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The Equity Call: Why we need authentic, measurable and accountable gender mainstreaming in sport for development
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Regardless of where I am in the world, the question I inevitably get asked when advocating for girls to have access to sport and personal development is, ‘but what about the boys?’

My response is a simple question: do girls currently have equal access to sport in your community, programme or school? Can, and do, they play sport in public spaces? If not, then let’s go back to ‘but what about the girls’; this should be an AND, not an OR, conversation.


Sport is increasingly recognised as a powerful tool for individual and community development. However, as the leader of a women’s rights organisation whose mission is to ‘equip adolescent girls to exercise their rights through sport’, I am uncomfortable with how much of the language in sport for development is gender neutral, referring simply to ‘youth’. In this sector, we often claim to be doing work on gender equity, without approaching our work with a gender lens. The reality is, that throughout the diversity of actors in our space, most of the investments, research, participation, and quality sport development opportunities are based on a definition of ‘youth,’ and as a result are disproportionally dominated by boys and young men. This is a call for measurable and accountable gender mainstreaming in sport for development.

Mainstreaming involves ensuring that gender perspectives and attention to the goal of gender equality are central to all activities. It calls for an authentic perspective in the process of assessing the implications for girls and boys of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. When executed properly, this is a strategy for making girls’, as well as boys’, needs, concerns and experiences an integral dimension of all aspects of programmes and policies. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality. The point here is not to exclude boys and men, but to authentically include girls and women.
 


[This article has been edited by the Operating Team]

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