Gender equality in sports is a key issue in the fight for gender parity. Although Title IX and other policy initiatives have made great strides, the pay gap remains a barrier for female athletes. In the US, for example, male football players make forty times more money than their female counterparts. Megan Rapinoe, the captain of the world cup winning women’s US football team, has been one of many high-profile voices fighting for equal pay.
However, the challenges and barriers that female athletes face in sport are complex and influenced by broader social contexts in which stereotypes, biases, and discrimination still exist. Athletes and sports managers/teachers/coaches agreed on the existence of gender inequality in sport and identified strategies and tools to address it: increasing investment, awareness, and education; creating policies and legislation; fostering women’s leadership and role modeling; developing mixed and inclusive sports projects.
It was also found that there is a direct relationship between sports participation and attitudes towards gender equality in sport. The more an individual participates in sport, the more likely he/she is to support gender equality. This is in line with the findings that show a direct link between social movement action and supporting GE in sport (98-100).
This study suggests that it is important to listen to female players’ opinion when designing and implementing policies for gender equality in sports. This is especially important since they are the ones who witness gender inequalities on a daily basis.