Held on International Women's Day on March 8, the aim of the discussion, which took place at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was to assess global challenges and innovative approaches to promoting gender equality through football.
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| Overview of the discussion on gender equality held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. (Source: VNA) |
Also attending the discussion with player Huynh Nhu were speakers including Amanda Gutierrez Dominguez, President of the Spanish Association for the Protection of Female Footballers (FUTPRO); Bouchra Karboubi - International Football Referee; Maggie Murphy - CEO of Lewes Football Club (England); Janine Van Wyk - player of the South African women's national football team and Kadia Sow Mbaye - Coach of the Women's Sports Association and Professional Football Futebol Da Forca.
Uneven presence
Speaking at the seminar, Ms. Amanda Gutierrez Dominguez said that the presence of men and women in sports is uneven. Only about 4% of all media news reports on female athletes and women's sports, while up to 40% of sports participants in the world are women.
Last year, 16.6 million women and girls participated in organised football, marking a 24% increase from 2019. The total number of women's football clubs reached 55,622, the majority of which were in Europe (59%).
Despite this growth, the proportion of women among coaches and referees remains low with only around 5% of coaches and 9% of referees being female.
Structural inequality manifests itself in unequal access to resources, opportunities and recognition for women in football, perpetuating a cycle of gender discrimination. Furthermore, social norms and cultural stereotypes contribute to the undervaluation of women in football, exacerbating gender disparities at all levels of the sport.
Addressing these structural inequalities requires concerted efforts to tackle entrenched biases, promote inclusivity and implement gender-sensitive policies that ensure equal treatment and opportunity for all participants, regardless of gender. Only by proactively removing these structural barriers can football truly demonstrate gender equality and empowerment both on and off the pitch.
UNESCO's top priority
Gender equality is a top priority for UNESCO, addressing social norms and discrimination against women and girls through various channels including education, culture, media, science and sport.
In her message on International Women’s Day, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said gender equality is a simple idea but very difficult to achieve. Today, no country in the world can claim gender equality. At the current pace, it will take nearly 300 years for all countries to achieve it. Meanwhile, according to UNESCO data, artificial intelligence will require more jobs from women than men by the end of this decade. The climate crisis will push an estimated 160 million women into poverty by 2050.
To break down the barriers that women face, UNESCO has made gender equality a global priority for its actions. First, to better understand the negative impact of gender discrimination on the economy and society, UNESCO developed the Gender-Based Resilience Framework - empowering women for the good of society. In the field of education, women are empowered to acquire the necessary skills to achieve greater economic and social autonomy. Finally, UNESCO focuses on the difficult conditions that female journalists face. According to the organization's research, 73% of them face online violence. Women's empowerment remains one of humanity's greatest challenges. UNESCO calls for immediate action to bring about change for women.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO Nguyen Thi Van Anh and football player Huynh Nhu at the discussion. (Source: VNA) |
More women play football with a smile…
At the discussion, Huynh Nhu shared her beautiful memories of football. She said that when she was young, she often had to play football with her male friends in extremely difficult and deprived conditions. She and her friends played football everywhere, in the fields after the harvest, or in the empty space at the corner of the market where her parents did business, sometimes in the coconut garden of a family in the village. There was even a time when she and her friends had to use dry coconuts instead of balls to satisfy their desire to complete the match.
Her sharing received enthusiastic applause from the audience in admiration for the determination, effort and intense love of a young girl for football.
Huynh Nhu also shared a memory that at the age of 9, she wore a soccer uniform for the first time, which her parents had saved up to buy for her, to participate in an official tournament, in which she was the only female player. She became the player who scored the most goals in that tournament. At the age of 16, Huynh Nhu became an official player of Ho Chi Minh City Football Club.
Emphasizing the income gap between male and female players in football, Huynh Nhu said that her colleagues, in addition to football, have to work another job to earn enough income to cover their living expenses. To overcome this, according to Huynh Nhu, the role of the media is very important. The media can bring women's football to fans more effectively and attract more investment, especially helping to change fans' perception of women's football.
Spreading youthful enthusiasm, Huynh Nhu calls on everyone, especially women, to love and be passionate about what makes you happy. Huynh Nhu emphasizes that you may not see success yet, but do not be afraid and do not be discouraged, success is not for those who lack determination.
Expressing her support for the meaningful activity organized by UNESCO to promote gender equality in sports, Huynh Nhu said that she really wants to see more girls playing football with a smile on their faces, who can devote themselves wholeheartedly to football. Huynh Nhu called on everyone to love women with all their hearts, because only love can bring happiness to women.
Speakers at the panel discussed structural inequalities in sport as well as the discrimination, stigma and gender-based violence women face in football.
The discussion deepened understanding of the global challenges facing women and girls in football, and provided insights to guide strategies to address existing inequalities.
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