“Just sport”? Think again: A look through the UN lens

The figures for the biggest sporting event on the planet highlight the trend that has been gathering momentum the world over, as multiple sports and their stakeholders chase the achievement of gender equality on their field of play. 

That aim within the sporting world reflects the much broader target that sits at number five in the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Sport has a role to play within that target area, with specific topics to address including disparities in leadership, safety and investment.

Why does sport matter?

The Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by 39-time tennis Grand Slam title winner and former world number one Billie Jean King in 1974, sums it up:

“Sport has been one of the most important socio-cultural learning experiences for boys and men for many years. Those same benefits should be afforded our daughters. It is important for all of us to know that:

• “High school girls who play sports are less likely to be involved in an unintended pregnancy; more likely to get better grades in school and more likely to graduate than girls who do not play sports.
• “Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression.
• “Girls and women who play sports have a more positive body image and experience higher states of psychological well-being than girls and women who do not play sports.”

In addition, just a few hours of exercise per week have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 60 per cent (a topic we explored as part of a look at breast injuries in handball) — just one significant example of the physical benefits of sport.

Away from health, girls who play team sports learn to work well in groups, which is crucial to success in almost any career. Findings have shown that 94 per cent of women in the so-called “C-suite” roles — that is, the highest-ranking executives in a company, such as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer — participated in sport in their youth, showing the value of sport in teaching characteristics such as determination, a strong work ethic and an ability to thrive in competitive environments.

With that in mind, drawing from the UN and their most important figures related to girls and women’s sport, we take a look at some of the standout facts around where women’s sport is at now on a global scale. 

Violence in sport

“Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive human rights challenges in the world today and is rooted in gender inequality, discrimination, and harmful cultural and social norms that emphasise men’s superiority over women and normalise violence toward women,” states the UN website.

“Sport both responds to and shapes the society in which we live — particularly with respect to norms around masculinity and gender, which in turn influence the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of men and women, boys, and girls, both on and off the playing field.”

Sport has provided one environment for sexism and violence against women and girls, but it also offers enormous potential to build gender equality and address the root causes. 

Key statistics:

• just over one in five, 21 per cent, of professional female athletes experienced sexual abuse as children in sport
• girls drop out of sport a twice the rate of boys by the age of 14 — a fact that could be relevant to the statistics surrounding violence: A girl who experiences abuse is far more likely to want away from the environment in which she experienced it
• women in other roles, such as coaches, reporters, therapists, referees and fans have been shown to experience violence in sports settings
• the UN states that women and girls from all cultures face this issue

Preventing violence against girls and women is a topic that falls under safeguarding, however, the safeguards designed to protect athletes from sexual and psychological abuse are often either ineffective or underfunded. On the other hand, other integrity measures such as doping and match fixing are well-resourced.

The role of sports federations in preventing sexual abuse

A well-known case of a blatant sexual transgression in a sports environment is that of the then Spanish Football Federation president kissing one of the players on the lips during the trophy ceremony at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

It took a suspension from FIFA, pressure from both the Spanish and world player rights organisations, a refusal to play for Spain on the part of the women’s national team and some male players, and clubs vocalising their support for the president to resign. Resign, rather than the federation enacting any kind of policy or punishment or choosing to remove him from his position.

Numerous individuals and external bodies had no hesitation in standing against the president’s actions, while the stance of the federation initially differed.

Why? The UN states, “Sports organisations have too often tried to cover up harassment and abuse to protect their reputations.” Here the UN highlights a case with USA Gymnastics. 

Starting in 2016, more than 140 gymnasts brought forward allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of a former USA Gymnastics team doctor — and also accused the organisation of allowing the abuse to occur. Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles came forward as one of those athletes.

“As I work towards my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused,” said Biles, highlighting how an athlete who continues in their sport after such an experience will be continually faced with their trauma.

Not every person is in the position to overcome such experiences. That does not make those people less strong. But it does emphasise the importance of sports organisations protecting their athletes and standing with them on the other side should any kind of violence occur.

EHF whistleblowing platform

The EHF is currently working towards an umbrella safeguarding policy and in the meantime commends those national federations that already have such a policy in place. A more thorough examination on safeguarding policies that exist in European handball is planned for Her Playground in the near future.

Meanwhile, what does exist on an EHF level is the whistleblowing platform, where any potential wrongdoings, across different areas including abuse and violence, can be reported. Find it here. 

Women the core target of online abuse in sport

The BBC has reported, based on a survey of elite women athletes, that over 30 per cent had experienced serious online abuse. The International Olympic Committee subsequently implemented a cyber abuse protection service for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Studies by World Athletics have found:

• 87 per cent of online abuse during Tokyo 2020 Olympics targeted female athletes
• two athletes were the target of 63 per cent of that abuse — both female; both black
• female athletes are subject to sexist, racist, transphobic and homophobic posts as well as unfounded doping accusations
• 40 per cent of abusive posts during the 2022 World Athletics Championships were either sexual abuse or sexualised
• almost 60 per cent of the overall abuse targeted female athletes

Representation in leadership: A driving force in equality

Just over one year ago, Kirsty Coventry became the first female president of the IOC.

Now, the IOC has:

• a ratio of 41 per cent female members — a 100 per cent increase compared to 2013
• more diversity in age and regions represented than ever before
• reached gender equality in their commissions, as of 2022 — also a 100 per cent increase compared to 2013
• 14 of 33 commissions led by female chairs
• 33 per cent women on the IOC Executive Board

Across all sports, just over 32 per cent of executive positions in international sports federations are female.

As the UN notes, the last decade has brought notable progress in female leadership in sport, but there are still gaps to address, especially away from governance.

At the Tokyo 2020 Games, only 13 per cent of coaches, across all sports, were women. Looking at handball, female coaches are overwhelmingly rare. At the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, only Montenegro and Austria were led by women on the bench: Suzana Lazovic and Monique Tijsterman, respectively. 

In football, only five per cent of registered coaches worldwide are female. More alarmingly, there were no women on the FIFA Executive Committee for more than 100 years. The first female General Secretary was appointed in 2016. Since then, the women’s game has shown rapid development — following real investment. 

The fight for investment and equal pay

Finance is a core topic under the “real investment” umbrella. Here there are multiple areas of relevance, including investment in marketing and promotion, TV rights, individual pay and prize money for events.

“Despite the many rapid gains, major gaps remain. Women athletes continue to struggle with fewer professional opportunities, a massive pay gap, fewer sponsorships, less airtime, and unequal playing conditions,” states the UN. 

With the subjects of investment and pay being so dense and broad themselves, here on Her Playground, they will be addressed as part of look at the global growth of women’s sport in terms of spectator and TV figures, as well as marketing and promotion. An examination that will continue our contribution to the goal of achieving gender equality, shared by sports federations and global human rights bodies, by understanding precisely where we are and how far we have to go. 

Photos © kolektiff images/Axel Heimken/Jozo Cabraja/Anze Malovrh/Uros Hocevar; Gunilla Mattsson/Tomas Pleiner; Tima Miroshnichenko