How to keep girls in the game after puberty

Kelly Wallace
By Kelly Wallace, CNN
6 minute read
Updated 12:23 PM EDT, Tue June 28, 2016
Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, knows a thing or two about competition. She was a member of the French national synchronized swimming team as a teen.
Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, knows a thing or two about competition. She was a member of the French national synchronized swimming team as a teen.
CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images
Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, was a two-sport athlete in college. She played on the lacrosse and squash teams at Princeton.
Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, was a two-sport athlete in college. She played on the lacrosse and squash teams at Princeton.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Ellen Kullman, who will be leaving her post as chief executive officer of DuPont at the end of October, played college basketball for two years at Tufts University.
Ellen Kullman, who will be leaving her post as chief executive officer of DuPont at the end of October, played college basketball for two years at Tufts University.
Richard Drew/AP
Indra Nooyi, chief executive officer of PepsiCo, grew up playing cricket and played the sport in college in India.
Indra Nooyi, chief executive officer of PepsiCo, grew up playing cricket and played the sport in college in India.
Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and chief executive officer of Mondelez International, played four varsity sports in high school -- volleyball, field hockey, softball and basketball -- and headed to Cornell University, where she played basketball.
Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and chief executive officer of Mondelez International, played four varsity sports in high school -- volleyball, field hockey, softball and basketball -- and headed to Cornell University, where she played basketball.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Mary Schapiro, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was a member of the lacrosse and field hockey teams at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania.
Mary Schapiro, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was a member of the lacrosse and field hockey teams at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
From age 9 to 14, Weili Dai, co-founder and president of Marvell Technology Group, played basketball in China.
From age 9 to 14, Weili Dai, co-founder and president of Marvell Technology Group, played basketball in China.
Scott Eells/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Beth Brooke-Marciniak, global vice chair of Ernst & Young, played college basketball at Purdue University in Indiana and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Beth Brooke-Marciniak, global vice chair of Ernst & Young, played college basketball at Purdue University in Indiana and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, former chief executive officer of Sunoco, played for the women's basketball team at Rice University in Texas.
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, former chief executive officer of Sunoco, played for the women's basketball team at Rice University in Texas.
Tim Rue/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Ana Gabriela Guevara, a senator in Mexico, won a silver medal in track and field at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Ana Gabriela Guevara, a senator in Mexico, won a silver medal in track and field at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
GDA/AP
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton played basketball, soccer, tennis and softball while growing up in Park Ridge, Illinois. "I was never a great athlete, but I loved sports," she said as secretary of state in 2012.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton played basketball, soccer, tennis and softball while growing up in Park Ridge, Illinois. "I was never a great athlete, but I loved sports," she said as secretary of state in 2012.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
Ellen Degeneres, host of "The Ellen Degeneres Show," played varsity tennis in high school in Atlanta, Texas.
Ellen Degeneres, host of "The Ellen Degeneres Show," played varsity tennis in high school in Atlanta, Texas.
James Devaney/GC Images/Getty Images
Actress and women's rights activist Geena Davis was a contender for a spot on the women's archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Actress and women's rights activist Geena Davis was a contender for a spot on the women's archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
John Phillips/Getty Images
Michelle Bachelet, the first female president of Chile, played volleyball in high school.
Michelle Bachelet, the first female president of Chile, played volleyball in high school.
Vivallo Onate/Agencia Makro/LatinContent/Getty Images
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" while playing basketball in high school.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" while playing basketball in high school.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Successful women who played sports

Editor’s Note: Kelly Wallace is CNN’s digital correspondent and editor-at-large covering family, career and life. Read her other columns and follow her reports at CNN Parents and on Twitter @kellywallacetv.

Story highlights

By age 17, most girls (51%) will have quit sports, according to a new survey

Survey: 7 out of 10 girls who quit sports after puberty didn't feel like they belonged

Sixty-one percent of female executives said sports contributed to their career success

CNN  — 

When I ask my girls, ages 8 and 10, what they want to be when they grow up, my younger daughter says a professional athlete (she’s not sure which sport just yet!) and my older daughter says an Olympian in track and field. With those goals, I simply cannot imagine they won’t be playing sports throughout middle and high school and beyond.

But the numbers tell a different story.

By the age of 14, girls are dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation.

And by age 17, after most girls have gone through puberty, more than half of girls – 51% – will have quit sports, according to a survey sponsored by Always, a maker of sanitary pads.

Like a girl video
From Always/Business Wire

How to teach girls to be confident #LikeAGirl

Seven out of the 10 girls who quit sports during puberty said they didn’t feel like they belonged in sports, according to the survey of more than 1,000 girls ages 16 to 24. Nearly the same number (67%) said they felt that society doesn’t encourage girls to play sports.

Hoping to change those numbers and keep more girls in the game, Always has come out with the latest installment in its viral #LikeAGirl campaign (the first #LikeAGirl video has been viewed nearly 100 million times around the world.)

The newest video, titled “Keep Playing,” features girls from around the world sharing the messages they’ve received about playing sports.