Number of women in sport leadership slightly up, index says

With data based on 38 countries and 1599 national sport governing bodies, the index shows a slight increase in the proportion of women board directors in sports organisations worldwide (up to 20.7% from 19.7% in 2010). The proportion of women in chief executive positions is also up from 17.3% in 2010 to 19.8% this year. The proportion of female board chairs, however, has stagnated and is 10.6% - equivalent to what it was in 2010.

The index has been collecting data since 2010, when it was introduced as the legacy of the 5th International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) World Conference on Women and Sport, organised in Sydney, Australia.

Although the numbers themselves do not cause great applause from the developers of the index, they are very satisfied with the scorecard, which is thought to have great potential.

“The Sydney Scoreboard offers a new level of transparency and accountability to gender equality in sport leadership,” says Dr. Johanna Adriiaanse, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management at the University of Technology, Sydney and IWG Co-Chair 2006 – 2014.

The index works as an open data-collection where anyone can submit their information about the composition of their particular organisations’ executive boards.

“I encourage all members of the global women’s sport movement to actively engage with this unique tool and use it to advocate for, and accelerate, the representation of women in sport governance and senior management. True equality for women in sport means progress for all”, Dr. Adriiaanse says according to an article on the IWG website.