SPORT 1913 - 2013

part two_CHAPTER 8

said in an interview for the paper “Sport et Plein Air” in October 2011, he could no more stand to see women who are limited in hep- tathlon or who are not allowed to throw the hammer although they obviously have the power and the will to do so (Kssis & Rouillon, 2011). In 1971 he invented the Olympic Déc- apop’, a popular decathlon open for everybody, celebrating its 40 years in 2011 (3000 partici- pants from 5 to 58 years). Despite the resis- tance inside the FFA, in 1981, he implemented the pole vault and later, the hammer (first au- thorized in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games). Equality has to be the fundamental principle in every sport. By adapting the rules, the participation of everybody can be ensured: children, women, elderly people, men and persons with disabilities. PART 2: Democratisation Is Stopped Due to the Position of Women in the Society And Due to the Economic Crisis Men Still Dominate in Sports It is undeniable in 2012 that disparities are still persisting. “Women and girls account for more than half of the world’s population, the percentage of their participation in sport (..) in every case is less than that of men and boys”, affirm the signatories of the Brighton Declaration (1994) on Women and Sports in 1994. The statistics speak for themselves. Based on the figures of the French Sport Min-

the European governments. A report of the Confédération Syndicale Internationale (2011) is pointing out that the over-representation of women in poorly paid jobs limits their rights, contributes in persisting imbalances between men and women and limits the perspectives of a permanent economic progress. The con- sequences of financial insecurity are an addi- tional step into impoverishment. All these effects have a strong impact on the involvement of women in physical, sport and leisure activities. The FSGT associations are witnessing the consequences of precari- ousness and bad working conditions every day: distances getting bigger and bigger be- tween home and place of work, discontinuous shifts, increasing rate of part time, these are all obstacles to doing sport on a regular basis, in particular in an association. The inequali- ties become more important for women in fi- nancial difficulties than for women in stable and independent situations. However, regular physical practise to guarantee physical, moral and social health of women has to be the first priority of the public authorities and the sport movement. Contrary to what might be thought, the mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases is higher for women: 32 per cent against 27 per cent for men. But it is not only a physical health ques- tion. Social relationship experienced in sport associations and progression of national edu- cation contribute to the emancipation of women.

istry, the sport federations count approxi- mately 35 per cent of female licence holders in 2008. Only 17 per cent of women are member of a sport association against 38 per cent of men. Seven federations, i.e. equestrian, gym- nastics, dance or skating, count more than 80 per cent of women. In general, the multisport federations are more diverse. About ten fed- erations count less than 5 per cent of women, among those are rugby and football. The ac- tivities are still very gender based. Approaching a different aspect, the rate of female judges and referees is only 20 per cent. Only 12 per cent of leadership jobs in sport federations are occupied by women. Only 9 per cent of federations are directed by a female president. Why this under-represen- tation? Women are still responsible for 80 per cent of the housework to the detriment of leisure and sport activities. Girls are also in- volved in housekeeping activities and are less present than their brothers in sport associa- tions outside school. This mismatch is more obvious the more there are children in the family, and even more if the women and their families live in difficult financial situations. Women Are Victims of the Social and Economic Crisis The economic and social crisis crossing Eu- rope and the whole world since 2008 is pri- marily affecting the working class. Women living quite often in single parent families are the first victims of this crisis and of the disas- trous side effects of the austerity programs of

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