Empowering Women In Sports

There is no denying that Sports brings liberation of various kinds to its players. This liberation may be in the form of physical fitness or mental resilience, strength, and self-confidence. Women’s sports are often looked down on as boring or easy. The broadcasting media has become increasingly filled with sports engaging men and their achievements. We have hardly seen people talk about a woman sportsperson as passionately as for a man. Although there is a change in the scenario from how things used to be before for women, there is a lot that needs to be achieved and changed. With time, there are improvements in the way women in sports are viewed and valued but it needs to escalate more. 

According to the International Charter of Physical Education Physical Activity and Sport, adopted by UNESCO’s 38th Conference, women should be provided equal opportunities at all levels in sports. The three main types of interventions regarding this gender dimension of UNESCO are: a) to provide equal opportunities to women in sports, at all levels b) to protect them from harassment and any other abuse c) to use sports as a means of liberating them. It is remarkable to see a transition from a  period when women were not even allowed as spectators of a game, let alone participation, to today when there are programs and schemes being laid down for their participation and opportunities.

However, there are always certain loopholes when it comes to talking about statistics and the ground reality. Women today definitely possess the opportunity to play professional sports, there is a lot of stigmas attached to women’s sports and how they are yet less valuable. Not only do women have to take second jobs because of the pay disparity but their games are also valued less. They are broadcast or shown lesser than men sportsmen. Research also points out that there is a wide gap in numbers when it comes to women in the sports business vs men. This may either be due to a lack of opportunities and value or because of the pay disparity. There are schemes being laid down, opportunities being given to women, the perspectives yet haven’t undergone the ideal changes. If women are focused on, with training just as passionately as in the case of men, if they are given leadership roles in sports at all levels, the scenario is likely to change. 

We may be having them being broadcast on our T.V channels, sadly that is not the end of the story. It is a lot untouched in the liberation of women through sports. The idea needs to penetrate to the core in terms of opportunities, respect, value, pay as well as safety.

By- Alankrita 

Content- ‘https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-sport’