By Eain Quantrill
Historically, sports have been a male-dominated space but as time progresses, this is becoming less and less the case. In the last decade, great strides have been made in improving gender equality in sports, to give women an equal footing with men and to develop women’s sports.
However, can we realistically say that there is true gender equality in sports at this point in time? Probably not. We are getting close, though, and we only have to look at the current state of gender equality in the Olympics, which shows that the representation of male and female athletes is split 50.93% to 49.07%.
This is the closest it has ever been and shows a great improvement. But this is just one event and the world is full of sporting competitions, leagues and tournaments. Below, we take a look at the feasibility of gender equality in sports, and the factors that will affect this ever happening.
What factors affect the quest for gender equality in sport?
Gender equality in sports – or indeed in any industry – is a complex and multi-faceted thing. It’s not a simple case of getting more women involved in sports. There has to be the right cultural context, financing, support and exposure for equality to become a reality, and these are some of the factors we discuss below.
Investment and financing for women’s sport
Behind everything, there is always the factor of money and investment. For gender equality to be achieved, women’s sport has to have improved investment and financing to be on a level with men’s sport. This includes many aspects, such as women’s pay, team equipment, training facilities and the underlying infrastructure of leagues and competitions that women compete in.
Media exposure for women’s sporting events
The media is one of the driving forces behind sports and their exposure, and this is actually one of the areas where we are seeing the most rapid change. You only have to look at recent events like the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the fantastic audience attendance and TV coverage that it got.
The same can be said for the WNBA, as this women’s basketball league is seeing a surge in popularity and media exposure due to bright young stars such as Caitlin Clarke and Angel Reese. We need to see this continuing to happen and for media companies to invest more in women’s sport coverage.
Cultural disparities
Unfortunately, we live in a world where some cultures still hold women back as second-class citizens. There are many countries where women have limited rights, and the expectations of what they should do are completely different to many modern nations.
In countries where women still aren’t allowed to drive or vote, how can we expect them to be allowed to play sports? This is part of a larger cultural issue and is going to be one of the most difficult aspects to change. Over time, we are seeing progress, and this type of thinking is becoming less and less apparent.
However, it’s not completely gone from the world, and it’s difficult to see true gender equality in sports while this is the case. Changing cultural disparities will take pressure from other nations, plus trailblazer women standing up for their rights and wanting to make a difference.
The visibility of women in leadership roles
Change will be slower to happen if there are limited women in leadership roles. Of course, plenty of men want to push for gender equality too, and understand its importance, but change will happen quicker and more decisively with women in positions of power.
They also need to be visible – to make their opinions heard and actively fight for the cause. This can be at any level or any involvement in sports, such as female PE teachers at school through to female leaders for sports organizations and governing bodies like FIFA and the Olympic Committee.
Investment in the younger female generation
As is the case with most initiatives, the younger generation is the key for development and change. We have to be able to invest in the younger generation of females and get them involved in sports. This means improved facilities and physical education starting as early as primary schools.
Girls should be given exactly the same sporting opportunities as boys, and schools should strive to have girls’ teams for sports like football and basketball. The more we can get our younger generation interested in sport, the quicker change will come.
Gender equality in sports is possible, but work still needs to be done
With worldwide events like the Olympics making a push for gender equality – and showing that it can be achieved – we are certainly hopeful that this mantra can be used across all sports. Indeed, if you look at the sporting landscape today, compared to one or two decades ago, the difference is immense.
However, the point is that it’s still not perfect, and while the progress is fantastic, more can be done. From the pointers we’ve discussed, it’s clear that investment and financing needs to change, and there needs to be more investment in sports for females when they’re at a younger age.
With this should come improved media exposure, and this can all be spearheaded by more women being appointed in leadership roles in the sports industry. A more difficult barrier to overcome, though, is cultural disparities, and changing the negative and derogatory attitudes towards women that some nations still have may take longer to achieve.
