International Women’s Day #PressforProgress

UYWAFC Support #PressforProgress Camapaign

As individuals all over the world come together to celebrate International Women’s Day, the #PressforProgress campaign aims to highlight female sporting achievements as well as the need for greater media coverage and equality.

International Women’s Day dates back to the early 1900’s, a time when women were fighting for the right to vote in political elections. Since then, the world has witnessed a significant change in attitudes towards women’s rights and equality, but there is still much work to be done. In 2017, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report findings claimed that gender parity is over 200 years away. Global activism is arguably at its highest with movements like #MeToo and the #TimesUp campaign and there is a significant momentum in striving for gender parity.

This situation is no different in sport. In the Summer, Channel 4 broadcasted all of England’s fixtures in the Women’s European Football Championships and a record 4 million viewers tuned in to watch their semi-final match against the Netherlands. Yet despite obvious progress, there remains the issue of a significant pay gap between many male and female sporting athletes, as well as journalists and broadcasters. Recent reports about the BBC gender pay gap between the likes of Gary Lineker and Clare Balding is a notable example.

Iconic athletes have been helping to raise awareness of the #PressforProgress initiative including Olympic Gold medal winner Charlotte Caslick and South Africa’s Women’s Rugby players, Chané Stadler and Megan Comley. Many more ambassadors will be promoting the campaign throughout the day. You can get involved on social media and by visting the website www.internationalwomensday.com - how will you #PressforProgress