inclusive.

• adding ramps and adapted equipment
• offering subsidised sessions
• raising membership prices
• reducing the opening hours

A gym with a step at the door

Picture a brand new gym, full of the best equipment, but with a single step up to the front door and no ramp. For most people that step is nothing. For someone who uses a wheelchair, that one step is a wall, and everything inside might as well not exist. The gym would say it is open to all, but in practice it is not. Taking part in sport is full of steps like this, some physical, some about cost, time or confidence. The fix is rarely to change the person; it is to find the step and build a ramp. So when you look at why a group takes part less, look for the step at their door, and ask how it could be removed rather than assuming the group simply does not want to be there.

The participation run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Widen access for each group

Read each situation and choose the fairest answer.

• Cost stops some young people from joining a club. What is a fair way to help?
• A leisure centre wants to include people who use wheelchairs. What should it do?
• A group takes part in sport less than others. What is the fair conclusion?

Build a participation sentence

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about taking part in sport.

Explain what affects taking part in sport

A friend thinks some groups just do not like sport. Using what you have learned, explain what really affects whether people take part, and how sport is made open to all.

• Explain the socio-cultural factors that affect participation
• Explain what a barrier is, with an example
• Explain how barriers can be removed
• Explain the public, private and voluntary types of provision
• Explain why the focus should be on removing barriers, not judging who takes part