From Ivory Towers to Grass Roots Movements –

Bridging Research with the Development of Women in Sport

Gertrud PfisterDepartment of Sport Sciences

University of Copenhagen

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Women’s development and empowerment• To empower means “to give power or authority

to somebody”• “To be (em)powered” means to have power and

control.• “Power over” or “power to” ?• Empowerment = “the process

by which individuals develop skills and abilities to gain control over their lives and the life situation of themselves and others”.

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Who shall be developed and empowered?• “Women’s development” is an

interrelated process where women acting in various areas (in the academia, the sport organizations, the mass media, and practical fields) as well as female athletes and women (potentially) active in sport and physical activities (PA) are empowering themselves and each other.

• Together they can make a difference

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How can researchers and scholars contribute to the empowerment of “sports women”?

• Scholars need input and feed back from the practice

• Leaders and practitioners need knowledge• Experiences as scholar and leader in a sport

organisation (German Gymnastic Federation)

4This is not !! The German Gymnastic Federation

Women’s studies - history • Sport was men’s sport• Women were ”hidden from history”• Historical studies– unmask ideologies– contribute to explanations of current issues– provide role models (e.g. Alice Milliat, Alice Profe)

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Alice Milliat

Sport sociological research• Explore sport participation of women, lack of

female leaders, media coverage of female athletes and so on

• Insight into (sporting) women’s lives

• From women’s studies to gender reseach with numerous topics and methods

• Various theoretical approaches• There are still many open

questions

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Current topics I• Women, physical activities and sport in developing countries• Developmental aid and women’s needs with regard to physical

activities and sport• Physical inactivity of women, reasons and strategies• Drop out of teenage girls, reasons and strategies • Lack of female coaches and leaders• Doping and gender • Co-education and its effect on girls in different ages, and in

different settings

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Current topics II• Ageing women and their physicall activities • Slimness, mania and body regimes of women• Violence and sexual harassment• The role of sport to construct or de-construct

femininities • Mass media and the lack of coverage of female

athletes• Sexualisation of female athletes• Gender verification • Women and sport consumption• Homophobia

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Women and sport projects show

• how research can be conducted together with rather than about women

• how the results can be transferred to sport policies and practices

• how knowledge in various areas can be used to develop women’s sport and to implement best practices

• How groups of girls and women can be empowered who are marginalized in sport and physical activities.

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Rope skipping project • Rope skipping – from a traditional game to a

modern sport• Benefits of rope skipping• Funding from NOK and DTB• Volunteers• Cooperation with colleagues

in South Africa• Education of teachers• Development of guidelines

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Women taking the lead

• Gaining insights as vice president of the DTB • Aim: an increase the number of women in

German sport• Research project: mapping the field and

finding reasons• Practice project: developing

strategies

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Evaluation Projects• Provide insight from outside• Measure and document effects• Projects which are not evaluated are ”lost”• A cooperation between researchers and

practitioners• Evaluation of mentoring projects lead to the

compilation of guidelines

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Muslim women and sport

• Research about female immigrants and sport in Denmark

• Oman: Working Group on Muslim Women and Sport

• Accept and Respect declaration

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Conclusion• Sport developments have to be based on

knowledge generated by research• Research has to be transferred to practice• Practitioners have to give feed back• “Gender knowledge” is important for instructors,

coaches, administrators and leaders • Should be included in all

forms of education

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Actions and strategies I• Cooperation between women working in different areas• Integration of scientific insights in the various courses

and programs of leaders, coaches and instructors• Adoption of “practical” questions by scientific projects• Establishment of joint research-practice projects• Evaluation of measures and best practices in the field• Improvement of communication, cooperation and

networks• Dissemination of relevant information, e.g. research

questions, funding opportunities• International Exchange of knowledge and best practices

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Actions and strategies II• Transfer of information from the “Ivory Tower” to the

“sport communities”• Creation of pressure groups and task forces• Encouragement of research “on site” in sport organizations• Cooperation with regard to the funding of projects (EU) • Sharing knowledge and best practices, e.g. mentoring

programs, with relevant institutions and organizations• Emphasise team work of groups with diverse expertise• Establish cooperation between universities and sport• Focus on current issues in research and in practical projects• Last but not least: Adopt the perspective of empowerment

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Practical advice• Identify topics and issues of importance and

relevance for women in sport in your specific areas• Find students who want to cooperate in the context

of master theses or Ph.D. projects• Provide internships for students• Invite retired sport scientists to a cooperation• Use scholars as consultants or establish advisory

boards• Involve scholars in brainstorming and networks• Make all the efforts and outcomes visible and

celebrate success.17

Thank you very much for your attentionand some ideas ”on the way”

we keep the ball movingwe work for changes (new sports?)

andwe can do it!!!!

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