GENDER & SPORT Mainstreaming Gender in Sports Projects

GENDER & SPORT

1

Contents

SDC and Sport for Development 2

Why is it important to look at gender and sport? 4The role of social constructions of masculinity and femininity 4Practical barriers to participation in sport 5Why gender equality in sport? 5Why sport for gender equality? 6The Brighton Declaration and the Windhoek Call for Action 7

Case Studies 8Population Council, Kenya 8«Sport pour la Paix», Ivory Coast 8Ishraq, Egypt 9

How to mainstream gender equality in sports projects and programmes 10 Analysis 11Consultation 12Planning 13Implementation 14Monitoring and Evaluation 15

Further Resources 16

GENDER & SPORT

2

In November 2003, UN Resolution 58/5was adopted which called on governments touse sport as a means to promote education,health, development and peace. 2005 is theInternational Year for Sport and PhysicalEducation. From professional, elite and inter-national sporting competition to gamesplayed within communities and educationalinstitutions, sport can be used to worktowards a number of development goals,including:n Human development; improving public

health and wellbeing, supporting educati-on and leisure activities

n Social development; promoting stability,tolerance, social inclusion and community-building

n Economic development; fostering invest-ment and employment opportunities

n Political development; promoting peaceand respect for the rules of democracy

Sport covers a wide range of activities; physi-cal, recreational and competitive.International football, dhow boat racing,

wrestling and chess are examples of sportsthat could be looked at in a developmentcontext.

SDC sees sport as a low-cost, high-impactintervention. Until recently however, there wasno coherent thinking on sport and develop-ment. Sports projects were supported bydevelopment agencies, including SDC, on acase-by-case basis. SDC supports projectsand programmes, communication campaigns,conferences and festivals, and provides fundsfor sports infrastructures and equipment. Itfocuses on targeting marginalised groups –ethnic minorities, women, disabled people,child soldiers – and gives support to NGOs,aid agencies and sports associations. SDCSports Policy is implemented in cooperationwith the Swiss Federal Department ofDefence, Civil Protection and Sports and ope-rates within the framework of the MagglingenDeclaration.

SDC and Sportfor Development

GENDER & SPORT

3

The Magglingen Declaration on the role ofsport in development was signed inSwitzerland in 2003. Following theMagglingen Conference, an internationalplatform for Sport and Development was esta-blished bringing together representatives fromthe UN, international and national sportsfederations, NGOs and other sports bodies.A database of sport and development pro-jects worldwide can be accessed at:http://www.sportanddev.org/. TheMagglingen Declaration defines sport as ahuman right. However, although all sectionsof the recommendations refer to the impor-tance of including women and other margina-lised groups in sports initiatives, and althoughthe need to eliminate gender stereotyping ismade explicit, there is otherwise little recogni-tion of the gendered nature of sport.

GENDER & SPORT

4

Sport is a social and cultural process in which social constructions of masculinity andfemininity play a key role:n Sport is traditionally associated with «mas-

culinity». In many societies, it is consid-ered inappropriate for women to engagein sports, and women who do may beperceived as «masculine». Conversely,men who do not engage in sports or whoare not talented in sports may be labelledas «unmanly». Yet, it is evident that thereis no one masculinity or femininity, andsport could provide a space where mas-culinity and femininity are re-negotiatedrather than re-affirmed in their dominantacception.

n The practice of sport is related to a num-ber of assumptions about «work» and«leisure», which are often lived differentlyby men and women. Caring for the sickand elderly, raising children, and otherwork in the home – «reproductive» activi-ties still predominantly carried out bywomen and girls – are generally notsocially and economically recognized as«work». «Productive» activities exercisedoutside the home and recognized as«work» – and in particular when they areperformed by men – bring with them the

right to have time off «work» for leisure.n Some societies value sport as «produc-

tive» in that it contributes to the physicalhealth of the workforce, especially thatengaged in manual labour. Despite thefact that, at least in some markets, anincreasing number of women compose theworkforce, sports may be valued whenpracticed by men and be seen as a wasteof time when practiced by women.

n Women and men tend to engage in differ-ent types of physical activity and their atti-tudes towards sport may be very different.The competitive dimensions of many sportsmay for some be at the heart of the game,while for others, sports may simply be anopportunity to get together. Being identi-fied and identifying oneself as belongingto a particular «culture», «ethnic» group,socio-economic class or caste also plays arole in how one engages in sports.

Women, and eventually men too, may face a number of practical barriers to participationin sport:n In addition to a general lack of safe and

appropriate sport facilities, lack of skills,resources, and technical support, womenmay face additional physical constraints

Why is it important to look gender and sport?

GENDER & SPORT

5

including lack of time, lack of childcarefacilities.

n Women may be particularly exposed tophysical and/or verbal sexual harassmentas well as other dangers related to partici-pation in sports programmes, because oflocation and time of day, for instance.

n There is a lack of female role modelsincluding women coaches or «leaders».Women are under-represented in decision-making bodies of sporting institutions.

Why gender equality in sport? Gender equality is a fundamental goal ofdevelopment and belongs to the basic anduniversally recognized civil, cultural, econom-ic, political and social rights. The aim of theSDC Gender Equality Policy is to ensure thatall SDC interventions increase women andmen’s opportunities to exercise their rightsequally and gain equal access to and controlover the benefits of development.

Worldwide, women are less frequently seenparticipating in sports activities than men.Sport can promote mental and physical well-being, and studies have shown that it reducesthe risk of chronic diseases later in life. Thussport for girls as well as for boys should beencouraged.

Women are also under-represented in thedecision-making bodies of sporting institu-tions. Increased participation by womenwould diversify the talent pool of administra-tors, coaches and officials. Sport-relateddevelopment projects would become moreeffective in reaching all groups within targetpopulations and communities.

GENDER & SPORT

6

Why sport for gender equality?As well as working towards gender equalityin terms of participation in sports activitiesand institutions, there are also ways in whichsport can help promote broader genderequality objectives (e.g. rights and empower-ment). Sport can give women and girlsaccess to public spaces where they can gath-er, develop new skills together, gain supportfrom others and enjoy freedom of expressionand movement. It can promote education,communication, negotiation skills and leader-ship, all of which are essential for women’sempowerment.

Sport can develop girls’ and women’s senseof ownership over their bodies, increase theirself-esteem and better enable them to makechoices about their lives, including their sexu-al activity. In situations of deprivation andinequality, such a sense of ownership overone’s own body is all the more important.Moreover, sport can provide a channel forinforming girls and women about reproduc-tive health and other health issues, particular-ly young unmarried women who may notreceive such information.

GENDER & SPORT

7

International Measures to Promote Women’s Participation in Sport - The Brighton Declaration and the WindhoekCall for ActionThe First World Conference on Women and Sport was held in Brighton, UK in 1994. It led to the Brighton Declaration and the establish-ment of the International Working Group on Women and Sport. In 1995, sport was included in the Beijing Platform for Action (para-graphs 83, 107, 290) and subsequently in the Beijing+5 outcome document five years later. The Second World Conference on Womenand Sport took place in Windhoek, Namibia in 1998. The Windhoek Call for Action goes beyond pushing for women’s participation insport to promoting sport as a means of realizing broader goals in health, education and women’s human rights – an idea further promot-ed at the Third World Conference on Women and Sport in Montreal, Canada in 2002. This involves integrating sport within communitydevelopment projects, information campaigns around health and other issues, and national advocacy campaigns for gender equality andwomen’s rights.

The Brighton Declaration calls for:n Equity and equality in society and sportn Planning, design and management of sports facilities to meet the needs of women n Leadership, including increasing the number of women coaches, advisers and decision-makers n Education, training and development programmes that address gender equality n Information and research on women and sport n Resources for sportswomen and for targeted programmes to increase women’s participation in sportn Domestic and international cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and experiences

Windhoek Call for Action calls for:n Greater cooperation between different agencies responsible for women’s issues in sport and between these agencies and other actors

working for women’s rights and gender equality.n ODA programmes to «provide equal opportunities for girls’ and women’s development and recognize the potential of sport to achieve

development objectives».

GENDER & SPORT

8

Case Studies

Mathare Youth Sports Association(MYSA), Kenya – the PopulationCouncilMYSA was set up in 1987 to link sport,youth development and environmental acti-vism. It now implements an HIV/AIDS edu-cation programme and a football pro-gramme and offers other community services(e.g. rubbish collection) and educationalactivities. MYSA did not simply design pro-grammes for girls based on those for boys,but designed projects that took into accountthe specific physical and social constraintsgirls faced. To gain support from within thecommunity, and in particular from parents,MYSA staff and members went to indivi-duals’ homes, talked with parents and gotthem involved in the project. Parents wholived nearby MYSA also very simply couldsee what MYSA was doing with the childrenin the fields and this made many of themallow their daughters to take part in the pro-ject.

"Sport pour la Paix" in the IvoryCoast – Swiss Agency forDevelopment and CooperationAddressing gender-based exclusion fromsports is not just about «letting womenplay». It is about showing a marked commit-ment to understanding the barriers girls mayface in sport, and ensuring their full andmeaningful participation. A programme inthe Ivory Coast is doing just that. Sport pourla Paix (Sport for Peace) was launched inOctober 2003. Over 1’600 young peoplehave since taken part in the programme.The programme is seen as part of the recon-ciliation process after years of religious andethnic conflicts. It brings together youngpeople with little or no formal educationfrom different ethnic, political and religiousgroups. One third of the young peopleinvolved in Sport pour la Paix are girls.They participate in regular training, 2 or 3times a week, in open spaces of the cities ofGuiglo, Man and Duékoué. To make iteasier for girls to get involved in the pro-gramme, warm-up exercises are replacedby music and dance. In addition, girls haveto be represented amongst the «peer lea-ders» who provide support to other mem-bers of the group. Finally, the president ofthe Ivory Coast’s «Women’s Parliament» (agroup of 3’000 women, belonging to apeace movement) has championed the pro-gramme and provided high-level support formaking the programme more gender-sensi-tive.

GENDER & SPORT

9

Ishraq – Safe Spaces to Learn, Playand Grow (Egypt)Ishraq was set up for girls in rural UpperEgypt who were not attending school andwere at risk from early marriage and femalegenital mutilation (FGM). The project takes a«holistic approach» combining literacy clas-ses with training in life skills such as agricul-ture and sports. Sessions are conductedduring «girls only hours» at village YouthCentres. It also works with community lea-ders, parents and boys to change attitudestowards the empowerment of girls. The pro-ject aims at encouraging girls to exertinfluence over the timing of marriage sothey may get an education. It also aims atchanging attitudes towards FGM and thedivision of labour within the household.Many of the girls participating in the pro-gramme have since gone on to formalschooling. Taking a «holistic approach»rather than focusing solely on literacy trai-ning has led to longer and more meaningfulparticipation in the programme, and hasresulted in significant changes in attitudestowards marriage and gender relations. In-depth research and analysis (baseline study)conducted at community level during theplanning stage provided the basis formaking the programme a success. The base-line was then used in the monitoring andevaluation of the programme. Qualitativeand quantitative data was collected, andparents and boys’ reactions to the pro-gramme were recorded.

Source: Alyce Abdalla and Ray Langsten,«Bringing Sports and Opportunities to Girls inRural Egypt», Al-Raida 21/22, Summer/Fall2004-2005

GENDER & SPORT

10

This section provides insight into how to main-stream gender equality in sport and develop-ment projects. It covers all stages of projectcycle management: analysis, consultation,planning, implementation, monitoring andevaluation. For each stage, it lists key ques-tions to prompt discussion and reflection,together with additional information and sug-gestions for improving practice.

AnalysisQuestion: Has a gender-relevant baselinestudy been conducted?Gender experts with a sound knowledge ofthe context in which the project/programmeis to operate should be called in to carry outa gender analysis (including the collection ofgender-disaggregated data). A gender analy-sis should cover:

How to mainstream gender equality insports projects and programmes

Gender MainstreamingMainstreaming gender equality involves a three-pronged approach:

a) Gender as a transversal theme (minimum requirement); integrating genderin the analysis, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of all proj-ects/programmes;

b) Gender-specific programmes; initiatives/budgets addressing specific gen-der issues;

c) Engendering organisations; integrating gender in procedures, staff compe-tence, budgets, partnerships, organisational culture, and equal opportuni-ties policy.

Gender mainstreaming entails looking at how the «reproductive», «produc-tive», «community-managing» and «constituency-based politics» roles arenegotiated between and among women and men, analysing women's andmen's level of access to and control over resources (e.g. power, information,income, assets, etc.), and considering their practical and strategic genderneeds. This means going beyond noting that women are often excluded fromsport. In order to avoid reinforcing inequalities and crude stereotyping, proj-ects should demonstrate an understanding of the gendered nature of sport (seecase studies above), of particular contexts and power dynamics, of the barri-ers different groups and individuals face in gaining access to and control overresources, and of their own perceived needs and interests. Consultations withthese different groups and individuals are essential.

GENDER & SPORT

11

Policy environmentn National commitments to gender equality

made under the Convention on theElimination of All Forms of DiscriminationAgainst Women (CEDAW) and the BeijingPlatform for Action, and the existence of aNational Women’s Machinery;

n Existing national legislation that guaran-tees equal access and opportunities insport;

n National sports federations and Olympiccommittees;

n National sports policies; n Relevant national health and education

policies;n Details of who currently sets priorities and

what the criteria are;n Existing donor initiatives, funding from

donor agencies;n Lessons learnt from previous sports pro-

grammes;n Budgetary allocations from national, local

or municipal governments.

Society and culturen Overall participation of men and women

in sport and physical activity; n Participation of men and women in organ-

ised sports;n Attendance of men and women at sport-

ing events;n Relevant health or education issues such

as girls’ attendance at school, or healthproblems particular to girls and women;

n Reasons for women’s non-participation –for example, lack of time, childcare, safeand appropriate facilities, skills;

n Gender stereotypes, socially valued waysof living one’s masculinity/femininity thatmight impact on participation in sport;

n Cultures of sport – what sports are playedand by whom;

n The role national and local media play inthe promotion of sport;

n The use of sporting idols in the creationand affirmation of particular political orcultural positions.

GENDER & SPORT

12

ConsultationQuestion: Have sufficient time and resourcesbeen allocated for consultative processes?Consultations should form the basis of anyproject/programme plan. During these consul-tations project/programme goals are identi-fied and negotiated, needs are expressed,barriers men and women face in seekingequitable access to services and resourcesare spelled out, etc. In order to avoid (further)marginalising particular groups and individu-als – including marginalisation along genderlines –, it is important to allocate sufficienttime to consultative processes.

Consultation must be undertaken with:n Target communities. An understanding of

people’s own perceptions of their needsrequires gender-sensitive participatorymethodologies. Equal percentages of menand women must be consulted, possibly inseparate groups to enable people tospeak out more freely;

n Groups working on gender and develop-ment (NGOs, unions, cooperatives, moth-ers’ groups, religious groups, donors andproject staff);

n Government and sports associations;

Consultation is made more effective if itbased on context-specific gender expertise,for example, from NGOs, universities or otherresearch organisations.

Examples of questions to ask:n Where and when do women and men

prefer consultations to be held?n What communication methods are pre-

ferred by women and men for exchangingthe information they need regarding theproject?

Sports agencies and organisations n Roles of men and women in coaching;n Existing training and skills; n Access to and location of existing facili-

ties, problems of security, existence ofchanging rooms, women-only spaces andchildcare;

n Participation of men and women as deci-sion-makers in sports management;

n Links with women’s organisations and uni-versities.

Households and individual membersn Roles and responsibilities of women and

men within the family;n Current attitudes of husbands, wives, par-

ents and relatives to sport;n The amount of time women and men

spend in «productive» and «reproductive»tasks and leisure activities.

GENDER & SPORT

13

PlanningThe analysis and consultation should form thebasis of any project/programme design andplan.

Question: Has a gender equality strategybeen formulated for the project/programme,with specific objectives to advance genderequality and women’s participation? Is thestrategy included in the terms of reference?Formulating specific objectives for advancinggender equality and women’s empowermentcan prevent the gender perspective from get-ting «lost» in the course of the project cycle.Having a gender «focal point» can alsoensure that gender equality remains a contin-uing priority.

Question: Have the roles attributed to menand women in the project been compared tothe roles they were observed playing in socie-ty (in the initial gender analysis)?The gender analysis should provide detailedinformation on the roles attributed to men andwomen in society, on how these roles arenegotiated, and on the obstacles particulargroups and individuals have to overcome tochange roles. Recruitment procedures must begender-sensitive. Special efforts may be need-ed to enable women to become coaches andtrainers. Advocacy for change might entailoutreach activities such as home visits to fami-ly/parents.

Question: Are women’s organisations and/orthe National Women’s Machinery involved inthe planning process?

Question: What measures are foreseen tomake it possible for all groups and individu-als – and in particular for women – to partici-pate fully and durably in the project?The gender analysis might show that for somegroups and individuals it may be difficult tostay in the project continually. Giving themthe possibility of opting in and out of the proj-ect might ensure their long-term participationin it.

Question: Have girls’ and women’ssafety/security concerns been given dueattention?Specific measures that could be taken tomake it safer for people – and in particularfor girls and women – to participate in sportsprojects/programmes include: improving pub-lic lighting; scheduling activities at momentsof the day when it is safer to move around;organizing sports activities in safe areasand/or in areas close to participants’ homesso they do not have to use a means of trans-portation; etc. One may wish to accommo-date existing social norms about what can bedone – and who can do what – in open pub-lic spaces, and offer both outdoor and indoorsports facilities. There may also be a need todevelop codes of conduct for coaches andother project/programme staff.

Question: Are other development activitiesincluded in the project?A programme may gain more support fromthe community if it includes other activitiessuch as health education or community servic-es along with sport. Having sports and othercultural activities at the same location canincrease women’s participation. Education ongender equality and women’s rights can alsobe introduced in the context of sports proj-ects.

GENDER & SPORT

14

ImplementationQuestion: Does the project team have ade-quate gender expertise?Gender experts must have in-country and sec-tor experience. They must be experienced inthe implementation of gender strategies andparticipatory methodologies, and in monitor-ing and evaluation.

Question: Do project partners have sufficientskills and access to information?Each project should have a training andcapacity-building component on gender sothat everyone involved in the project becomesaware of the problems of gender stereotypesand cultural change. This includes projectstaff, project partners such as sports associa-tions, and participating girls, women, boys,and men.

Question: Do women participate in decision-making? Are women represented in decision-making? Encouraging women’s leadership meansunderstanding that women may find it difficultto express themselves in the presence of men,particularly in an area traditionally associat-ed with «masculinity». Single-sex activities inthe area of sport may provide a context forbuilding confidence as well as physical well-being. There needs to be a supportive andcollaborative environment. The project mayalso need to make targeted efforts to identifyand attract female mentors and role models.

Question: Have all project partners beenmade fully aware of the gender dimensions ofthe project?Men and women in institutions need to bemade more aware of the importance ofwomen’s participation. All organisational liter-ature must be gender-sensitive and use gen-der-inclusive language.

Question: Are women’s organisations and/ora National Women’s Machinery involved inthe project’s implementation?

GENDER & SPORT

15

Monitoring and EvaluationMonitoringQuestion: Do project reporting systems (proj-ect meetings, annual reviews, etc.) cover gen-der issues? The monitoring of activities, outputs, outcomesand processes should use gender-sensitiveindicators. In addition, monitoring reportsshould contain a special section on progressmade towards achieving the project’s genderequality objectives.

EvaluationQuestion: Have gender-sensitive indicatorsbeen developed for evaluating outcomes?The indicators should be derived from the ini-tial gender analysis/baseline study. Theycould cover such rubrics as participants’ phys-ical fitness, propensity for sexual risk-taking,school performance, and awareness of rulesand tactics learnt from sport, as well as easeof access to the programme, its participationrate, dropout rate, etc.

Data may also include gender-disaggregateddata on: attendance at training sessions andparticipation in consultations; men andwomen in management positions; and men

and women in non-traditional positions. Datashould be both quantitative and qualitative toavoid reliance on numerical targets. Womenand men must be involved in evaluating thesignificance of differences and changes andin formulating future strategies based on theevaluations.

The evaluation team needs to have genderexpertise.

Question: Are «lessons learnt» being com-piled to document the successes and failuresof the project’s gender strategy and, morebroadly, how it tackled gender issues?

GENDER & SPORT

16

Further ResourcesBrady, M., 1998, «Laying the Foundation forGirls’ Healthy Futures: Can Sports Play aRole?», Studies in Family Planning 29 (1):79-82http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/councilarticles/sfp/SFP291Brady.pdf

Brady, M., Khan, A., 2002, «Letting GirlsPlay: The Mathare Youth Sports Association’sFootball Programme for Girls», New York:Population Councilhttp://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/girlsplay.pdf

International Council of Sport Science andPhysical Education (ICSSPE), 1999, Women,Sport and Physical Activity: Sharing GoodPractice, Berlin: ICSSPEInformations:http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=&seite=public/contentpage/tx3610.html&z=3

White, A and Scoretz, D, 2002, FromWindhoek to Montreal, Women and SportProgress Report 1998-2002, Tokyo: IWG(Includes the texts of the Brighton Declarationand the Windhoek Call for Action)http://www.canada2002.org/e/progress/index.htm

Groupe de travail international sur les femmes et le sport (GTI)http://www.iwg-gti.org/

WomenSport Internationalhttp://www.sportsbiz.bz/womensport-international/index.htm

Comité International Olympique (CIO) –Femme et Sporthttp://www.olympic.org/fr/organisation/commissions/women/index_fr.asp

European Women and Sport Group (EWS)http://www.ews-online.com

Asian Women and Sport (AWS)www.jws.or.jp/ae

Publishing detailsPublisher:

Swiss Agency for Development and

Cooperation (SDC)

Federal Department of Foreign

Affairs (DFA)

3003 Bern

www.deza.admin.ch

Order:

SDC distribution centre

Tel.: +41 31 322 44 12

Fax: +41 31 324 13 48

info@deza.admin.ch

Available in English, German,

French, Spanish,

Editor:

Governance Division/Gender Unit

Author:

Charlie Sever

Bridge – IDS

University of Sussex

Brighton, UK

Photographs:

Frank Baumann, Marianne Meier,

Annemarie Sancar

Layout:

Naceur Ben M'Barek

nbm visuelle kommunikation, Bern

© DDC 2005