Promoting access to sport for adolescents: Equality and equity approaches

Personal preferences are often used as explanations for why some adolescents do not engage in sport. Yet, studies show that the determinants of participation versus non-participation in youth sport are related to inequities in access to sport, a public and political issue. This chapter presents a conceptual framework that can further our understanding of inequities in youth's access to organised sport. It draws on the conceptual distinction between equality and equity and reviews studies that illustrate these different understandings of how adolescents can access youth sport. In an equality perspective, all youths are offered the same resources in order to gain access to sport participation, regardless of individual backgrounds and needs. An equity approach, on the other hand, suggests that more resources be provided to those whose specific situations demand greater outreach and attention. This chapter ends by suggesting how both of these perspectives may contribute to understanding children's access to sport as a social issue, one that transcends personal preferences.