Soccer can be seen as the most skilled ambassador of equality, and its service can be used to address the topic of gender equality, by passing traditional, rigid ways.





It is true that gender equality has travelled a long distance from where it was at the beginning of the century, but this has happened mostly in well-developed, democratic countries. There are still important religious, cultural, and economical obstacles in front of world-wide implementation of gender equality. To put it in other words, societies need a certain level of prosperity in order to address topics that question the morality of their status-quo, and reforms usually come at a slow pace, and require a lot of patience. Fortunately, soccer has gone beyond any barriers and borders, uniting people faster than anything else, and becoming one of the first world-wide phenomena. Therefore, soccer can be seen as the most skilled ambassador of equality, and its service can be used to address the topic of gender equality, by passing traditional, rigid ways.





Numbers are very clear when indicating that the best national women’s soccer teams come from countries with a high index of gender equality, as well as high economical performance. The correlation is clearly unidirectional, as a progressive and matured society is able to harbor performance in leisure activities, but why not look beyond the obvious? Every type of sport, soccer in particular, is a major source of confidence building for both the individual and the team he/she is part of. It’s not farfetched to imagine a surprise winner at the next FIFA Women's World Cup triggering a real revolution geared toward building gender equality in that particular country. Enthusiasm toward an idea or concept can be fuel waiting for the spark to come.





It is not uncommon to see countries experiencing political tension play a soccer match. All differences beside the color of the shirts are put aside, and the established common denominator (the rules of the game) allows for everyone to enjoy the experience. With every match starting from equal positions (0-0), there are many saying that have entered the repertory of sport commentators around the world like “The ball is round,” or, “They also have two legs,” are just a few confidence boosting mantras used to appeal the gods of soccer. Of course, some might argue that football is far from promoting equality, as the sport itself is always searching for a winner, for the best team. However, soccer is a sport that has a very particular nature. Odds sometimes play a very important part in establishing the winner of a single soccer match, and even the winner of a competition. Last minute upsets, as well as underdogs reaching far away from their common grounds, make soccer an environment where surprise and drama feel at home. This ingredient x can be seen as the biggest promoter of equality, leveling differences, reminding everyone that we are all born equal, and that it is all about the layers life adds up according to the context.





Assembling all arguments, soccer can be used as an organic way to penetrate regions of the world where women are still secondary citizens. Stripped away from political and religious ideology, the kind of gender equality promoted by soccer can be seen as less menacing by conservative and nondemocratic societies. With women gradually stepping up to share the same benefits and responsibilities as men do, opposing to this reality has no real chance of sustaining itself in the future to come. The power of example is sometimes enough to show that women deserve to be equal to men on all terms. Hard work, creating a purpose and focusing on achieving it, as well as working as a team, are all attributes belonging to both the football field and life itself. If women prove themselves capable of following rules and pursuing success in a game traditionally belonging to men, why deny them equal opportunities in real life? Authorities/countries denying gender equality are in an offside position that only they are unable to see. When everybody makes that extra step forward, you should do the same in order to stay in the game.



