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Equality in sport, it’s an argument for all. 

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Equality in sport, it’s an argument for all. 

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Women in sport. A controversial issue that is currently leading headlines in New Zealand media. Does gender inequalities in sport exist? and if so, to what extent does that impact on New Zealand society?

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In the mid - 19th century women settlers in New Zealand did not play sport. The clothing of elite Pakehā women, limited them from being able to breath, having minimal movement. The ideal beauty of a women was soft, delicate and pale. The Feminine manner required women, to eat/walk gracefully, act in a curtain way, gentleness and cooperation, rather then showing aggression, effort and energy, into a physical activity.
Historically in our society women have been seen as almost second class citizens, as the woman's place was in the kitchen making the supper after the men's game, their sport wasn't as important as the men.
In 1870s women settlers began to play sport. First croquet, then lawn tennis, swimming, golf, hockey and netball. Not long after that they started playing basketball which was known as  aggressive  and vigorous sport where they were often judged and not always approving.
Access to swimming pools and playing grounds was a constant problem. When women shared facilities with men, it was almost always on a less-than-equal basis.
Women usually had to sacrifice playing sport to look after their children or have them tag along, as they remained metaphorical “other” in the sporting world.

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 First Olympic Games - Men vs Womens events.   

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 First Olympic Games - Men vs Womens events.   

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A world wide historic moment was when the first womens event was available in 1900. Up till that point women were not invited to the Summer Olympic Games. According to de Coubertin (2016), he states “No matter how toughened a sportswoman may be, her organism is not cut out to sustain certain shocks,” giving the world the perception that women are not respected enough to be competitors. Below is a table showing that there were 9 mens events in the very first Olympic games in comparison to 0 for women events.

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Equality is one of the three core values of the Commonwealth Games Federation. Our dynamic sporting movement has an important part to play in an energised, engaged and empowered Commonwealth of Nations and Territories - and we are working hard to explore how Commonwealth sport and everyone in our diverse sporting family can better deliver for women and girls. Non-discrimination is now a clause in all of our host-city contracts. We strive to set the benchmark for gender equality standards seen anywhere in international sport.

Gender equality in the number of medals at the Gold Coast 2018 between Women and Men for the first time ever with 133 Womens events, 133 Mens events and 9 Mixed / Open events.

Basketball, Hockey and Swimming to feature over 50% female Technical Officials, a first in international sport.

Launch of first Womens Coaching Internship Programme will build women's coaching capacity across Commonwealth.

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By the 1910s, sport and physical activity in New Zealand was supported by a number of authorities, primarily as a means to a traditional end, with women playing every sport men did, competing at the highest level.
Rugby’s status as New Zealand’s elite male sport meant that women’s teams were not taken seriously until the 1980s. The Black Ferns are New Zealand's senior womens rugby team and the most dominant team in womens rugby with Womens Rugby World Cup titles in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2017. They have one of the best winning percentages in international rugby, victory in close to 90 percent of their tests. The Black Ferns Success in 2017 season was a landmark for womens rugby with the Black Ferns becoming the first womens team ever to be named the world the World Rugby Team of the Year. But but still lag behind the All Blacks with status and less lower funding and much less media attention than the All Blacks team. A breakthrough in financial support for elite women rugby players occurred in March 2018 when New Zealand Rugby agreed to professional contracts of $40,000-45,000 per year, however this statement incorrect, The womens rugby team is only  getting payed $15,000 to 20,000 and that is only a retainer, player saving schemes, medical funds etc.
The amount they will receive is much, much lower than male national rugby players however, it is the outcome of effort over many years to address gender inequalities in New Zealand rugby.

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Successful Female Representative - Farah Palmer  

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Successful Female Representative - Farah Palmer  

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Ex Black Fern rugby captain Farah Palmer is one of New Zealand's least recognised sports champions, who is unquestionably one of the most respected leaders in womens rugby history. In her 35-test career she was on the losing side just once – a five-point loss to England in Auckland in 2001. She played for New Zealand for a decade while studying for a doctorate at the University of Otago and lecturing at Massey University in Palmerston North.

1998 - she captained the Black ferns to victory in the 1998 Womens Rugby World Cup. That same year she was awarded the Women's Player of the Year by NZRU.

2000- completed her PhD (Doctors of Philosophy).

2005 - IRB International Women’s Personality of the Year.

2014 - she conducted research to examine how leadership and culture affect success at rugby. Also Palmer was one of 6 women inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.

2016 - The Womens Provincial Championship with renamed the Farah Palmer cup in her honour, she was awarded the Manawatu Standard Person of the year award, and was the first women to win this award. Palmer became the first woman elected to the board of New Zealand Rugby, that has become a significant milestone for women in elite sport.

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The Gap is narrowing although we still have a long way to go in my opinion.

In recent months issues of gender inequality in sport has gained significant traction all around the world including NZ. The Football Ferns are also paid a salary giving them pay parity with their male counterparts,  recent changes by the canadian government who have set a target of gender equality at all levels of sport by 2035 - putting 30 million dollars over the next 3 years into womens  sport.

New Zealand women punch far above their weight in the international level, so sponsors are now seeking out sports women ahead of some sports men, as their brand representatives.
There will be equal rights for for image use and this is the first time women team will fly business class representing New Zealand. Interview with Sarah Gregorius- Football fern striker " When you put that NZ football jersey on, No mates if your female you are entitled to the same respect / treatment as males, wonderful such an awesome feeling we are getting recognised now".

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Football Ferns get pay parity with male players

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Too often you hear the terms; ‘girl push ups, you run like a girl, wussy’ that are derogatory words that insult women. However, this day in age it has also become an ‘acceptable norm’ and it is not until someone chooses to question and challenge statements that people will start to reflect on their dialogues and consider the impact it has on minority groups.

Sport is recognized as playing a relevant societal role to promote education, health, communication, and individual development of a person regardless of their gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background.

Their are organisations striving to improve gender equality. The Commonwealth Games Federation are proud to be setting the pace for gender representation and opportunity in sport through their Vision statement. Equality is one of their three core values, and they see their dynamic sporting movement has an important part to play to explore how Commonwealth sport and everyone in their diverse sporting family can better deliver equality for women and girls.

Sport is important in the promotion of gender equality as it can contribute to the elimination of discrimination against women and girls by empowering them and equipping them  with skills and knowledge required to progress in society.

Sport can and does advocate for gender equality, address the constrictive gender norm and provide inclusive safe places.

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Radio New Zealand ( Government commits to help finance women's Rugby World Cup)

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Radio New Zealand ( Government commits to help finance women's Rugby World Cup)

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The government is committed to lifting the profile of women's sport and will contribute financially to New Zealand hosting the women's rugby world cup, but sports minister Grant Roberston won't reveal how much.
Mr Roberston has appointed three new board members to the Sport New Zealand board- former Black Fern and senior Massey University business management lecturer Farah Palmer, Auckland lawyer Raewyn Lovett and Wellington based investor and founder Rowan Simpson.
He wants Sport New Zealand to widen its focus around community sport and link with other government departments such as the Ministry of Health to work in the area.

In 2010 high performance sports funding increased from $40 million to $60 million a year over four years. It now sits at about $62 million a year.

"The amount of money we are putting into High Performance Sport New Zealand (over the next four year Olympic cycle) has been set and..looking forward to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has gone up from where we were and we continue to invest in other non-Olympic codes and their elite athletes and that's still very important but it is completely possible for Sport New Zealand particularly working in combination with other agencies and other groups in the community to be more focused on the whole community so that work programme is there and underway for high performance sport, what this is about is getting a bit of balance back into the programme," said Mr Robertson.

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True diversity encompasses more than gender and race. It includes the whole human experience: culture, education, personality, skills, life experiences, and beyond. It’s everything in each person’s life experience that results in unique thinking styles and equips us to meet the challenges of our complex and competitive global marketplace.  Diversity = Talent.
The All Blacks and Black Ferns have come together as one to challenge society.
Promoting the biggest battle of all - Discrimination, Supported by AIG creating a United Black.

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For some inequality is fundamentally unfair: if people get different rewards for the same work, there must be something wrong. Unequal societies are less functional, less cohesive and less healthy.
Girls are referred to being a "tomboy"  if they play sport

Media has a opportunity to influence how women are portrayed in sport and society. Presently the media often portray women sport in a sexist light by focussing on their femininity rather than their ability and athletic performance.

The sports media do not  give women in sport their due dividends.

It is reported that media broadcasts of netball internationals attract hundreds of thousands of viewers, so could that mean the coverage of other womens sport  would attract the same amount of viewers. A question that the media should be investigating in my opinion.

In a more positive light, I believe that the New Zealand society is gaining a better view of women in sport now. Athletes like Valerie Adams, Lisa Carrington, Lydia Ko, The Black Ferns 7s, and the Black Fern 15s are recognised for their sporting achievements and their character. These high profile women athletes are certainly empowering our younger generation of girls. This is evident with the young women who are currently making their presence on the world stage - Amelia Kerr in cricket, Risaleanna Pouri-Lane in Sevens rugby, Aliyah Dunn in Netball to name a few.

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http://www.aig.com/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion
http://www.allblacks.com/Teams/Ferns
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/sport/360548/government-commits-to-help-finance-women-s-rugby-world-cup
https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/28658/tennis-champion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farah_Palmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDLQTwDbQY
https://thecgf.com/our-relevance/gender-equality
https://www.luther.edu/diversity/about/what-is-diversity/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sLLEdBgYYY