I couldn’t get enough of the 2024 Olympics, and I know I’ll miss the fierce competition of so many brilliant athletes. Admittedly as a former professional soccer player, I’ve been most absorbed watching the women’s soccer matches that hopefully will yield another gold medal. But I’ve been glued to virtually all the coverage and results—gymnastics, swimming, diving, track and field, basketball, volleyball, and even the new sport of break dancing.
While watching the games, I was struck by the increasing diversity of the athletes across so many sports. Revived in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were dominated by athletes from only a few countries, primarily from Europe and North America. The Olympics have evolved to become more inclusive, reflecting broader societal changes and the growing recognition of the importance of diversity in sports.
The 1960 Rome Olympics represented an important turning point with African athletes on the global stage, including Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia who won the marathon running barefoot. Fast forward to Paris 2024 when Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles made history as the first three Black gymnasts to stand together on the Olympic podium after winning gold, silver, and bronze medals in the floor competition.
Paris 2024 achieves gender parity for the first time in olympic history
Gender diversity also lagged historically, with women comprising only a small fraction of participants until the latter half of the 20th century. But Paris 2024 has made Olympic history by achieving full gender parity. For the first time, there were equal numbers of women and male athletes competing for gold. Wow.
According to the World Economic Forum, women represented only 2.2% of all participants in the 1900 Olympics, also held in Paris. Over time, the number of female athletes has grown steadily. By the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, women represented 23% of participants. And in the London 2012 Olympics, 44% of the athletes were women.
This gender parity is important because it has impacts beyond the playing field. According to UN Women, athletics changes women’s lives by promoting leadership, teamwork, self-reliance and confidence. In fact, research indicates that 94% of women in the C-suite played sports, and executive women are more likely to have played sports and hire other female athletes. I know that soccer certainly changed my life, providing me with a wealth of skills and experiences that I carry with me today in the workplace.
It’s important to note that Olympic gender parity didn’t just magically happen. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was intentional in setting goals and putting programs in place. The IOC’s strategic initiatives and reforms included encouraging women’s participation in leadership roles, revising its policies and charter to explicitly state its commitment to gender equality, launching campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of gender equality in sports, introducing mixed gender events, ensuring coverage women’s game were broadcast during prime time viewing, and carefully monitoring progress of gender parity efforts.
Four pragmatic ways your organization can achieve gender equality
Like in the Olympics, the role of women in the workforce continues to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up approximately 47% of the U.S. civilian workforce. This is up from 30% in 1950. Additionally, women now account for more than half (50.7%) of the college-educated labor force in the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data. Women participate in a wide range of industries, but they often are underrepresented in certain sectors like technology and engineering, while overrepresented in fields like healthcare and education.
Given these workforce realties, ensuring gender diversity in organizations now is essential to success, especially in today’s increasingly tight labor market. Organizations are wise to take a hard look at their gender diversity and set appropriate goals and programs to either grow or sustain their female representation. Here are five pragmatics strategies organizations can implement to help achieve their gender diversity goals:
1
Implement inclusive recruitment practices. This includes using gender-neutral language in job descriptions to attract a wider range of applicants, removing identifying details like names and genders from resumes during the initial screening process, and having individuals from diverse backgrounds on interview panels to bring different perspectives and reduce bias.
2
Establish mentorship and sponsorship programs. Creating mentorship programs to connect women with senior leaders who can offer needed guidance, support, and career advice is immensely helpful for women navigating their careers. Also, it’s critical to encourage senior leaders to actively sponsor high-potential women and actively advocate for their advancement within the organization.
3
Offer flexible work arrangements. Eagle Hill’s research shows that women need options for flexible working hours to accommodate their unique needs, such as caregiving responsibilities that often disproportionately affect women. Also, offering remote or hybrid work can create a more hospitable work environment for women, especially for those balancing work with family responsibilities.
4
Promote pay equity. Organizations are wise to conduct regular pay equity audits to identify and address any gender-based pay disparities within the organization. Implementing transparent pay structures and clearly communicating the criteria for promotions and raises ensures fairness and equity for women who continue to earn less than men.
Of course, every organization is different and likely will require a tailored program to evaluate and improve their gender diversity. But with commitment and focus, every organization has the potential to achieve gender equality similar to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Bravo, Olympians
And one last thought on the Olympics. Congratulations to the 10,500 athletes from 184 countries who competed, including more than 30 on Team USA from the DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) where Eagle Hill is headquartered. These DMV athletes are shining bright, with their years of commitment rewarded with medals on podium.
Among them, phenom Maryland swimmer Katie Ledecky became the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time. Virginia’s Noah Lyles now is considered the “fastest man in the world” after securing gold in the 100-meter dash. And Washington, D.C. born Kevin Durant became the first men’s basketball player in Olympic history to win four gold medals. I’m already anxious to watch an even more powerful and diverse cast of Olympic athletes in 2028 on our home turf in Los Angeles.
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