The Progression of Equality within Sport
1867
An all African-American women's baseball team from Philadelphia became the first professional women's sports team. For the first time, women received payment for their participation in a competitive sports team. It was even more significant as slavery in the US was abolished only two years prior in 1865. The racism and violence that these black women had to face made it even harder for them to compete professionally.
1900
Women were now allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. Although, only 22 out of the 997 athletes were women and they were only permitted to compete in five sports (croquet, equestrian, golf, tennis and sailing) as opposed to their male counterparts that competed in all 19 sports.
1914
The national women's hockey team was the first NZ women’s team to play an international match when they played the touring English team. Previous to this, international matches were only competed in by men.
1917
During the First World War, women's football became popular in Europe and the United States, as more women worked in factories to replace the men that became soldiers. In 1917, a match between England and Ireland attracted a crowd of 20,000 spectators, a number that had previously never been achieved for women's sport. Never before had a women's sport become so visibly mainstream, proving that society had an interest in women's football and profit could be generated. This paved the way for women’s football and professional sport.
1935
The New Zealand women's cricket team played their first international match against England, establishing themselves on the international stage. A year before this, England and Australia set up an inaugural international test match, which acted as the beginning of international women's cricket competitions.
1971
Before 1971, women were restricted from running further than 2.4km and outright banned from any competitive long-distance races, including marathons. The societal belief was that women were too fragile and weak to run more than 2.4km. Some women, including Kathrine Switzer and Roberta Gibb attempted to join in men’s marathons, going as far as hiding in bushes at the start line when their entries were rejected. Both were tackled off the track, Gibb with only metres to go until the finish line. After public outrage and an increase in popularity of running, a rule was passed that permitted “certain women” to take part in long-distance races, but they would have to start ten minutes before or after the men. A year later, this condition was dropped, allowing all women to officially compete in marathons and other races.
1973
1973 was one of the most notable years for women's equality in sport. In a highly televised tennis match, dubbed “Battle of the Sexes”, Billie Jean King won against Bobby Riggs, proving women were just as good, if not better than men at tennis. Following this, the US Open offered equal prize money for the men's and women's competitions, being the very first sporting organisation to do so. This equal prize money for Grand Slam titles remains to this day, although on average, female tennis players earn a third of their male counterparts income. This is because their income also consists of sponsorships and brand deals. The visibility and value of female tennis players is still not equal to male tennis players, so equal prize money isn’t as effective in closing the gender pay gap.
1991
The IOC passed a new rule in 1991, stating that all new sports included in the Olympics must have a women’s event. Before this, athletes were over 70% male. This new requirement helped to increase the proportion of female athletes to 48.9% in the 2020 Summer Olympics, from 28.8% in 1992.
2012
The 2012 Summer Olympics were the first in which women competed in every sport in the programme. Additionally, every country that participated had at least one female athlete. It had taken 21 years from the rule in 1991 to actually get female athletes to compete in every event.
2018
NZ national women’s teams finally gained payment. Previously, female athletes didn’t have contracts for the countless hours they spent training, travelling and competing in their sport. This made surviving financially whilst playing high performance sport much harder. Before these contracts were established, athletes would have to work multiple jobs to cover the high costs of sports equipment, physios and travelling costs, while being incomeless for weeks at a time during competitions. The Black Ferns, Football Ferns and Women’s Blacksticks all received these retaining salaries.
2021
The IOC permitted the first openly trans woman, Laurel Hubbard, to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Hubbard competed in the weightlifting competition, facing extreme harassment and transphobia. Although she walked away without a medal, her participation is a huge step forward for the rights of trans women in sport. She also opened an important discussion on the participation of trans men and women, at the same time as inspiring young trans athletes worldwide. When it comes to women's rights and equality, trans women are often excluded from the conversation, so it is important to recognise how hard they have fought to receive a minimal amount of the acceptance they deserve.
2022
The White Ferns became the most recent NZ women's team to finally receive a salary. Despite cricket being one of the oldest sports in New Zealand, the White Ferns team had gone without pay until 2022. At last, they too get a retaining salary similar to the other NZ women's teams.
Looking back, it’s inspiring to see how much equality in sports has changed for the better. However, this progress has only picked up in the last few decades and we still have a long way to go. Positions of leadership in sports are still mostly held by men, even in women's sport. The visibility of high-performance female athletes also needs improvement, which will encourage equal opportunities for sponsorships and funding in all women’s sports.