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UNESCO released ‘Sport and Gender Equality Game Plan’

Posted 26 Jul 2024

2 min read

Released just before the Olympic Games, it highlights persistent gender gap in sports and provides guidance for gender-transformative sport policies and programmes. 

Key Observations

  • Sexual Abuse: 21% of women athletes (and 11% of men) reported experiencing at least one form of sexual abuse as a child in sport.
  • High Dropout in Sports: 49% of girls drop out of sports during adolescence – 6 times higher compared to boys.
    • Factors for high attrition include lack of women role models, concerns around safety, lack of confidence and negative body image. 
  • Inequality: Pay gap in professional sport is evident from absence of women in the list of 50 highest paid athletes in the world.
  • Lack of women’s leadership: In 2023, only 30% of the world’s largest sports federations were chaired by women.

Four Actions Suggested by Game Plan

  • Harness the power of sports to change attitudes through sport media coverage and tackle root causes of gender inequalities.
  • Champion gender equality in sport leadership, governance and decision-making.
  • Develop capacity and soft and hard infrastructure through gender-responsive budgeting and closing funding gaps.
  • Commit to ending all forms of gender-based violence in sport. 

India’s Initiatives to Promote Women in Sports

  • Khelo India Scheme: Its “Sports for Women” component is specifically dedicated towards promotion of sports among women. 
  • ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women through Action) Portal giving identity to women athletes. 
  • Khelo India Dus ka Dum: Sports competition conducted on International Women’s Day 2023.
  • Tags :
  • UNESCO
  • Gender Gap
  • Girls in Sport
  • Olympics
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