Equality vs Equity in Sport: Why the Difference Matters

Sport has always had the power to inspire, connect, and change lives — but it also reveals the cracks in our systems. One of the most persistent issues for women in sport is the misconception that equality is enough.

Spoiler: it isn’t.

🎯 Equality vs Equity — What’s the Difference?

• Equality means giving everyone the same support.
• Equity means giving everyone the right support — so they can succeed based on their unique starting points.

In sport, equality might look like equal prize money or shared facilities. But equity? That digs deeper. It’s about addressing the reasons women and girls are underrepresented, underpaid, and under-promoted in the first place.

Without equity, “equality” becomes a box-ticking exercise — one that fails to move the needle.

📉 The Equity Gap in Numbers

Despite growing popularity and performance, women’s sport still faces huge disparities:

• Only 9% of UK sports media coverage goes to women’s sport (source: Women in Sport, 2023).
• Just 0.5% of commercial sponsorship in sport is directed toward women’s sport (UNESCO, 2022).
• Only 19% of head coaches at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were women.
• Women make up just 30% of board members across UK national sporting bodies.

These numbers are not accidental — they’re the result of years of structural inequality. Female athletes are often expected to do more with less, from training in sub-par facilities to balancing second jobs to make ends meet.

🗣 Real Voices, Real Challenges

Former England footballer and pundit Alex Scott has spoken openly about being the only woman — and often the only person of colour — in football media panels. She’s been criticised more harshly than her male counterparts, even when more qualified.

Similarly, the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) in the US has long highlighted its players’ dual roles as athletes and activists. Yet, in 2020, the average salary for a WNBA player was around $120,000, compared to the NBA’s average of $7.7 million.

That’s not an equality issue. It’s an equity one. And it’s about time we addressed it.

🛠 What Needs to Change?

To close the gap, we need more than symbolic gestures — we need systemic support:

• ✅ Investment in grassroots girls’ sports
• ✅ Gender-balanced leadership in sports organisations
• ✅ Equitable media coverage and sponsorship deals
• ✅ Training and mentoring for women coaches and officials
• ✅ Pay transparency and career support beyond athletic peak years

🚀 Take Your Own Next Step

Whether you’re on the pitch or in the boardroom, equity matters — and your career deserves the same kind of investment.

Our 12-Month Career Accelerator is designed to give women the tools, confidence and community to thrive in leadership, overcome bias, and reshape the playing field — whatever industry you’re in.

Because success shouldn’t be about playing by the old rules — it’s about changing them.