Since the beginning of time women have been exposed to inequalities in professional fields, schools, households and sports, which is why it is so important that we do everything possible to make sport more inclusive for all. In order to achieve this, we need to tackle gender equality in a multifaceted way, tackling all the sources of inequality and aiming at breaking the glass ceilings that limit the participation of women.
One of the most significant barriers to women’s sporting participation is the gender stereotype that men are more physically capable than female athletes. This prejudice leads to discrimination in sports, including sexist comments or the fact that male athletes receive a bigger financial reward for their efforts than female ones. Women’s sports teams also lack funding, because the lion’s share of sponsorships and television contracts go to men’s teams.
The present study aims to fill this quantitative gap in the field of GE in sport by analysing data from the Special Eurobarometer 525 using Fuzzy-Hybrid TOPSIS to obtain a synthetic indicator of Europeans’ Attitudes to Gender Equality in Sport (ATGEQS). Latent Profile Analysis is then used to cluster respondents on their ATGEQS and Multinomial Logistic Regression to evaluate the influence of socio-economic factors on these attitudes.
The results point to remarkable geographical differences: Nordic countries show high ATGEQS scores, while Austria and Eastern European countries display much lower values, which may be due to a history of religious conservatism and older socio-political structures that resist progressive social reforms, including those aimed at promoting gender equality in sports. A more balanced media coverage of female athletes and a greater focus on their competitive achievements could be helpful in addressing these barriers.