Having grown up in an apartment building in Dhaka, I was never allowed to join my male peers to go outside and play. For me – as well as most other girls – we had to be creative and redefine what a "playground" meant. Sometimes, the corridor connecting all our apartments became our cricket field. At other times, the dining table doubled as a table tennis court and the paper ball was a necessary substitute to avoid breaking any of our mothers' cherished glassware. On rare occasions, we would sneak upstairs to the rooftop to play badminton – constantly worrying about losing the cork to the ceaseless traffic ten stories below.

Even in this day and age, it appears to me that we keep regressing regarding issues centred around women. Our mothers often boast about how even a couple of decades back, they could spend all their evenings playing freely under the open sky. Why then were we denied that same freedom?

Maliha Muskan, a grade 11 student at Ideal School & College, Motijheel, says, "My mother would allow me to go play on the streets, based on the condition that I played where she could see me from the balcony of our home. Her focus would always be on what I was wearing. As a result, I had to constantly ask myself if I was covered up enough to be allowed downstairs." 

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Are we doing enough for aspiring young female athletes?

Evidently, another concern guardians often have is the unwelcoming and unsettling stares from strangers when women play in sportswear. Public spaces should be designed to be inclusive, yet they often fail to welcome women.

15-year-old student Nafisa* states, "I was playing badminton early one winter morning at the Dhanmondi Lake Park. Both my older sister and I were covered from head to toe. We had to change courts at least four times because a couple of strangers kept on closely watching us play, snickering and exchanging glances at each other."

For women, safety is a prerequisite for participation but even then, it is rarely if ever ensured.  

A lot of women try to tackle this issue by playing in groups, that include their male friends, hoping it wards off unwanted attention. But that approach invites a whole new set of issues. Noushin Siddique, a student at Mastermind English Medium School recalls, "Playing with my male cousins was as good as not playing at all. They would never pass me the ball. As a child, I don't remember a single time where I wasn't assigned the dudhbhaat (inactive player) label."

As it turns out, men often underestimate and even look down upon the athletic capabilities of their female counterparts regardless of how hard they work to prove themselves. In addition, the notion that men have to be present to act as a shield of protection for their female peers itself is defeating. After all, instances of women being assaulted by trusted individuals are not unheard of. 

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The state of sports in schools

Moreover, the patriarchal society sees no issue with adult men playing football in public spaces but sees middle-aged women playing sports in public as blasphemous. Even at family or corporate picnics, when all the men are assigned to play football matches, the ladies must make do with musical chairs. For many women, public spaces are not just areas for physical activity, they are battlegrounds for visibility, respect, and equality. Additionally, a lot of academic institutions don't have proper playgrounds or allow students the free time to go outside and play. Recent developments have seen some secure playgrounds pop up, but they remain accessible only to a few.

Access to public spaces is a fundamental right, yet for young girls, it remains a privilege. Playing outside with your friends and neighbours is a core and essential part of childhood that creates a way to form stronger bonds with your peers. It keeps you active and is perhaps the only way to help children discover their innate passion for a sport. Ensuring that girls are able to access and utilise public recreational areas without any hurdles is, therefore, very important. We must make the existing public spaces more secure and implement measures for greater inclusivity. All that, however, will be dictated by addressing and changing the impositions that are perpetuated by patriarchy. Only then can we ensure that women's enthusiasm to play is not met with exclusion.

As Maliha points out, "It's not just about me. It's about every little girl who dreams of playing freely, without fear or judgement."

*Names have been changed upon request.

Mahpara is freezing. Send her warm wishes at mahparafaatin@gmail.com