Many teachers justify pushing girls into netball and boys towards football to avoid sexual harassment or discrimination.
But Dr Lawson said the “controlled environment” of the school playing field was the “best opportunity these potential adults have to learn to respect each other”.
The comments come amid a continuing debate over standards of childhood exercise and physical activity, particularly among girls.
Research published earlier this month by the University of Pennsylvania found that the brains of men and women were wired up differently which could explain some stereotypical male and female behaviour.
But Dr Lawson said many differences were down to cultural reasons, with school sport acting as one of the key barriers to equality.
“If everyone trains and competes on equal terms, the biologically slower can up their game, and if the fast naturally rise to the top no one should object,” she said. “If we aspire to believe in individual variation over stereotyping, and equality of opportunity, then why not let our children start with that?”
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