Gender equality in sports has always been a challenge. Despite the many benefits of sport for both men and women, gender stereotypes in the media have created an image of sports as a world of male dominance, physical strength, and power. These stereotypes can create an environment that makes female athletes feel as if they are not welcome in the sport, and can lead to misogyny and sexism. It is time to put a stop to this.
It will take both men and women to stamp out misogyny in sports. Male allies who understand that sexism in sports is not just a problem for women, but a problem for all people, will be vital in changing attitudes and behaviour. The goal is to ensure that all women and girls have equal access to sport.
A recent study by UNESCO, based on a series of focus groups with women athletes and coaches, managers, and physical education teachers, highlighted that gender inequality in sports is rooted in the structure of society. The participants described challenges, obstacles, and needs in relation to the implementation of gender equality practices, such as: financial support for women athletes; psychological support; political support; visibility in the media; dual careers; and adaptations of training to physiological characteristics.
The research identifies geographical, social and cultural differences across Europe on attitudes towards gender equality in sports. It uses the Special Eurobarometer 525 (2022) to construct a synthetic indicator of Europeans’ attitudes towards gender equality in sport (ATGEQS), applies Latent Profile Analysis and Multinomial Logistic Regression to cluster the data, and identifies the main determinants of those attitudes.