This article won’t be about the media, national sporting organisations or corporate business and the lack of recognition of women’s sport across sponsorship, media or administration.
I believe that to truly alter recognition in this area, we must start with the most fundamental change in culture that is being overlooked by all of us – in primary schools.
As Chief Executive of Hockey Australia, I have read with interest the various discussions about better equality for women’s sport in Australia. I have entered the discussion at times in my current role, focusing on how a sport like hockey has that equality entrenched.
As a starting point, we have athlete agreements, not Hockeyroos or Kookaburras agreements – the athletes are equal in Hockey Australia. We also put a greater amount of commercial income into the women’s program to ensure both our teams have equal success at the Olympics, as each gold medal is worth the same to us and we pursue both prizes equally.
I confess up front – in my previous sports administration roles in the football codes of AFL and NRL, this topic wasn’t high on my agenda. The leadership required of a great CEO to make fundamental change as well as being in a sport that is culturally as strong on gender recognition as hockey is in Australia has influenced my perspective for the better.
Thus I feel I have something to contribute to the ongoing discussion, but it mightn’t be what you expect.
One of the starting premises must be that the word recognition is more important than equality. Do we seriously lower the debate to equality in a society like Australia?
Point to an example where women in sport don’t pursue their aims as passionately as men.
No, the word in this discussion that is critical is recognition – women simply don’t get the recognition they deserve for the same output.
However, to instigate change I’ll try not to get too caught up in the semantics equality versus recognition. I want to look at this issue creatively, not reactively.
The basic change is in what I call ‘sport in play’.
At primary school, are girls being given an equal chance to participate in sports? I don’t mean in Physical Education classes, but in the playground?
Before school starts each morning, when a basketball is being thrown, a football is being kicked, even the non-Olympic sports of four square or downball are being played – how many girls are participating?
Even more importantly, at lunch time, when the mad scramble for sports gear begins, how many young girls are pushing to the front of the queue?
I believe this is fundamentally one of the cultural hindrances to involving more girls in sport and increasing recognition of girls in sport.
From the earliest age girls aren’t given the chance in that most basic of areas, such as sport in play, for recreation and social interaction. And we the adults aren’t intervening to make the correction that slowly infiltrates the whole sporting system and sets the bias occurring.
Unequal recognition of girls would never be allowed to occur in a maths class, an arts class or even in PE. Yet fundamentally kids learn and grow as much in the playground at primary school as they do in the classroom, yet we don’t ensure girls get the same chance in that area.
It is not a criticism of overworked teachers and potentially underfunded primary schools – all of us, men and women without the status of teacher or parent, are responsible for the cultural change required.
I believe it is critical that teachers and parents address this fundamental behavioural change now. We must intervene as early as possible to create change.
It might require that half the sports equipment be held over for girls, or parts of the play areas for sports held for girls at lunch time and before school.
It also mightn’t need to be that structured.
Teachers on duty don’t need to know sports or how to teach them the technicalities, but need to provide the space and equipment for girls to play sport more. Likewise, parents dropping off the kids in the morning, particularly Dads, can help facilitate that ‘sport in play’ opportunity by instigating more girls’ involvement.
But it requires intervention as it won’t happen without it, and we shouldn’t be expecting it from the children.
I have confidence that children will understand and accept it, and then make the generational change towards better recognition of women in sport as they grow older. They will become the next group of leaders and parents.
A bias towards helping girls in ‘sport in play’ will be more beneficial here than intervention at a later stage, where change is a lot harder and the culture of recognising male sport over female sport is more ingrained.
The basic social engagement, and the use of ‘sport in play’ instigated in primary school will flow through to all aspects of sports development, and to the high-performance outcomes at Olympic and professional level. Eventually this will works its way into the commercial space as well.
Fundamental cultural change like this occurs over a generation. But the generation of my nine-year-old daughter three-year-old son will see sport as a vehicle of equal recognition and equality, and break down any lasting barriers.
The Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools Australia program that has recently begun, and will be in full swing in 2016. It is important for increasing participation in sport and encouraging healthier kids, and will help considerably, but it’s not designed to solve the cultural issue.
Real change can occur in those impressionable minds in primary school, and will ensure that the next generation sees sport like maths; purely as something important, but divorced from gender stereotypes.
Then we can leave the improvement strategy to recognise women in sport to carry on for the next decade through sporting administrators, politicians, journalists and sponsors, while this generational change occurs. We, the current leaders, still have our role to play, and there are tangible benefits in seeking this improvement.
Thank you my daughter Jorja who brought this issue to my attention.
As we have just celebrated Father’s Day, I would ask that more men enter this discussion. Women don’t need to be solely responsible for this topic. It is about cultural change for the better, for everybody.
Cam Vale is the CEO of Hockey Australia
Zim Zam
Roar Rookie
I think there's something to your argument that girls will be more interested in sport if they can see the women at higher levels playing it. Possibly the example of their parents might come into that too - if Mum played netball and she was a Goal Keeper, that's probably what her little girl is going to want to do when she gets into sport. If Mum played cricket, then she'd probably gravitate towards cricket. If Mum was a bowler, she'd probably want to be a bowler as well. Kids choose role models - in their parents, in sporting stars they see in TV, in older siblings or relatives - and they want to play that sport, in that position, with that style. I'm not even sure how much of an imbalance there is in the ratio of boys to girls playing sport as kids. A lot of boys will play soccer, footy, cricket, a lot of girls will play netball, or dance, or do gymnastics, and there'll be a fair amount of cross over as well. A lot of both genders will play tennis. I played a fair bit of sport as a kid and grew out of it as I got older, and became interested in other hobbies, like music. A lot of my friends, both boys and girls, were the same. Mind you, I'm not sure what all of this says about the big topic of equality in women's sport - I guess that the more role models of both genders in a variety of sports that there are out there, encouraging kids to play sport, the more kids will get involved, regardless of gender.
anopinion
Guest
A very good point. My point is that the male influence (our culture) has been part of these girls lives since they were born. Even if a little girl has all the best parenting and opportunities and motivations, once she comes into contact with other little girls or boys she is then influenced by the culture, because those kids have been.
A woman in sport
Guest
While I agree on the "recognition" part of this argument, I don't necessarily agree on where it needs to change. Anyone seen the Womens Cricket (who just won the Ashes) televised on TV or even promoted on multiple social media out lets.... Why would a girl in primary school want to play cricket when they have no idea that women can play cricket at the highest level? But social media and media in general sensationalise trivial topics such as Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge or who ever it was. The only women sport that I ever see on TV is netball. Basketball - Non existent? Soccer? Last I checked the matildas are higher in rankings then socceroos (may have changed). I didn't even realise that there was a women league in Australia till 12 months ago. Till recently hockey has very rarely been on TV and when it is its mostly on Pay-TV which not everyone has access too and unless you are directly involved in the sport, it isn't marketed very well. Womens sport in general needs to be marketed better to the general public and let everyone know that its ok for girls/women to kick a soccer ball, hit a hockey ball, tackle someone, do martial arts; that there are pathways in to the representative teams should they want to pursue it. Don't even get me started on regional schools/teams and the opportunities for them (thats where equality comes into it). Primary School - they can't even sing Bah Bah Black sheep any more. It won't be long before they ban all sport activities at lunch time because they may sweat when they come back into class after lunch or a childs parent sues the school for them falling over and breaking an arm. My 2cents.
onside
Guest
That's right.CG, It would be interesting to see of how many girls were involved in 'sport in play' when there was absolutely no male influence.
ziphead
Guest
"Recognition of women in sport starts at primary school" Yep, that's where it starts. And ends.
PGNEWC
Guest
I think another issue is that women and girls are also too obsessed with that social power crap and they won't try things unless there is consensus in their group or the alpha approves or their particular group gets to dominate the team/dance troop etc. Where as boys are always competing and challenging against one another.
anopinion
Guest
I am not sure the author is saying it is "sexism". Instead I think the author is offering one part of the puzzle as to how girls end up with less recognition for similar efforts. You point it out yourself, "women’s swimmers are very popular", why can this be the case when other sports are not? Is it part of the culture? Are girls given equal opportunity to swim as babies, toddlers, primary schoolers, high schoolers as professional athletes? Are they given the same recognition as boys at each of these levels? What interpersonal, individual, institutional, structural and cultural barriers exist or do not exist in the sport of swimming?
CG2430
Guest
You are correct, but it's just not a trendy thing to say - you have to like something just so someone isn't offended.
CG2430
Guest
I think onside is trying to establish a control variable to explain girls' behaviour with respect to participation in sport.
anopinion
Guest
Your definition of 'equality' is apt, but 'equity' is the creation of an equal opportunity to participate.
anopinion
Guest
Whether it is an all girls or coed school is not the only factor.
anopinion
Guest
Do girl's in primary schools wear skirts or shorts? The primary school near me has girls in skirts, the high school has girls in dresses and boys in shorts.
anopinion
Guest
But why? The author is discussing cultural change, this change may change whether a girl chooses sport or not. A quick understanding of Figueroa's work shows how cultural change requires more than just the physical change itself.
CG2430
Guest
Being not all that long out of school, I agree - the girls tended to not be so interested in playing sport during lunchtimes, but they've not been denied when they wanted to.
James
Guest
I seriously don't understand why this is somehow construed as a type of sexism? If people genuinely do not enjoy watching women's sports as much, just because the women are good at it, why is that so bad? I hate watching diving, and trap shooting, but we have men's champions in those events. Doesn't mean I am somehow prejudiced against men's divers. And on the flipside, women's swimmers are very popular (not just because of swimsuits!), as are people like Cathy Freeman and Sally Pearson in athletics. Am I prejudiced because I don't find men's athletics in general very interesting? No. And i doubt they are raking in huge amounts of money compared to their female counterparts It is just the cold hard facts of life that people do not like women's cricket as much as men's cricket, or women's basketball as much as men's basketball. It is not sexism It is purely an enjoyment thing!
pjm
Roar Rookie
This guy wants female only play areas in schools? Another white knight who has nfi and wonders why everything is all f'd up. Australia has been going great at Hockey but you wouldn't know it in Australia. Failing to capitalise on this success shows gross incompetence, sack yourself Vale.
Andy
Guest
Problem with this idea of equality is that we are not all equal in what we like. Generally speaking boys like to kick things and girls like to not kick things to the same degree. Yes this is in part due to our societal norms but its also biological, testosterone and all that. We seem to be trying to make boys and girls the same in every way for some reason, embracing the whole gender neutrality idea which just seems silly because whilst there are trans people they are a tiny percentage. There are such things as boy things and girl things and we have to be careful not to ignore that by trying to be too politically correct. Giving over half the equipment or space to girls sounds wonderfully equal but its a terribly ignorant use of the idea. It assumes that boys and girls want to play with the cricket bats equally. Equality is having enough equipment for everyone who wants to play, telling children that sports is fun, showing them that it is fun and then letting them choose to have fun that way. And then watching most of the boys kick things and most of the girls not.
Really
Guest
I agree wholeheartedly with the intentions of this article. As a former early childhood educator I know how beneficial it is to get kids interested in activities they normally wouldn't voluntary choose to do. However lets not neglect active pursuits that have traditionally had high female participation such as dancing, gymnastics and many others just because they Don't have the mainstream popularity of traditional "boys" sports. Ultimately there will hopefully be opportunity for people of all genders to achieve success in their chosen pursuits
onside
Guest
What percentage of students participate in 'sport in play' at all girls schools, compared with all boys schools.
Me Too
Guest
I'm sorry, but from my experience as a teacher, married to a teacher, with another three teachers in my family, to suggest there are gender barriers in schools against girls participating in sport is simply wrong. Girls can and do play sport in break time, if they wish, it is their choice, as it should be. Some take that choice, some do not. Are you suggesting some kind of social engineering where we promote it more for girls, or ensure that equipment is restricted on a gender basis?