It has been almost two years since Procter & Gamble, producer of Always, chose Linoy Ashram as the brand's spokesmodel in Israel. We chose her because in terms of values, we felt that this was the most accurate statement to send to teenage girls - believe in yourself, persevere in sports, even if not in a professional and all-embracing way, but as a hobby that will accompany them in life.
Ashram's story is thought-provoking about the role of sports in our lives, especially when it comes to young girls. A survey conducted by the Always brand in Israel shows that the vast majority of girls agree that during adolescence they felt a decrease in their self-confidence (91% of girls ages 16-24). Moreover, surveys show that the level of self-confidence decreases between the ages of 12 and 16, and it will not return to the same levels until she reaches the age of 37. That’s a long time!
Sport is of immense importance in everyday life, especially when it comes to young girls, even if only a few of us take the path of professionalism. Sports develop self-confidence and important life skills. Returning to the Always brand survey, women who played sports during adolescence reported that in addition to physical fitness, they developed important social traits and skills such as increased confidence (57%), improved teamwork skills (53%), better ability to cope with stress (44%) and long-term friendships (43%). Even the women themselves, in retrospect, believe that taking part in sports had a positive impact on the success of their future careers, and 66% believed that there was also a positive impact on their academic performance.
Despite all this data, almost one in three girls will stop taking part in sports during adolescence, mainly because she feels she is not good enough (28%). So, if we, as businesspeople, educators and parents want to reduce the gaps between women and men, we must strengthen girls’ self-confidence in their teenage years, which in reality is when these gaps begin. If we do not learn to strengthen our daughters, sisters, students and granddaughters, especially at this age, the gaps will continue with us going forward.
So just before Linoy Ashram competes at the Olympics, I want to say thank you to her and wish her well. Thanks to her, there are thousands of girls who believe in themselves, and that means the world to them.
Linoy, we believe in you, Always. Good luck.
This article was written in cooperation with Proctor & Gamble.