Quotas to accelerate gender equity in sport leadership: do they work?

This chapter explores the use of gender quotas as a strategy to accelerate the growth of women in sport leadership, particularly in the governance of national sport organisations (NSOs) and international federations (IFs). It presents an overview of the current global status of women's participation in sport governance based on the Sydney Scoreboard, a global index for women in sport leadership. The chapter discusses several strategies for disrupting the status quo at an international level, including the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration and an important initiative by the United Nations, as well as the introduction of gender quotas. The Brighton Declaration was the first international declaration which specifically identified the aim of increasing women's participation in sport leadership, with the goal of empowering women and advancing sport. Finally, the chapter talks about the use of quotas as a strategy to accelerate gender equity in sport governance.