Did you know that girls, compared to boys, are less active in sports?
Do the conditions allow for gender equality in sports?
And what are all the opportunities and challenges for promoting women in sports?
Sport today is recognized as having great importance and personal and national contribution.
The high participation of the population in sports activities contributes to a healthy lifestyle and reduces health expenditure, enriches human capital, and has a direct and positive effect on GDP.
The gender gaps that exist in sports in Israel increase the average gap between Israel and developed countries in participation in sports as an engine of growth, and yes, also increase the entire social inequality between men and women.
Many girls and women do not get to participate in sports actively, so in practice they are isolated from the benefits it provides: personal development, self-discipline, achievement, teamwork and decision making.
Because sports systems are mostly funded by public resources, the gaps in sports reflect a violation of women's civil rights, half the world population, to enjoy public resources equally, to have the same opportunities and to achieve.
The chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, set a goal in which he defined that the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 will be marked by gender equality: 50% athletes and 50% female athletes. Finals to which the team athletes qualified, 12 were female athletes.
Two Olympic medals, Linoy Ashram's gold in instrumental gymnastics and a bronze medal by Avishag Samberg in taekwondo, another bronze medal by a group in Gudu in a mixed competition that won wide national pride.
These achievements are further intensified in view of the narrow pyramid base, only 23% of all participants in competitive sports and registration in sports associations are participants: women and girls.
This figure is even lower among Arab society and the geographical periphery.
Linoy Ashram.
Again wants to be in first place, Photo: Alan Schieber
In addition, this rate is low compared to European countries where the average relative participation of women is 31%.
In countries like Austria and Denmark the relative participation rates exceed 40%.
Yael Arad, the first Israeli athlete to win an Olympic medal in judo at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, currently serves as chair of the Israel Olympic Committee and leads the Olympic Sports Associations in Israel. Water, taekwondo and more).
But at the same time, the road to equality in management is still long.
Women are poorly represented in various sports bodies, and their influence on decision-making is relatively low.
For example, the percentage of principals in sports in Israel is only 17%.
Yael Arad.
The first Israeli athlete to win an Olympic medal, Photo: Photo: Arik Sultan
A study conducted for the Ministry of Culture and Sports by researcher Prof. Harel Fish & Co. in 2019 found that in Israel a high proportion of boys and girls do not meet the recommendations of the International Health Organization for 60 minutes of physical activity per day, but the time devoted to lower physical activity. These figures are even lower: in fact, Israel ranks penultimate in the list of OECD countries in the physical activity indices. And the army.
In popular sports, women mainly participate in competitive competitive sports activities within the basketball teams, such as: the Mamant League, the Basketball League, the Friendship League and the running clubs, and more.
In a study conducted in Israel by Dr. Ricky Tessler & Co. on Mamant groups, a high relationship was found between participation in group-folk sports and social capital indices and health indices. And the mental and giving them a sense of belonging.
A professional public committee to examine the issue of promoting women in sports
In December 2021, the Minister of Culture and Sports, MK Chili Trooper, passed a government decision demanding the establishment of a public-professional committee to examine the issue of promoting women in sports. This committee will examine the issue And basketball.The committee will examine and recommend an operative program for the advancement of women in sports.Currently, the issue of women's sports promotion policy, is at the heart of the work plans and strategic plans of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
MK Trooper. Passed a government decision, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The reform of the sports budget, which merged the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Sports with the budget of the Gambling Council, into one central budget run by the state, along with the Wingate Institute becoming a government corporation, led to structural and budgetary changes in the professional unit for women's sport.
From a national project to a center for the promotion of women's sports with a fixed budget and thus an opportunity was created for a leap forward and a re-examination of the national sports system from the point of view of women.
The Athena National Project was established in 2004 by a government decision to promote women's sports with the aim of increasing the number of female athletes, leadership and changing attitudes in society.
Athena is responsible for the implementation of the policy and strategy for the promotion of women's sports by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which includes increasing the participation of girls and women in sports, promoting leadership, coaches and judges, a gender and protected knowledge center in sports.
In addition, Athena leads dedicated projects in local authorities, unions, associations, vocational programs, programs in elementary schools such as "Equal in Sports", the establishment of sports teams and sports clubs for girls and more.
Gender equality in sports is an important goal at the national level.
Increasing the participation of women in competitive, achievement and popular sports will lead to a reduction in the gaps in society.
Today there is a process of assimilating gender thinking that takes into account the needs of women in the whole process of planning, formulating policy, allocating resources and making decisions in the state institutions and in the various organizations.
As a society we must embrace the emerging change and participate in the national value-based effort of equal opportunities for women in sports.
The time has come for social and cultural change.
Nurit Sharvit is the director of the Department of Women's Sports and Folk Sports on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
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