ABSTRACT
In Finland, gender equality has been promoted through several sport policy initiatives, taking into account issues of multiple discrimination and social segregation and, lately, also non-binary gender identity implications. In this study, we report on the development of the legal basis and policies of gender equality promotion in Finnish sport since the 1990s. The emphasis is on documentation of the proportion of women in leadership and decision-making roles in national governing bodies of sport and the recommendations as well as policies and actions to even out disparities. The policies and actions include recommendations, government programmes, gender impact assessments, introduction of quotas and the requirement for gender equality policies to apply for funding. Policy changes, turning points and key events are also identified by interviewing persons who have been in leadership positions during the previous two decades. We found that the number of women in leadership positions has increased slightly. The institutions acting as policy drivers have been in the minority, which has weakened the agenda setting when considering macro policy and outcomes. Overall, as a policy process, gender equality promotion has been more in the development phase than it has been applied in practice.
