Gender equality a key aspect of social responsibility in sport

The keynote speech on day one will be specifically focused on sustainability in women’s handball, with Dr Jacqueline Müller presenting “Spotlight on social sustainability in women’s handball in Europe.” 

Müller is a lecturer in Sports Business and Leadership at the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University London, and a module leader in Leadership, Diversity and Change in the Sports Industry. In this article, we offer a preview of Müller’s keynote lecture through examination of the topic of social sustainability in women’s handball in Europe.

To begin, it is important to understand the core concept of social sustainability. Social sustainability is tied closely with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, which includes all countries represented by EHF member federations.

This means that all EHF member federations, via their national governments, have a responsibility towards the Agenda and specifically the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As stated on the United Nations website, the SDGs “are an urgent call for action by all countries — developed and developing — in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth — all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”

Economic, social and environmental are the three dimensions balanced and integrated throughout the 17 SDGs. The most relevant of those dimensions to handball is social sustainability, and that is where Müller comes in.

“Simply speaking, social responsibility is the ethical dimensions of the sustainability framework. It encompasses aspects that relate to the inclusion and exclusion of people, human rights, as well as working conditions,” says Müller when broadly defining social sustainability.

Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls are core areas identified in the 2030 Agenda, making social sustainability highly relevant to the Women’s Handball Conference. But how does social sustainability relate to sport specifically?

“The sports industry is currently regarded as the ninth largest industry worldwide. It has an enormous symbolic as well as cultural and financial power. Or to use the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘Sport has the power to change the world.’ That is, in order to use the power of sport to change the world into a more equitable, inclusive, and safe space, a greater focus should be placed on social sustainability,” says Müller.

“More specifically, the role of social sustainability in sport becomes very apparent when we look at the hosting of mega sporting events and potential human rights violations that could home with it (e.g., Qatar World Cup). But we do not need to even look this far as we only need to look at differences in allocated resources, media coverage, the perceived value of the women’s handball game, as well as representation of women in leadership positions across European handball federations.

“Aiming for more gender equality in handball, be that on or off the pitch, is a key aspect of social responsibility in the sport context and Number 5 on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.”

The subject of social sustainability in handball, and specifically social sustainability regarding women and girls, requires us to honestly and critically evaluate our own practices. Through initiatives such as the Women’s Handball Conference, the EHF aims to lead by example in reflecting on the practices in the sport in Europe and working together with member federations and other stakeholders to implement the required change.

There remains a great deal of work to do, however — well beyond the bounds of handball in Europe.

“The world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 and at the current rate it will take us 140 years to achieve equal representation in leadership in the workplace,” says Müller. “This is shocking but sadly true according to the Sustainable Development Report 2023. Shedding more light on gender inequality issues especially in traditionally male-dominated contexts such as sport is crucial to pave the way for a more socially sustainable future.”

The UN’s 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report found that, at the midway point between when the Agenda was announced in 2015 and 2030, the change that has been occurring is insufficient to achieve the goals in time for 2030. “Implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires the active mobilisation of political leadership and ambition for science-based transformations. This must be achieved globally — leaving no country, society or person behind,” states the UN website.

“Leaving no country, society or person behind” obviously means the sport of handball is included with the responsibility to work towards achieving social sustainability and gender equality. And that is precisely what Müller’s keynote presentation will be about.

“Handball federations aiming to be more socially sustainable can categorise their efforts in ‘on the pitch’ and ‘off the pitch’ initiatives,” says Müller. “For ‘off the pitch initiatives’ critically examining the diversity across their current leadership positions could be a good starting point. To what extent are women, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as of different ability levels represented and fairly compensated? Reflect on and/or establish plans to address any potential imbalances and create pathways for leadership development especially for underrepresented groups.

“As for on the pitch initiatives, ensure that resources are fairly distributed amongst the women’s and men’s side of the game. Compare and contrast communication/media initiatives alongside the men’s and women’s competitions; reflect on travel, training, and working conditions of female and male players — are these equitable? And finally, champion relevant role models to ensure the future of handball is more socially sustainable.”

Müller’s presentation will feature on day one of the second Women’s Handball Conference: With no other breakout sessions scheduled for that time, all participants will be able to attend this valuable lecture that can become an important stepping stone towards a more socially sustainable future for handball in Europe.

“When we hear sustainability, we tend to automatically think about the environment, CO2 emissions, and green energy. Albeit these components of sustainability are of utmost importance, social sustainability is none the less crucial. Yet, social sustainability often takes the role of the neglected little brother in the sustainability framework. As a result, a lot of people do not know what social sustainability is, what its link with sports in general and handball in specific could be, and how each and every one of us can be affected by it,” says Müller, previewing her lecture.

“In this presentation, I will provide an overview of the sustainable development framework, introduce some of the relevant SDGs, and introduce current social sustainability initiatives of the EHF as well critically identify some rooms for growth for the handball community.”

Alongside her presentation on day one of the Women’s Handball Conference, Müller will also speak on day two with a presentation entitled “Developing female leaders in and through sport.”

Registration for the Women’s Handball Conference, which will take place on December 10 and 11 in Flemings Hotel, Vienna on the fringe of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, is now open. Click here for more information and click the banner below to register. 

Photos © kolektiff images