Gender equality is a crucial issue across all aspects of society, and sports are no exception. The perceptions of dominance, physical strength and power typically portrayed by men manifest in violence against women, exploitation, non-inclusion and discrimination – a problem which needs to be addressed by changing the cultural narrative surrounding sport.
To do this, a number of actions can be taken. These can include establishing training programs for sports educators and coaches on gender equality and inclusion, promoting the participation of women in the governance of sporting organizations, setting up specific reporting mechanisms to identify and respond to discrimination and violence, and systematically collecting harmonized, gender-disaggregated data on these issues.
It is also important to promote awareness of the issue, and support the efforts of athletes and organisations who are tackling this. This can be done by raising awareness on social media, using the hashtags #WomenInSport and #Tokyo2020, as well as showing up at stadiums to cheer for female athletes who defy stereotypes and make us all proud.
There are significant geographical differences in attitudes towards gender equality in sport across Europe. For example, Nordic countries led by Sweden and Finland have relatively high Attitudes Towards Gender Equality in Sport (ATGEQS) scores, whereas Austria and Eastern European countries show much lower ATGEQS scores. This is likely due to a combination of strong traditional gender roles, conservative religiosity and older socio-political structures. These factors contribute to resistance against progressive gender equality initiatives and lower levels of support for women’s sports.