Erasmus + Releases Sport Gender Equality Toolkit

November 29, 2019

The European Union and Council of Europe (COE) joint programme, Erasmus + have published a toolkit to support public authorities and sport organisations in designing programmes addressing gender inequalities in sport

The toolkit "How to make an impact on gender equality in sport: All you need to know" provides information, concrete tips, good-practice examples and strategies to put into practice a gender mainstreaming approach to achieve equality between women and men in sport.

Included in the report are some alarming statistics about the rate of female inclusion in sports across various levels: 

• 31% of the members of a sports club or federation
• 8% of the presidents of the national Olympic sports federations
• 23% of the board members of the national Olympic Committees

The right environment in which women and girls can safely, freely and equally participate in sport often remains hard to find. This toolkit sets out ways to better create an inclusive environment that allows women to thrive in sport.

Although more and more women are involved in the field of sport in Europe and worldwide, gender inequalities still persist and are entrenched in many domains in overt ways (for example, in participation) or more subtly (such as in the portrayal of female and male athletes).

The gender issues that are addressed in the toolkit include access to and practice of sport, physical education and physical activity; access to responsibilities, participation in sports governing bodies and decision-making roles; access to resources, salaries, financial incentives and sports facilities; media coverage of women athletes and of women’s sport; reintegration into the labour market after the end of an athletic career; gender-based violence including harassment and abuse.

You can access the toolkit in full here.