Sports are an important way for women and girls to learn teamwork, self-reliance, resilience and confidence. They also defy gender stereotypes and social norms, making them inspiring role models. But misogyny and other forms of discrimination are still widespread. This article highlights the challenges and opportunities to drive gender equality in sports.
Women and girls who are excluded from sport experience a range of negative health impacts, including mental illness (like anxiety and self-harm) and physical inactivity. These health issues could be eased if more women and girls participated in sport. In addition to reducing health inequalities, gender equality in sports would help tackle sexism and heteronormativity, which are often linked with misogyny.
Despite progress since Title IX, there is still much work to do. Achieving gender equality in sport requires a holistic approach, from policymaking and investments to awareness and representation. This includes targeted economic incentives for female athletes, balanced media coverage and mechanisms to report incidents of discrimination.
The gender equality in sports movement is led by many inspiring women and men, but it will only be successful if the entire community of stakeholders takes action. This includes players, coaches, fans, the media and sports leaders.
The recent study on attitudes towards GE in sports finds that the more people participate in sports, the higher their support for GE. However, the study also points to large regional and socio-political differences in attitudes towards GE in sport. This is consistent with previous research that links high GE support to social liberal politics and a rejection of cultural and national identity as an affront to rapid social change (93-95). This politicisation of GE in sport highlights the need for a critical assessment of how a diverse set of political actors are positioning themselves in the gender equality movement.