We have to move faster to give women a sporting chance
FOR decades, women have been fighting for equality and fairness. Chaining themselves to railings, campaigning on the streets, continually showing their worth by getting on with the job, notwithstanding the prejudices.
Like Yetta, my grandmother, who was the first female barrister in Leicester. She was expected to come into work after-hours so she did not disturb the man supervising her.
Society has come a long way and there are few places where women have won more breakthroughs than in sport. It is hard to imagine, given its success now, that the FA banned women’s football from its grounds from 1921 until 1971.
The first ever Women’s rugby World Cup was held in 1991 and described by a reporter at the time as being ‘run on a shoestring, with none of the trappings of the modern men’s game — no big sponsors, no back-up and limited accommodation’.
As any sportswoman will testify, there is still much further to go in the battle for equality. But this struggle is now being made harder because of the debate raging over transgender women competing in women’s sport.
While this is clearly a complex and sensitive subject, no one disputes that men and women are physically different. It follows, as night follows day, that transgender women, who experienced male puberty, are likely to enjoy a host of physical advantages when compared to biological women. They are often taller and stronger. And we know that testosterone suppression does not mitigate these inbuilt advantages.
LOOK at swimming. Men are on average 11 per cent quicker than women. In a sport like boxing, the differences are even more stark. on average a man’s punch is 160 per cent more powerful.
It is these differences that not only give transgender women an unfair competitive advantage but threaten the safety of female athletes in the sports arena.
As a Government we recognise that these physical disparities threaten the integrity of women’s sport and set out in our sports strategy last year that ‘ when it comes to competitive sport, particularly women’s sport… fairness and safety have to be the primary considerations.’ However, many sporting bodies were slow off the mark in addressing the inherent unfairness in allowing those born as men to participate competitively in their sports. For years it was too loaded an issue to touch, despite the fact that it has the potential to make women’s playing fields far from level.
That’s why this week I called together representatives from key sporting organisations, like the England and Wales Cricket Board and Football Association, to encourage them to follow the lead of other sports in not allowing trans athletes to compete against women at the elite level.
A number of sports, including swimming, cycling, rowing and athletics, have now stepped up to protect biological women- only competition. Meanwhile sports councils have set out guidance which recognises that inclusion, fairness and safety cannot be balanced when it comes to transgender participation in gender-affected sports. But it is clear today that several sports authorities are not going far or fast enough. Among the many lessons of the Cass review, it has shown us that inaction and a failure to confront the issues at stake cannot be an option.
THE need for clear action from all sports becomes more pressing with each passing week. Less than a month ago, more than 100 elite British sportswomen told the BBC they would be uncomfortable with transgender women competing in female categories in their sport. one responded to the questionnaire by saying that ‘your career is over’ if you speak out on the subject.
None of this is to suggest inclusion is not important. of course we want everyone to get involved in sport for all its benefits.
When it comes to finding possible solutions, individual sports like cycling and swimming have both made positive progress. By implementing an ‘open’ category for transgender athletes to compete against those with a birth sex of male, the ‘female’ category remains solely for those with a birth sex of female. Everyone can take part and nobody experiences an unfair advantage.
Sporting bodies have a duty to women competing in sport to set out clear guidance and take an unambiguous position. In competitive sport, biology matters. And where male strength, size and body shape gives athletes an indisputable edge, this should not be ignored.
By protecting the female category, they can keep women’s competitive sport safe and fair and encourage the young girls who dream of one day being elite sportswomen.
We must get back to giving women a level playing field to compete. We need to give women a sporting chance.