Women's sport must not bear brunt of corona cutbacks
Professional athletes in all sports have been impacted by the global shutdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, but women may end up the biggest losers due to ingrained bias and discrimination, Australia's Winter Olympic trailblazer Zali Steggall has said.
NAMPA/REUTERS
Women have enjoyed some hard-won gains in elite sports in recent years, with pro leagues starting up in a number of countries and growing support for their fight for pay parity.
But Zali Steggall, a former world champion skier who won Australia's first individual Winter Olympic medal at the 1998 Nagano Games, fears those gains could be eroded as cash-strapped federations cut costs to protect men's competitions.
She pointed to the fact that even in Australia, which is often held as a world leader in investing in women's sport, discussions about restarting competitions have focused almost exclusively on the male domain.
“It is very concerning. It comes from that kind of unconscious bias that men are supposed to be the provider or the main breadwinner of the household versus the women,” the 46-year-old told Reuters in an interview.
“So, all attempts are made to ensure that men are able to continue in their profession and get back to work.
“We see that from our sports. That there's less concern about female professionals being able to get back to their livelihoods.”
Cuts felt around the world
Colombian soccer club Independiente Santa Fe sparked outcry last month when they said they would suspend their female players' contracts, but give pay-cuts to the men.
Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) has lobbied hard to restart the suspended men's top-flight later this month, even as the clubs ponder whether they have the money to maintain a presence in the women's elite competition.
The Auckland-based Warriors, the only New Zealand club in the NRL, said their women's team might not survive budget cuts.
Warriors CEO Cameron George last week said their women's programme was an “additional spend”.
Women come last
New Zealand's rugby union federation confirmed on Monday that it would start a domestic competition for the country's five men's Super Rugby teams from next month, but has yet to confirm any 2020 fixtures for the women's game.
Rugby Australia (RA), which is battling to stave off a financial crisis, is also planning a domestic competition for its Super Rugby teams in July, while conducting a review of its women's high-performance programmes.
The global shutdown has thrown the spotlight on sports' financial management and revealed the parlous state of reserves at a number of federations where boards and senior management positions are dominated by men.
Funding squeeze
The funding squeeze has fanned fears of budget cuts for community and grass-roots programmes which promote women's sport and provide access for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I've found it very concerning to understand that all these professional codes have very little back-up plan for a rainy day,” said Steggall.
“Granted, these are exceptional circumstances, and it's hard to say they should have foreseen Covid-19 coming.
“But it is concerning to think that operationally, they were managing so close to the bone.”
Women have enjoyed some hard-won gains in elite sports in recent years, with pro leagues starting up in a number of countries and growing support for their fight for pay parity.
But Zali Steggall, a former world champion skier who won Australia's first individual Winter Olympic medal at the 1998 Nagano Games, fears those gains could be eroded as cash-strapped federations cut costs to protect men's competitions.
She pointed to the fact that even in Australia, which is often held as a world leader in investing in women's sport, discussions about restarting competitions have focused almost exclusively on the male domain.
“It is very concerning. It comes from that kind of unconscious bias that men are supposed to be the provider or the main breadwinner of the household versus the women,” the 46-year-old told Reuters in an interview.
“So, all attempts are made to ensure that men are able to continue in their profession and get back to work.
“We see that from our sports. That there's less concern about female professionals being able to get back to their livelihoods.”
Cuts felt around the world
Colombian soccer club Independiente Santa Fe sparked outcry last month when they said they would suspend their female players' contracts, but give pay-cuts to the men.
Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) has lobbied hard to restart the suspended men's top-flight later this month, even as the clubs ponder whether they have the money to maintain a presence in the women's elite competition.
The Auckland-based Warriors, the only New Zealand club in the NRL, said their women's team might not survive budget cuts.
Warriors CEO Cameron George last week said their women's programme was an “additional spend”.
Women come last
New Zealand's rugby union federation confirmed on Monday that it would start a domestic competition for the country's five men's Super Rugby teams from next month, but has yet to confirm any 2020 fixtures for the women's game.
Rugby Australia (RA), which is battling to stave off a financial crisis, is also planning a domestic competition for its Super Rugby teams in July, while conducting a review of its women's high-performance programmes.
The global shutdown has thrown the spotlight on sports' financial management and revealed the parlous state of reserves at a number of federations where boards and senior management positions are dominated by men.
Funding squeeze
The funding squeeze has fanned fears of budget cuts for community and grass-roots programmes which promote women's sport and provide access for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I've found it very concerning to understand that all these professional codes have very little back-up plan for a rainy day,” said Steggall.
“Granted, these are exceptional circumstances, and it's hard to say they should have foreseen Covid-19 coming.
“But it is concerning to think that operationally, they were managing so close to the bone.”
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article