THE CONTRADICTIONS OF GENDER EQUALITY IN ERASMUS+ SPORT: TOWARDS POLICY CONVERGENCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30925/slpdj.4.1.5Keywords:
Erasmus+ Sport, Gender equality, European sport policy, Sport governance, Policy governanceAbstract
Gender equality has become an increasingly prominent priority within European Union sport policy, yet little is known about how this agenda has evolved in Erasmus+ Sport projects over time. This study examines the longitudinal development of gender equality across the complete population of Erasmus+ Sport projects funded between 2014 and 2025 (N = 2,693). A documentary research design combined quantitative content analysis with qualitative thematic analysis to identify gender-related projects, examine changes in their thematic orientation, and analyse patterns of national participation. To facilitate cross-national comparison, a Gender Specialisation Index (GSI) was developed and compared with countries’ scores on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI).
The findings show that the proportion of gender-related projects increased from 7.3% during the 2014–2020 programming period to 13.2% in 2021–2025. Beyond this quantitative growth, the programme showed a gradual broadening and rebalancing of thematic priorities, with women’s participation remaining predominant while leadership and governance gained relative importance and gender equality became increasingly articulated with broader objectives related to inclusion and education. Geographical analyses revealed no significant relationship between national gender equality performance and countries’ specialisation in gender-related Erasmus+ Sport projects, suggesting that participation cannot be explained solely by domestic gender equality contexts.
The study argues that Erasmus+ Sport should be understood not only as a funding programme but also as a governance instrument through which European gender equality priorities are disseminated across diverse national contexts. By combining longitudinal documentary analysis with a comparative analytical framework, the article provides the first systematic assessment of the evolution of gender equality within Erasmus+ Sport and contributes to broader debates on European sport policy, gender governance, and policy convergence.
References
1. Börzel, Tanja A., and Thomas Risse. “Conceptualizing the Domestic Impact of Europe”. In The Politics of Europeanization, edited by Kevin Featherstone and Claudio M. Radaelli, 57-80. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/0199252092.003.0003.
2. Bowen, Glenn A. “Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method”. Qualitative Research Journal 9, no. 2 (2009): 27-40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027.
3. Brocard, Jean-François, and Nathalie Alaphilippe. “The European Sport Model: A Model to Defend”. Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy Journal 1, no. 2 (2023): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.30925/slpdj.1.2.1.
4. Commission of the European Communities. White Paper on Sport. COM (2007) 391 final. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities, 2007. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52007DC0391.
5. Creswell, John W., and Vicki L. Plano Clark. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2017.
6. Dolowitz, David P., and David Marsh. “Learning from Abroad: The Role of Policy Transfer in Contemporary Policy-Making”. Governance 13, no. 1 (2000): 5-23. https://doi.org/10.1111/0952-1895.00121.
7. Elling, Agnes, Jorid Hovden, and Annelies Knoppers, eds. Gender Diversity in European Sport Governance. London: Routledge, 2019. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315115061.
8. European Commission. A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. COM (2020) 152 final. Brussels: European Commission, 2020. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0152.
9. European Commission. Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026. Brussels: European Commission, 2025. https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/documents-and-guidelines/erasmus-programme-guide-2026.
10. European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. Towards More Gender Equality in Sport: Recommendations and Action Plan from the High Level Group on Gender Equality in Sport. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2022. https://doi.org/10.2766/10036.
11. European Union. “Consolidated Version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Article 8”. Official Journal of the European Union C 326 (2012): 53. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tfeu_2012/art_8/oj/eng.
12. European Union. “Consolidated Version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Article 165”. Official Journal of the European Union C 326 (2012): 120-121. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tfeu_2012/art_165/oj/eng.
13. Field, Andy. Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics. 5th ed. London: SAGE Publications, 2018.
14. Hoeber, Larena. “Exploring the Gaps between Meanings and Practices of Gender Equity in a Sport Organization”. Gender, Work & Organization 14, no. 3 (2007): 259-280. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00342.x.
15. Hoeber, Larena, and Sally Shaw. “What Do You Mean It Hasn’t Worked Out Yet? The Paradoxes of Women in Sport Governance Research”. In Research Handbook on Sport Governance, edited by Mathieu Winand and Christos Anagnostopoulos, 397-411. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786434821.
16. Krippendorff, Klaus. Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2018.
17. Mayring, Philipp. Qualitative Content Analysis: Theoretical Foundation, Basic Procedures and Software Solution. Klagenfurt, 2014. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-395173.
18. Meredith, Jack, and Borja García. “To Be or Not to Be Specific? Understanding EU Institutions’ Definition of the Specific Nature of Sport”. Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy Journal 1, no. 1 (2023): 17-44. https://doi.org/10.30925/slpdj.1.1.2.
19. Radaelli, Claudio M. “The Europeanization of Public Policy”. In The Politics of Europeanization, edited by Kevin Featherstone and Claudio M. Radaelli, 27-56. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/0199252092.003.0002.
20. Renfree, Gillian, Beth Burgess, and Vanessa Jones. “Educating Generation Z about Issues Relating to Gender Equality in the Governance and Leadership of Sport in the UK”. In Gender Equity in UK Sport Leadership and Governance, edited by Philippa Velija and Lucy Piggott, 217-32. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-206-220221013.
21. Schreier, Margrit. Qualitative Content Analysis in Practice. London: SAGE Publications, 2012.
22. World Economic Forum. Global Gender Gap Report 2025. Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2025. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/.
23. Zurmühle, Corinne, Michaël Mrkonjic, and Andreas Christoph Weber. “The Evolution of Gender Representation in the Decision-Making Positions of Sport Governing Bodies in Switzerland”. Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy Journal 1, no. 2 (2023): 9-34. https://doi.org/10.30925/slpdj.1.2.2.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Celia Marcen, Dominic Malcolm
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
