#galswithLEI
Hear from #womenathletes, leaders, and advocates as they discuss the issues of #inequality affecting marginalized #athletes; their efforts to improve the #visibility of women, #LGBTQI+ and #para-athletes in sports; and best practices for advancing and promoting #genderequity. Panelists will also explore opportunities to challenge the status quo and inspire other women to become leaders in the world of sport and beyond.
Women are faced with barriers and #inequality in nearly every industry and #sports is no exception. From disparity in pay and working conditions to unequal opportunities for leadership, representation, visibility, media coverage, and sponsorship, there is a stark #genderimbalance that spans the world of sports. While compensation for #womeninsports has improved over the past decade, the #gendergap continues to extend from college athletes to the world’s highest paid players. In professional sports, male athletes across the industry make anywhere from 15 to 100 percent more than women athletes. Only two women appeared on Forbes’ 2021 list of the world’s top 100 earners, and women’s sports receives only 4-6 percent of all sports media coverage. In college sports, a recent gender equity review of the NCAA found that spending per Division I player is $1,700 less for women than men in team sports and the gap is even greater for single-player sports. The review also found that the NCAA lacks the proper infrastructure for equal sponsorship and support for both men’s and women’s athletics. As the world prepares to watch and celebrate its athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics, it’s hard to overstate the potential impact sports can make far beyond the playing field, and while women athletes lead the fight for #parity and #representation, their efforts also serve as a catalyst for progressing gender equity in the workplace.
Panelists: (listed in speaking order)
Alyssa NAKKEN, Assistant Coach, San Francisco Giants, San Francisco, California, USA
Paige ALMS, 2x Women’s Surf League Big Wave World Champion and Co-founder, Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing, Haiku, Hawaii
Melodie ROBINSON, General Manager, Sports and Events, TVNZ and Founder, The Wonderful Group, Auckland, New Zealand
Kara WINGER, 4x Olympic Javelin Thrower and Director of Athlete Services, Parity, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Kaoru NAKAYAMA, Secretary General and Founder, Para Can, Chiba, Japan
Anne LIEBERMAN, 3x National Champion Muay Thai Fighter and Director of Policy & Programs, Athlete Ally, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Moderator: Ginger VAUGHN, Lecturer, Rice University, and Changing Faces Alumna, Houston Texas, USA
Recorded February 10, 2022
For more information and to register for our next #galswithlei Global webinar, visit www.eastwestcenter.org/galswithlei