"Who is excluded from gender equality in elite sport: A transdisciplinary study of generational culture shifts in sporting ambition, parenting, and identity" (SportEX)
Main funder
Funder's project number: OKM/23/626/2023
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 124 000,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 01/04/2023
Project end date: 31/03/2026
Summary
This project responds to European Union initiatives for increasing gender equality in sport
(European Commission, 2014, 2020) and is aligned with the sport policy objectives to promote gender equality passed by the Finnish Government (2019). While gender equality is one of the corner stones in Finnish society including sport, the recent evaluation shows that the gender gap has not been closed in Finnish sport (Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education, 2022a, b). Evidence indicates that in elite sport many groups of athletes continue to be excluded and marginalized meaning that they may fail to reach their performance potential and drop out of sport. This problem may also contribute to the recent decline witnessed in Finnish elite sports performance and the reduced value that young athletes attach to sport, especially among young women. This suggests that more research is needed to account for gendered structures, identities, and experiences in order to achieve gender equity and the distribution of resources. The proposed action, using a mixed-method longitudinal research and participatory approach, aims to: (1) develop a comprehensive understanding of the context of women’s sport careers in Finland; (2) examine which identities and experiences are excluded and marginalized from the elite sport space and through which mechanisms; (3) examine gendered meanings and values that underpin and shape young athletes’ career development and create inequalities; and (4) to provide practical recommendations for ensuring fairness and justice in sports policy and culture change in career development environments. The proposed action will result in a more comprehensive understanding on the gender dynamics and mechanisms of exclusion in the Finnish sporting world and aims to provide evidence-based knowledge for decision-making on how gender equity can be facilitated at the structural and organizational level.
(European Commission, 2014, 2020) and is aligned with the sport policy objectives to promote gender equality passed by the Finnish Government (2019). While gender equality is one of the corner stones in Finnish society including sport, the recent evaluation shows that the gender gap has not been closed in Finnish sport (Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education, 2022a, b). Evidence indicates that in elite sport many groups of athletes continue to be excluded and marginalized meaning that they may fail to reach their performance potential and drop out of sport. This problem may also contribute to the recent decline witnessed in Finnish elite sports performance and the reduced value that young athletes attach to sport, especially among young women. This suggests that more research is needed to account for gendered structures, identities, and experiences in order to achieve gender equity and the distribution of resources. The proposed action, using a mixed-method longitudinal research and participatory approach, aims to: (1) develop a comprehensive understanding of the context of women’s sport careers in Finland; (2) examine which identities and experiences are excluded and marginalized from the elite sport space and through which mechanisms; (3) examine gendered meanings and values that underpin and shape young athletes’ career development and create inequalities; and (4) to provide practical recommendations for ensuring fairness and justice in sports policy and culture change in career development environments. The proposed action will result in a more comprehensive understanding on the gender dynamics and mechanisms of exclusion in the Finnish sporting world and aims to provide evidence-based knowledge for decision-making on how gender equity can be facilitated at the structural and organizational level.
Principal Investigator
Other persons related to this project (JYU)
Primary responsible unit
Follow-up groups
Related publications and other outputs
- ISSP position stand on cultural praxis in sport psychology : reaffirming our commitments to the ethics of difference, cultural inclusion, and social justice (2024) Ryba, Tatiana V.; et al.; A1; OA
- Urheilun ja äitiyden yhdistäminen yhä vaikeaa (2024) Raudasoja, Mirjam; et al.; D1; OA
- Sukupuolten tasa-arvo ei ulotu kaikkialle urheilupolitiikassa (2023) Ryba, Tatiana V.; et al.; D1; OA
