This report is a follow-up for the 2005 work group “Draw” (Tasapeli) memo and to its statistical part “Men and women in sports in numbers”. This report describes the current state of gender equality, and compares new information to the facts presented in 2005. New points of views are brought in by, for example, describing gender impact assessment. The purpose of the report is to produce general impression of gender status in sport and offer ideas for the efforts of planning, directing and leading future development.

The gender differences in physical activity begin to develop from about age of three and continue to do so until teenage. Boys are physically more active than girls are in childhood. There are differences in the amount, frequency, and intensity of physical activity. The differences begin to level off in adolescence. Women are physically more active than men in adulthood as they take more daily steps. The differences level off again when people age.

Boys participate in sports club activity more often than girls do in all age groups. On average, boys have more practices a week and one session lasts longer. Also men participate in sports club activities more than women do. Women and girls’ participation rates in organized sports club activity have risen over the last few years more than men and boys’, therefore the margin between genders has decreased. Women use sports services provided by the private sector more than men do. However, there is only a little information of the sports’ private sector. Both men and women’s physical activity levels have decreased, and participation in organized activities has increased.

There are clear differences in the participated sports. Three most popular sports for boys are football, ice hockey and floorball. The results for girls differ in different studies. Some sports are clearly gender related. Gender related stereotypes in sports should be demolished and prerequisites should be created so that both genders could participate in all sports. Football and ice hockey are examples of sports that have traditionally been men-oriented, but the number of female participants over the last years has increased. Men form the majority in physical activity decision-making and leadership roles. Women are particularly scarce in elected leadership positions. Women account for 27 % of the Finnish Sport Federation (SLU) community administrative board, and 24 % of its executive directors and 15 % of chairpersons are women. Administrative boards of National governing bodies consist of 24 % women, with 25 % of executive directors and 11 % of chairpersons women. The number of women has increased during the last 15 years. Thirty-one percent of the leading municipal officials in sports are women. In particular, the amount of female municipal sport directors has increased over the past few decades. Sports councils consist of 48 % women. The law of equality has increased the number of women in municipality decision-making. The participation of both genders in decision-making needs to be encouraged in the future, and the enhancement of women’s career development needs to be continued.

It is still rare to make gender impact assessments in municipal sport councils. Gender impact assessments can give evidence to the performed operations. There are serious deficiencies in the accessibility of gender based statistical information in government, municipality, organization and research levels.

Equality thinking should be changed to begin at the grass root level, where sport’s gender order is first produced. Thinking should begin from girls and boys, mothers and fathers. National sport politics and organisation programmes should include plausible effective mechanisms that would enable the described situation. This report has proved that with allocated actions and resources as well as political willpower it is possible to accomplish changes. It is the actors own decision what they want to do.