Orla O’Connor
Director
National Women’s Council of Ireland
I would like extend my thanks to the Department of Justice and Equality for inviting
me on behalf of NWCI to speak today. This is a really important occasion, its been a
long time coming – to recognise, celebrate, women in sport. Assess the barriers to
inclusion of women in sport, to recognition of women in sport, funding, media
attention in comparison to men’s engagement in sport. We have already heard
some great inputs on why we need to change how we view women in sport and the
challenges that face women who are engaging and wish to engage in competitive
sports. This issue is important for women and for the achievement of women’s
equality in Ireland.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the National Women’s Council of Ireland,
our mission is to seek full equality between men and women. We are proud to say
that the NWCI is the leading national women’s membership organization in the
country. As Director I am honoured to represent a growing number of members
who are the primary inspiration for our work and direction.
In talking about women’s equality, it is important to reflect on all that has been
achieved by the women of Ireland since the foundation of the State. NWCI with
support of our members over the past 42 years have witnessed the introduction of
paternity leave, gender quotas for women in General Elections, legislation for
marital rape, access to contraception, a successful divorce referendum, the
abolition of the marriage bar, the more recent marriage equality referendum and
much more. We all, as a collective have achieved a significant amount and we
must acknowledge and celebrate that.
There have been numerous victories and successes for our sporting women also.
The unprecedented performances of the women’s rugby team over the past
number of years, the successes of Katie Taylor and Sonia O’Sullivan, the numerous
victories of the Cork hurlers and moments like Stephanie Roche’s wonder-goal has
won Irish sport many new admirers, both here and overseas. Ireland has a rich
sporting tradition, although in many cases the success of our women athletes has
not been as recognised or celebrated as it should have been.
Barriers
Women in Ireland still face huge barriers, and we still have a particular amount
yet to achieve. This is very true for women in sports.
Women make up 52% of the population, and are now better educated than men,
as year on year women achieve higher results than men in their leaving cert, and
more women than men graduate from third level institutions having achieved
degree level. Yet the statistics around women in sport cannot be denied.
Although the results from the Irish Sports Monitor in 2013 found an increase in
women’s participation in sport, there are still significant differences between
women’s and men’s active and social participation in sport in Ireland, sporting
organisations are overwhelmingly male, and sports played by women receive far
less media coverage than sports played by men.
At a time when young women and girls are bombarded through social media with
conflicting and unattainable body image ideals, women athletes serve as great
role models. Women need a diversity of role models, and we need to see a
normalisation of team sports among young women.
Differences in participation levels between women and men, the gulf in media
coverage and the overrepresentation of men in key sporting organisations all
need to be addressed.
Body Image
Sport has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers, capture imaginations and
bring communities together. High participation levels of women in sport helps to fight
diseases like diabetes and obesity, empower women and girls, and teach important life
skills such as teamwork, leadership and respect. Yet women stop playing sports at a far
younger age than men. Why is this?
Without a doubt, the problems faced by women in sport are both a consequence and
cause of women’s equality.
The National Women’s Council of Ireland has been working with young women for
many years now, through our youth initiative, The Y Factor, and more recently on our
Looking Glass project, funded by the Department of Justice and Equality, which works
with young women on the issues of body image and leadership.
We recently commissioned a representative national survey with Ignite Research on
the issues of body image and leadership, and the results were stark. Overall, we saw
that while women are strong, confident and back themselves as leaders, body image
insecurities hold them back. A worrying 41% of women reported to being unhappy or
very unhappy with how they look.
This has a very real effect on the lives of women – for instance, 62% of young women
avoid speaking in front of a group because of how they look, or most shockingly, 8% of
women aged 16-24 avoid seeing the doctor because of body image insecurities.
Our survey also asked questions about women in sport, and the results here were
equally worrying – 36% of young women avoid sport because of body image
insecurities.
This is a hugely worrying figure. We all know the benefits of sport for the body and the
mind, yet the pressure society places on young women to look a certain way, is a real
barrier to women’s participation in sport.
In our workshops, we meet brilliant groups of confident, opinionated, diverse young
women. They tell us about how society is obsessed with policing women’s bodies. They
tell us that the airbrushed ideal is so powerful that they compare their bodies to it, and
find themselves wanting.
Sport can be a huge help to women in increasing body confidence, not only because it
can make you fitter or more toned if they are your goals, but more importantly because
of the good endorphins exercise releases, and the positive impact it can have on mental
health.
Yet many women feel sport is not for them. In our workshops, we talk about bodyshaming, the practice of criticising women’s body shapes for being too ‘fat’ or too
‘thin’.
Some young women tell us they avoid going jogging, for fear they will be body
shamed, that because they do not have the body of a stereotypical athlete, that
they will be judged or openly mocked – usually by men in cars.
Other women speak of their fear of exercising alone – fear of sexual harassment, of
being told they were ‘asking for it’, by going walking or running alone, after dark.
Other women who play team sports tell us how they feel their muscular bodies are
thought of as ‘unladylike’, and are often told “You know the muscular look isn’t
what men are looking for in a woman.”
Some women tell us they work uncertain hours, and are unable to get into a routine
of exercising. They can commit for a few weeks, but then their hours change, and
they get out of the habit, and lose the fitness they have been building.
Gender Equality
The low participation of women in sport is a symptom of wider gender inequality
through Irish society.
Of course, with 50% of women earning €20,000 or less a year, gym membership is
unattainable for many women. Equally, the majority of those who work in part time,
precarious work are women, so maintaining an exercise schedule or keeping
commitments to a team sport can be difficult.
With the substantial care responsibilities that many bear a disproportionate share,
into the mix, participation in sport for many women can be almost impossible.
The need for highly visible women role models is a significant issue. Women in sport
have to excel consistently, for society to stand up and take notice, whereas men’s
sport receives consistent coverage regardless of their achievements. Even when
women in sport do excel (take the example of the women’s rugby team, who reached
the World Cup Semi Final which the men have yet to do), the coverage is less than half
of what the men get.
There are amazing women, many of whom we have seen here today, but on the whole,
women in sport do not get the recognition they deserve.
When young women see a media consistently focused on how they look, while they
consistently underrate the achievements of women in sports, what message does it
send? It tells them that society will always value how they look over what they say or
do.
We need to think creatively about how to tackle the gender gap for sports in Ireland.
Yes, women in sport need more media coverage, more funding, more recognition.
Evidence such as the IABA reported increase in the number of girls taking up boxing
following the success of Katie Taylor shows that increased recognition of women’s
achievements does have positive outcomes. But we also need to see a more joined up
approach, to ensure that women’s participation in society in general can increase.
We can start with making our cities safer so women can exercise and take part in team
sports safely. This means involving women in local government planning to make cities
and towns in Ireland more liveable for women. We need to examine our overall
approach to violence against women, and street harassment in particular.
We also need to tackle an encroaching culture of non-fixed hours contracts, and the
over-reliance on women as primary carers. An affordable childcare system would be a
big start.
Interest and participation in women’s sport continues to grow and building this
momentum is crucial. Tackling the issue of gender inequality in Ireland once and for all
would be the best way to ensure equal participation and recognition for women in
sport.