Written by Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of Women in Sport.
As the Men’s Football World Cup begins, billions of people around the world are coming together as groups of friends, colleagues or family to watch. Few things have the power to unite, inspire and influence society in the way that sport can. That is why this moment feels important.
Yet as the tournament approaches, the glaring gender inequalities in sport remain front of mind. Two recent media stories of misogyny in English sport show its different ugly faces. On the one hand, a football co-owner accused by seven women of predatory behaviour in the 1980s, was investigated a few years ago, and his only sanctions were to stay clear of the women and youth sections. Just this, my goodness.
More recently, an RFU Council member took to social media to question the credibility of one of our all-time greatest female rugby players in relation to men’s rugby. Governance structures meant the RFU had no powers to remove him in this case, so he was investigated and had certain Council member privileges stripped for a period, before later resigning. Both these expressions of misogyny were appalling.
These instances go to show that despite the very welcome increase of women’s team sport on our screens, misogyny is a systemic issue that shapes the experiences of women and girls across society, including in sport. It sustains inequality between men and women by consistently undermining women and girls and creating a culture that prioritises protecting powerful men over listening to and valuing women and their experiences.
As our nation’s most popular sport, football clubs and the FA have an unrivalled opportunity to showcase the very best in culture, leadership and accountability. In fact, they could play a major role in countering misogyny across society. But to do this, they must never overlook or excuse misogyny or treat it as someone else’s problem.
We are all conditioned to forgive boys for their “inevitable misdemeanours”. We are all taught that “boys will be boys”, whereas from a young age girls learn that they must bear responsibility. They must be good, quiet and pretty (for others), be kind (to others) and BE CAREFUL (guard their own safety!).
This permeates into the adult world where men are all too often forgiven for harmful behaviours while the testimony and experiences of women are minimised, questioned or ignored. The challenge facing sport is not whether misogyny exists. It does. The challenge is whether leaders are prepared to confront it consistently, transparently and with meaningful consequences when standards are breached.
Women and girls deserve to feel safe and to have freedom and joy in their lives; and have a right to pursue to their sporting dreams unhindered by prejudice, malice or contempt. They deserve sporting environments where respect and safety are non-negotiable.
Our charity, Women in Sport, is calling on Sport Councils, governing bodies, clubs and organisations across sport to adopt dedicated anti-misogyny policies, supported by meaningful education, training and accountability measures. We stand ready to support football and other sports that want to drive the cultural change that women and girls deserve.
As you enjoy the men’s football World Cup and the Women’s T20 cricket World Cup in the weeks ahead, I hope you’ll join us in calling for a sporting culture that uses its influence not only to entertain, but to lead. A culture that helps create a society where women and girls are respected, valued and safe.
Learn more about our work on anti-misogyny in sport
Thank you for standing with us.
Stephanie Hilborne OBE
Chief Executive, Women in Sport
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