Multidisciplinary perspectives on equality and diversity in sports 2022

Abstract

Multidisciplinary perspectives on equality and diversity in sportsAlbeit some exceptions, athletes, practitioners, decision and policymakers, and sports spectators are predominantly men. In this sense, gender segregation and discrimination are present in multiple aspects of sports, and are socially normalised and accepted through a discourse that essentialises the embodied sexual differences between genders. This gender discourse legitimises the exclusion of women in some sports modalities considered masculine and traped them to those considered as predominantly feminine and feminized It traps female bodies in socio-cultural constructions as less able to exercise and engage in sport or as the second and weaker version of the ideal masculine body.Sports and its management continue to be a field where men and masculinity strongly prevail. The International Congress on Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Equality and Diversity in Sport (ICMPEDS) aimed to investigate the complexities of the following questions: What does gender openness mean in the context of sport in the 21st century? What persists as gender closure in the same context? What are the gender cultures that signify sport continuing to be defined by regimes that resort to dominant masculinity embodied in a strong and male athletic body? Which factors are assessed as the driving forces of these gender cultures that reveal male dominance in the sports field? However, there are significant signs that the context of sport may be changing. The European Union and some national governments have efforted to promote gender equality and diversity by fostering the adoption of gender equality codes/policies in various modalities, and international and local sports organizations. These new policies aim to increase female participation and recognition in sports, their access to leadership positions and involvement in the decision-making in sport structures. Additionally, the number of women practising non-competitive sports and as sports spectators have started growing. This improvement leads to new representations of sports and challenges the roles of women in such a context. Different body constructions and the emergence of alternative embodied femininities and masculinities are also challenging how athletes of both genders experience their bodies and sports practice. Nevertheless, the research on the impacts of these changes/challenges in sports is scarce. This book focuses on mapping gender relations in sports and its management by considering the different modalities, contexts, institutional policies, organizational structures and actors. It treats sports and its management as one avenue where gender segregation and inequality occur, but it also adopts such a space that presents an opportunity for change and a widely applicable topic whose traits and culture are reflected in organizations and work more broadly.The first chapter, "Do values translate into action: Exploring a "commitment" to gender equality in 9 sport", by Shannon KERWIN and Jeremy RUTMAN from the De...