Editor’s perspective: Gender equality in sport

Women have been taking the world sporting stage by storm, and the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup serves as a reminder of the incredible accomplishments and strides women have made in the sporting realm.

Competitions such as these have a clear and important social impact. Under FIFA’s campaign, Football Unites the World, eight specific messages will be sent during the final tournament of the women’s cup which includes, Unite for Gender Equality, and Unite for Ending Violence Against Women.

I have to say it was truly heart-warming and exciting to see New Zealand’s keen enthusiasm for the Football Ferns recent win against Norway.

Many New Zealand women in sports are eager to involve more women and girls in areas where they haven’t been prominent before, and they want the public to take them seriously.
Winning Black Ferns player, Kendra Cocksedge is an example of a leader who is motivated by her experiences to make women’s rugby more accessible, and of someone who is putting that into action.
My sport of choice is social volleyball, and even within a social sport, I notice the gender inequalities and the imbalance of males to females playing. I’m also a bit annoyed that the net height for social volleyball is at men’s height, but that’s another story. I love playing volleyball and believe it would be amazing to see more women playing, even at a social level.

As we continue to track the FIFA Women’s World Cup, let’s remember sports can be a catalyst for change and to keep a close watch on its broader impact.