Major sports organisations including the English Football Association, Team GB and England Netball have backed the Equal Sport Project to drive gender equality across the industry, according to Bbc.
Recent research by Sporting Insights revealed that fewer than 1% of women working in sport believe gender equality has been achieved. More than half of surveyed women also think they earn less than men doing the same job, as reported by Bbc.
To tackle these disparities, the project has established five key priorities.
These focus on equal school access for girls, balanced relevance and revenue for women’s sports, a leveled workforce, redesigned governance structures, and equal access to facilities, according to Bbc.
Several institutions have already stepped up with concrete pledges.
Aquatics GB and the FA are prioritizing female leadership programs, while Sport England and UK Sport pledged to ensure their governance is designed by both men and women alongside funding partners, Bbc reported.
The Youth Sport Trust will help schools challenge stereotypes and build male allies for physical education.
The initiative also has the backing of the UK government, according to Bbc.
We have seen progress in women and girls’ sport, but there is still a long way to go.
Stephanie Peacock, sports minister
The government is supporting women’s sport through multiple avenues, including hosting the 2027 Tour de France Femmes Grand Depart and bidding for the 2035 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Authorities are also investing £400m in grassroots facilities, doubling priority pitch access for females, and chairing the Women’s Sport Taskforce, according to Bbc.
