Columnist Rachel Beckett is a Stroud-based writer and thinker who is concerned about making the world a better place.

An author, publisher and mother, Rachel will be sharing her thoughts with readers every month.

WHEN a recent story about soaring obesity rates hit the headlines it was accompanied by an observation that women are more at risk than men of leading ‘sedentary lifestyles’.

I didn’t find this hard to believe. I know more ‘ladies who lunch’ (guilty as charged…) than ladies who punch (I used to do karate, but now spend more time having lunch…).

Although we’re loath to admit it, the prevailing feminine stereotype undervalues attributes like strength, fitness, boldness and assertiveness.

The image in advertising of the ideal woman as a helpless, unhappy, waif-like girl promotes learned helplessness and lack of self-belief that can lead to many problems. Anorexia is a recognised risk, but the pressure to be passive can also lead to lethargy and obesity.

Women are hampered in their ability to develop self-confidence and fulfil their potential.

And it seems to have got even worse in recent years. Where, today, are the rugged tomboys, Nancy and Peggy Blackett of Swallows and Amazons?

One benefit of a single-sex girls’ school, such as Stroud High, is that young women are not subject to the prevailing stereotype or the pressure to present themselves as ‘babes’ for the boys. They are free to be Amazons!

Girls also need strong role models. In terms of fitness this means seeing more women’s sport on TV.

A few days ago, I was inspired by the sight, on television, of eight super-fit Cambridge University women rowing to a magnificent victory in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

Their physical achievement was superb. But there was something else that really struck me about these women – their sheer euphoria afterwards: every single one of them, despite being exhausted, beaming with pure joy at what she had accomplished.

This too breaks down a stereotype, because those social talents of laughter and humour, invariably seen as attractive in men, are perhaps deemed less intrinsic to the female disposition.

I have noticed this when participating in amateur dramatics. Whereas funny roles for men are often coupled with characteristics like youth, adventurousness and sex appeal, female comic characters are nearly always post-menopausal.

There is a sense that women can be laughed at – for all the wrong reasons – but are not called on to make jokes or laugh.

So women who don’t fit the norm may struggle with an identity crisis. Not liking the stereotypes fencing them in, they need to rebel – in some cases questioning their actual gender identity.

One answer is to give girls wider options from an early age. My five-year-old niece, with encouragement from her father, is already a keen footballer who plays in goal for her local junior team.

So let’s hear it for Swallows and Amazons – Amazons especially. We need more Nancy Blacketts with a sense of adventure, a strong, fearless personality, and the willingness to throw back their heads and laugh at the sheer pleasure of success.