COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012). Title of the thesis or dissertation (Doctoral Thesis / Master’s Dissertation). Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/102000/0002 (Accessed: 22 August 2017). GENDER EQUITY IN SPORT-RELATED POLICIES: A CASE STUDY FOR UNDERSTANDING EMPOWERMENT AND INCLUSION IN SOUTH AFRICA by NANA AKUA ACHIAA ADOM-ABOAGYE Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in SPORT MANAGEMENT in the FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Supervisor: Prof C Burnett Co-supervisor: Prof E Pike MAY 2020 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis is my own original work and that I have not previously submitted it in its entirety or in part at any university for a degree. 29 May 2020 Signature Date of final submission ii Abstract The lack of representation of women and girls within multiple fields within and at every level of the sport sector, despite global movements and policies that have found some traction, is also a persistent, unremitting challenge in South Africa. Participation in sport and structured physical activity has multiple health and social benefits, amongst others – particularly for marginalised groups, which includes women and girls – which South Africa supports through prescripts enshrined in legislation and its constitution, with liberal ideological underpinnings. This investigation aimed to explore the intersections of gender and sports ideology and its impact on gender (in)equity in the South African context, from a civic society perspective. It focused on identifying and investigating policies, structures and practices relating to gender equity. This allowed for an exploratory and in-depth investigation into how civic society actors perceive and experience gender equity within sport-related domains in South Africa. The study draws on feminist theories as conceptual framework and the thematic analysis of policies and strategic documents for gender framing and equality. Twenty-eight interviews (N=28) were conducted with a purposive sample of identified stakeholder representatives from civic society and the sport sector, namely sport administrators/activists (n=6), NGO decision- makers (n=19) and employees (n=3). An analysis of the qualitative data produced four main themes. The first theme identified how societal mind-sets around gender were linked to institutionalised male hegemony and patriarchal values and belief systems. This ultimately impacts on resource allocation (for women and girls) and the involvement of women in decision-making roles in sport. The second theme identified how gendered expectations impact on inter-gender relationships (in society and in sport). Black African communities were found to have expectations of culturally designated gender roles, which infringe upon the basic human rights of women and girls, regarding their right to autonomy and decision-making. The third theme identified the effects of marginalised community’s societal context – poverty and violence – as additional (yet previously unknown) barriers to gender equity and sport. Poverty and violence have the greatest effect on women and girls. The fourth theme identified how limited understanding of the differences between gender equity versus gender equality have had an impact on sport policy implementation, while there was also no evidence of stakeholder accountability and adequate direction as to how to implement policy was lacking. The results of the study also highlighted five key stakeholders, namely the government sector, sport federations, the corporate sector, NGOs and universities, which could potentially assist in gender reform in sport, if they so choose. Recommendations specific to each identified stakeholder are presented for informing current practices and future research. iii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to friends and family, near and far who gave of their support in their own special ways: To my number one supporters – my parents (Isaac and Grace): words cannot express the emotion that I feel writing this: “We made it!” I say ‘we’, because it was a group effort. You believed in me, prayed for me and encouraged me when I wanted to quit so many times. You provided comfort and support on the days and nights when crying was all that I could do, because “It is too hard!” yet you always said to me “Nothing is hard, if you have God on your side”. This thesis is the culmination of the sacrifices that you made over the last three and a half decades. I would not be where I am today, handing in this original work, if it was not for you. I will never be able to repay you, but I will spend my life trying to. To Kwadwo Aboagye (my ‘baby’ brother): in your own silent and unique way, you supported me. You talked about my work to others and shared my achievements (unbeknownst to me), which helped to motivate me (when I found out). I hope that my work will inspire your own journey and that one day we can work together through our shared love of sport, which we got from our parents. To my Aunt, Mary Baffoe-Arthur and my cousin, Ama Baffoe-Arthur: your prayers and support will never be forgotten. Despite being all the way in Kumasi, Ghana, I always felt as if you were right here with me, cheering me on to the finish line. Me dase, Nyame nhyira mo. To my extended family spread across Ghana, Europe and America, who kept me in their thoughts and prayers to get me to the finish line, I hope and believe that this achievement will help motivate cousins, nieces and nephews from the Opoku and Aboagye lines going forward. To Botu Kwesi, my ‘twin’ for life: meeting you in Olympia, Greece was one of the best moments of my life. Despite different backgrounds, we shared a commonality – our love for sport and wanting to use sport to better the lives of marginalised ethnicities like ourselves. You always believed in me, even when I at times did not. Even though at the time of writing this, you are sick, I believe that you will get better and that we will attend my graduation together as you promised. iv To Christian Bohnsack: my stern, yet friendly giant of a friend. We have been through a lot over these last four years, but one thing that has remained constant is your support and your belief in me, despite you being all the way in Germany. Your support in getting this thesis edited will never be forgotten, along with your constant reminder for me to be “careful of your mind hygiene!” To my KS Fitness family and trainers (Kyle and Sakeena Sawyer): if I had not joined this amazing and diverse group of people, I do not know how I would have managed to cope with the stress that a PhD brings to one’s life. What I love about this small fitness group we have, is that we truly support each other. What we can and cannot achieve, is not based on gender but based on our own individual mindsets. For those of you who took interest in my work and supported me near completion, I say “I see you and I thank you!”. Last but not least, this thesis is dedicated to any African girl or woman, who ever had a dream and was told it was not possible because she is female. It can be done, only if you want it badly enough. v Acknowledgements The culmination of this thesis is the fruition of an idea that was planted in my mind 23 years ago by my mother, when I was too young to even know what a PhD was. However, I held onto that idea and I am thankful first and foremost to God, who never let me forget it and who created pathways, even when there seemed to be none. Furthermore, for their support in helping me attain this dream, I would like to thank: • My supervisor, Prof Cora Burnett: we unofficially met in Olympia, Greece in September 2015 and little did I know that that would be the start of an amazing journey. Thank you for taking a chance on me when many were unable or reluctant to. Words alone cannot express my gratitude but I believe we did not meet by chance. • My co-supervisor, Prof Elizabeth Pike: you were the first to show interest in my potential for PhD studies, yet fate had other ideas. I am however glad that we were able to reconnect and that you were able to come on board and help me see my vision through. Your input has been invaluable. • The management committee of the University of Johannesburg’s Global Excellence and Stature Funding. This is a very prestigious and sought-after award with limited beneficiaries and without it, I know that my study would probably have remained a dream. • Ingrid Delle Jacobson, my editor: you went above and beyond what most editors offer and provide and it meant a lot to me. Your support and availability during the final weeks leading up to this, will never be forgotten. • Mrs Rosiana Hara, my colleague and friend. If it were not for your assistance and patience in transcribing my interviews verbatim, I do believe that this thesis would have taken longer to complete.