Part of: #GalswithLEI

Hear from women athletes, leaders, and advocates as they discuss the issues of inequality affecting marginalized athletes; their efforts to improve the visibility of women, LGBTQI+ and para-athletes in sports; and best practices for advancing and promoting gender equity. Panelists will also explore opportunities to challenge the status quo and inspire other women to become leaders in the world of sport and beyond. 

Women are faced with barriers and inequality in nearly every industry and sports is no exception. From disparity in pay and working conditions to unequal opportunities for leadership, representation, visibility, media coverage, and sponsorship, there is a stark gender imbalance that spans the world of sports. While compensation for women in sports has improved over the past decade, the gender gap continues to extend from college athletes to the world’s highest paid players. In professional sports, male athletes across the industry make anywhere from 15 to 100 percent more than women athletes. Only two women appeared on Forbes’ 2021 list of the world’s top 100 earners, and women’s sports receives only 4-6 percent of all sports media coverage. In college sports, a recent gender equity review of the NCAA found that spending per Division I player is $1,700 less for women than men in team sports and the gap is even greater for single-player sports. The review also found that the NCAA lacks the proper infrastructure for equal sponsorship and support for both men’s and women’s athletics. As the world prepares to watch and celebrate its athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics, it’s hard to overstate the potential impact sports can make far beyond the playing field, and while women athletes lead the fight for parity and representation, their efforts also serve as a catalyst for progressing gender equity in the workplace.

Panelists:

• Alyssa NAKKEN, Assistant Coach, San Francisco Giants, San Francisco, California, USA @SFGiants
• Paige ALMS, 2x Women’s Surf League Big Wave World Champion and Co-founder, Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing, Haiku, Hawaii, USA @paigealms
• Melodie ROBINSON, General Manager, Sports and Events, TVNZ and Founder, The Wonderful Group, Auckland, New Zealand @anicemelodie 
• Kara WINGER, 4x Olympic Javelin Thrower and Director of Athlete Services, Parity, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA @karathrowsjav
• Kaoru NAKAYAMA, Secretary General and Founder, Para Can, Chiba, Japan
• Anne LIEBERMAN, 3x National Champion Muay Thai Fighter and Director of Policy & Programs, Athlete Ally, Brooklyn, New York, USA @anneliebs

Moderator:

• Ginger VAUGHN, Lecturer, Rice University, and Changing Faces Alumna, Houston Texas, USA