ETTU | 10 May 2022

ETTU Gender Equality Committee meeting

The Gender Equality Committee met yesterday to progress their planning and prepare some recommendations and propositions for the ETTU Congress in August. 

Gender equality is a key topic on the agenda of many sporting organisations and despite women and girls representing half of the world's population, gender inequality still persists. It creates barriers to social and economic progress and leaves women underrepresented in key leadership and decision-making roles. The GE Committee was established in September 2020 and has picked up some momentum in its recent meetings to scope the priorities for work and provide leadership in this important area.

The Gender Equality Committee aim to:

•     Provide a voice for all- Athletes, Officials, Umpires, Coaches, Directors

•     Create more opportunities for women to become leaders in sport

•     Encourage more women and girls to play table tennis

•     Champion female role models to inspire the next generation on and off the field of play

•     Ensure equal investment and prize money

•     Ensure our sport is addressing and eliminating bias and discrimination at every level

Its members have been actively researching best practice from across the world from the International Olympic Committee Gender Equality themes to how other international sport federations drive cultural change and improve representation. The Gender Equality Committee has also been looking at data and feedback from other ETTU committees and National Associations to create a plan of action for the sport. The recent ETTU request to National Associations to submit their numbers of registered players, coaches, employees, board members and umpires will provide important information to help identify any gender bias and where improvements are needed the most.

Moving towards the ETTU Congress in August, the Chair of the Gender Equality Committee, Innes LOURO, will present an overview of the committee and some propositions that would help further this work. She would also welcome meeting other ETTU committee chairs to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed through all of the ETTU's delivery and that everyone is working together to drive a positive change.