Player Huynh Nhu, captain of the Vietnamese women's football team, attended the seminar "Soccer: Scoring goals for women" in Paris, France.
Held on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8, the purpose of the discussion taking place at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is to evaluate global challenges and innovative approaches to promoting gender equality through football.
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| Overview of the discussion on gender equality held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. (Source: VNA) |
Also attending the discussion with player Huynh Nhu were speakers including Amanda Gutierrez Dominguez, President of the Spanish Association for the Protection of Female Players (FUTPRO); Bouchra Karboubi – International soccer referee; Maggie Murphy – CEO of Lewes Football Club (UK); Janine Van Wyk - South African women's national football team player and Kadia Sow Mbaye - Coach of the Women's Sports and Professional Football Association Futebol Da Forca.
Unequal presence
Speaking at the discussion, Ms. Amanda Gutierrez Dominguez said that the presence of men and women in sports is uneven. Only about 4% of all news in the media covers female athletes and female sports, while up to 40% of the world's sports participants are female.
Last year, there were 16,6 million women and girls participating in organized football competitions, marking a 24% increase compared to 2019. The total number of women's football clubs reached 55.622, part The majority is in Europe (59%).
Despite this growth, the proportion of women among coaches and referees remains low with only around 5% of coaches and 9% of referees being female.
Structural inequality manifests itself in unequal access to resources, opportunities and recognition for women in football, perpetuating a cycle of gender discrimination. Furthermore, social norms and cultural stereotypes contribute to the underrepresentation of women in soccer, increasing gender disparities at every level of the sport.
Addressing these structural inequalities requires concerted efforts to dislodge ingrained biases, promote inclusivity, and implement gender-sensitive policies to ensure fair treatment and opportunities for all participants, regardless of gender. Only by proactively removing these structural barriers will football truly demonstrate gender equality and empowerment both on and off the field.
UNESCO's top priority
Gender equality is a top priority for UNESCO, addressing social norms and discrimination against women and girls through a variety of channels including education, culture, media, science and technology. study and sports.
In her message, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO on International Women's Day, affirmed that gender equality is a simple idea but very difficult to achieve. Today, no country in the world can claim gender equality. At the current rate, it will take nearly 300 years for all countries to do it. Meanwhile, according to UNESCO data, artificial intelligence will require more jobs from women than men by the end of the decade. The climate crisis will push about 160 million women into poverty by 2050.
To break down the barriers women face, UNESCO has made gender equality a global priority for its action. First, to better understand the negative impact of sexism on the economy and society, UNESCO developed a Gender-Based Resilience Framework – empowering women for the benefit of society. In the field of education, women are empowered to acquire the necessary skills thereby having greater economic and social autonomy. Finally, UNESCO focuses on the difficult conditions faced by women journalists. According to research by this organization, 73% of them face online violence. Women's rights remain one of humanity's greatest challenges. UNESCO calls for immediate action to bring change for women.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Vietnam next to UNESCO Nguyen Thi Van Anh and football player Huynh Nhu at the discussion. (Source: VNA) |
More women play football with smiles…
At the discussion, Huynh Nhu shared about his beautiful memories of football. She said that as a child, she often had to play soccer with boys in extremely difficult and deprived conditions. She and her friends played soccer everywhere, in the fields after the harvest, or in the open space at the corner of the market where her parents did business, or sometimes in the coconut garden of a family in the village. One time, she and her friends even had to use dried coconuts instead of balls to satisfy their desire to complete the match.
Her sharing received enthusiastic applause and support from the audience about the determination, effort and strong love of a young girl for football.
Huynh Nhu also told a memory that, at the age of 9, she wore a soccer uniform for the first time, which her parents had saved up money to buy, to participate in an official tournament in which she was a female player. unique in the tournament. She became the top scorer in that tournament. At the age of 16, Huynh Nhu became an official player of Ho Chi Minh City Football Club.
Emphasizing the income difference between male and female players in football, Huynh Nhu said that her colleagues, in addition to football, also have to work another job to have enough income to cover their living expenses. living. To overcome this, according to Huynh Nhu, the role of the media is very important. Media can bring women's football to fans more effectively and attract more investment, especially helping to change fans' perception of women's football.
Spreading youthful enthusiasm, Huynh Nhu calls on everyone, especially women, to love and be passionate about what makes you happy. Huynh Nhu emphasized that you may not see success right now, but don't be afraid and don't be discouraged, success is not for those who lack determination.
Expressing support for meaningful activities organized by UNESCO to promote gender equality in sports, Huynh Nhu said that she really wanted to see more girls playing football with smiles on their faces. can devote all their attention to football. Huynh Nhu calls on everyone to love women with all their hearts, because only love can bring happiness to women.
Speakers at the panel discussed structural inequalities in sports as well as discrimination, stigma and gender-based violence that women endure in football.
The discussion deepened our understanding of the global challenges women and girls face in football, and provided insights to guide strategies to address emerging inequalities. exist.
