Women in Sport for All from
Multicultural Perspectives

Ana Miragaya, Ph.D.
Lamartine DaCosta, Ph.D.

COUBERTIN:
1919 – All Sports for All

“Jadis la practique des sports était le passe-temps
occasionel de la jeunesse riche et oisive. J’ai
travaillé trente ans à en faire le plaisir habituel dela petite bourgeoisie. Il faut maintenant que ce
plaisir-lá pénétre l’existence de l’adolescenceprolétaire. Tous les sports pour tous - voilà
sans doute une formule qu’on va taxer defollement utopique; je l’ai largement pensée etscrutée; je la sais exacte et possible.”
Coubertin, P. Lettres Olympiques (XI),
Gazette de Lausanne,
janvier 13, 1919, No 12, p.1

Sport for All• Definitions of SFA– Sport for all (‘all’ as a group)– Sport for all (‘all’ as individual)• What to consider– Universalism (mass sport?)– Cultural diversity (segmentation? Targetgroups?)

Sport for All• Objectives of study– to present data related to the participation of
women in SFA national initiatives in fivecontinents– to compare and analyze these data
quantitatively and qualitatively focusing onsimilarities and differences
Source of data:
Worldwide Experiences and Trends in SFA, 2002

Sport for All
Question:
Do the influences of cultural diversity on
women’s participation in sport really mean
multicultural respect towards universalism?

The databank• 36 countries, 5 continents• 87 authors• Databank – 800 pages• 36 studies cases• Comparative study• Basis for ground Research &Development

“Sport for All (SFA) is today an umbrella term forrecreation, sport development, mass participation
programs and cultural recreation activities aiming toprovide leisure opportunities and health promotion to theiradherents”.

Goslin, A. & Bush, A.

Women in SFA - Number of countries

Countries withsports programs
for women

Countries wherewomenparticipate inother TGCountries that
don’t mentionwomenÁsia (7)331África (2)1-1Europa (17)46-

Am Latina (7)

1

5

1

Am do Norte (2)

-2-

916

3

CONTINENTS/
PAÍSES

Total (35)Women as a Target Group
Juxtaposition Analysis – 35 countries – 1970s/1990s

SIMILARITIESDIFFERENCES• Objectives to do sporting activities• Age brackets of ≠ TGs• Profiles of ≠ phases of life

• Preferences for sporting
activities• Levels of education and income in
the various countries related toparticipation in sports• Job market and sports• Gender roles• Inclusion of children/family•Social inclusion• Visibility• Women as managers

Results• Not many differences between East ad West
• Women remain invisible in many countries• Mass sport vs target groups• Prejudice and discrimination against women• Globalization of sport (Olympic Games)

Tendencies• Women as a TG in more countries• Contextualization of social inclusion• Customization• Respect for diversity• Visibility in several positions

Questions
Can women be considered a cultural group?
Is it possible to study the inclusion of womenfrom both perspectives of ‘sport for all’?

Methodological options• Comparative study – international proposals vs.

national/local experiences• Study cases – each country, one case
• Pre-set categories for comparisons (validation withexperts in 1998)• Focus on local culture vs. general procedures orassumptions• Emphasis on differences of both target groups andparticipant cultures

Participation of the Danish population in sports(ages: 16-74)19641975

1987

1993

1998

40 - 4910254449

51

50 - 59

52131

42

46

60 - 69

3

1130

36

47

70 - 74213243037

Participation of the Spanish population in SFA (%)

1974

1980

1985

1990

1995

Total %

17.7

25

34

35

39

Men

22.7

33

46

42

48

12.8

17

23

26

32

Years

Women

Participation of the Danish population in sports(ages: 16-74)

1964

1975

1987

1993

1998

Total

15

29

42

47

51

Men

21

31

43

47

51

Women

1127

42

47

51

16-19

53

52

61

67

67

20-29

27

41

48

56

59

30 – 39

1741

46

49

51

Authors according to academic status or functionAsia (15): 10 PhDs, 2 Ms and 3 leaders or managers.
Africa(4): 2 PhDs, 1 Ms and 1 leader.
Europe (35): 26 PhDs, 3 Ms and 6 leaders or managers.
Latin America(21): 7 PhDs, 9 Ms and 5 leaders or managers.
North America (2): 1 PhD and 1Ms.
Total: 87 authors - 46 PhDs (52,8%);16 Ms (18,3%) and25 (28,7%) leaders or managers.