PE to PhD: Championing change for girls and women in physical activity and sport

International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on 8 March, recognises the achievements of women while highlighting the ongoing work needed to achieve gender equality. In 2026, the theme “Give To Gain” emphasises that supporting women through sharing knowledge, opportunities, resources, mentorship, and advocacy creates wider benefits for everyone and helps accelerate gender equality — a message that strongly resonates with Dr Emma Pollock’s journey from PE teacher to PhD championing change for girls and women in physical activity and sport.

“Girls aren’t interested in sport and being active.”

At 14, I started coaching tennis after years of playing competitively, and I quickly discovered my love for teaching and mentoring young people. I was passionate about empowering children and youth through sport and physical activity… and I still am.

I studied to become a PE teacher at the University of Newcastle and was lucky to secure casual teaching around the Newcastle area. For around eight years, I juggled multiple roles: teaching, tennis coaching, and running my own small multi-sport program for primary schools (yes, I even dressed up as a mascot star – the things you do for your own business!). The more I taught, the deeper my love for PE grew. I thrived on supporting students, especially those who needed a little extra encouragement.

But I also started noticing something that stayed with me.

There were clear differences in the way boys and girls engaged with PE, sport, and community sport. I often heard the same tired lines in the staffroom or clubhouse:

“The girls just aren’t interested.”

“She ‘forgot’ her PE uniform again.”

“Her skill level is so low, it’s embarrassing.”

These comments weren’t just dismissive, they reflected a broader issue. And I couldn’t ignore it.

A pivot I didn’t see coming

One day, a researcher reached out and encouraged me to try university lecturing. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I gave it a go. It turned out to be a turning point in my career.

Through lecturing, I was introduced to the world of research and teaching student teachers. I began learning about intervention design, running trials in schools, working with teachers and students, and supporting whole communities. One opportunity led to another, and I became a research assistant working on school and community-based physical activity interventions, and before I knew it, I’d enrolled in a PhD in Education at the University of Newcastle.

At first, research was intimidating. I didn’t think of myself as a writer, I was the practical one who could throw, kick, catch, bounce. I hated English at school and was terrified I’d be chained to a desk for years. (Spoiler: a PhD does involve a lot of desk time.)

But I came to love it. Research allowed me to ask questions and work through solutions. It enabled me to collaborate with passionate people, develop programs and resources, support teachers and students, and evaluate impact. It was dynamic, creative, and practical – just like teaching.

Research with purpose

My PhD focused on a father-daughter physical activity program targeting primary school-aged girls, with a specific focus on addressing gender inequalities in physical activity in sport. This work completely shifted my perspective, not just as a researcher, but as a woman.

Worldwide, girls are significantly less likely than boys to meet physical activity guidelines. These disparities persist across childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood, contributing to potential poorer physical and mental health outcomes for females over the lifespan. Lower levels of physical activity in girls are associated with increased risks of non-communicable diseases, reduced mental wellbeing, lower self-esteem, and missed social and leadership opportunities that sport and activity often provide. These gaps are not simply the result of individual choice, they’re shaped by complex, intersecting social, cultural, environmental, and institutional factors. Girls and women face a wide range of deeply ingrained barriers to being active: fear of judgement, gender stereotypes, low confidence or perceived competence, inaccessible facilities, clothing and hygiene concerns, cost, body image issues, lack of female role models, unsupportive messaging, and environments not designed with them in mind.

The more I explored the barriers girls face in sport and physical activity, I began to reflect on my own experiences:

• Calling myself a “tomboy” rather than just an active girl
• Wearing skirts at school that made it hard to be active during recess and lunch breaks
• Watching boys get more opportunities in representative sport at school
• Seeing men scheduled on the centre court while women played on the back courts
• Being denied tennis club membership because of my gender
• Receiving comments on my appearance, not my skill
• And the list goes on…

And that’s my story as a relatively privileged female in a metro area. What about the girls and women who don’t have those supports, who face greater barriers due to geography, culture, or socioeconomic status?

Turning passion into impact

Fast forward to today. I now work in health promotion, supporting schools to implement evidence-based healthy eating and physical activity practices and am a Conjoint Lecturer at the University of Newcastle with the National Centre of Implementation Science. I’m part of a body of work called Good for Girls, Good for Life which aims to develop scalable, innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions to improve girls’ and women’s experiences in sport and physical activity.

I lead research into daily sport uniform policies in schools, explore how school playgrounds can better support girls’ active play, and run a growing initiative called The Teacher Collective. Through this collective, we engage a cohort of NSW teachers and educators to share their insights on priority health promotion issues, not just to support students, but to support you, the educator. (Shameless plug to sign up: https://www.goodforkids.nsw.gov.au/teacher-collective/!)

A message to teachers and educators

Do I miss being with students every day? Absolutely. But what keeps me going is knowing I can now contribute at a broader level, connecting with more teachers, students, parents, community members and stakeholders to create meaningful, lasting change.

I have so much admiration for you, the teachers and educators who show up every day, often under tough conditions, giving your all. Your work matters more than you know.

And to those girls who skipped PE or ‘forgot’ their uniforms – I think of you often. Now I understand:

• You might have had your period.
• The activity wasn’t inclusive.
• The boys dominated.
• Your uniform was uncomfortable.
• You were embarrassed.
• You were judged.
• You didn’t feel safe.
• You weren’t the problem. The environment was.

Without limits, activity for everybody

My passion now is to empower, not only girls and women themselves, but the people around them who can lift them up. Imagine a world where women and girls had no limits to be active…

If my journey resonates with you, if you’ve seen similar barriers, or want to help break them down, I’d love to connect. Together, we can create environments where every girl and woman feels she belongs, that she’s capable, and that she’s free to move.

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