Why equal opportunity starts with better science, stronger data, and real inclusion? The cheers for women’s sport are louder than ever, from packed stadiums to viral celebrations. Yet behind the success stories lies a troubling reality: a system that still fails to properly protect, support, and develop female athletes.
This is not just about outdated attitudes. It’s about how sport, from science labs to local clubs, continues to treat women as smaller versions of men instead of recognising and responding to their unique needs.
The science gap
Most of what we know about training, nutrition, and injury recovery in sport comes from studies done on men. That means female athletes are often following “proven” methods that were never actually tested on people like them. This is not a small issue: it’s dangerous.
For instance, concussion recovery rules are often identical for men and women, even though women are more likely to suffer concussions and experience different symptoms. Ignoring these biological differences puts female athletes’ health and performance at serious risk.
To make matters worse, researchers who try to study women are sometimes told their work is not “original enough.” This kind of academic bias slows progress and leaves major gaps in understanding women’s performance, health, and injury prevention.
The Caribbean reality
In the Caribbean, these global issues are magnified by structural and cultural inequalities. Many women face limited time and money for sport. They shoulder more family and household responsibilities, leaving little opportunity for regular training. Combined with lower incomes and the cost of equipment or club fees, participation becomes even harder. Leadership in sport remains largely male-dominated.
Women who do reach executive positions are too often treated as “tokens” rather than decision-makers with real power. Cultural pressures add to the problem. Many teenage girls fear becoming “too muscular” through sport — a reflection of body image concerns that discourage participation. As a result, girls miss out on the confidence, health, and community benefits that sport provides.
The way forward
The solution begins with one word: data. This was the focus of the recent TAFISA Mission 2030 Webinar, “Shifting the Narrative: Data-Driven Approaches to Girls' Sports Participation.”
Experts such as Professor Rosa López de D’Amico from Venezuela highlighted that without reliable information about women and girls in sport, governments and organisations are “flying blind.”
Caribbean countries urgently need to collect and analyse sex-disaggregated data, statistics that distinguish between male and female participation, funding, and outcomes. Without these numbers, there’s no foundation for effective, gender-responsive policy. One positive model is the Girls Positive and Safe Coaching Pathway, developed by TAFISA and Nike. It equips coaches with tools to create welcoming, inclusive environments that keep girls in sport, a small but crucial step toward equity.
From applause to action
For women and girls to truly thrive in sport, we need more than applause — we need accountability.
That means:
· Funding research that focuses specifically on women.
· Ensuring equal access to resources and opportunities.
· Training coaches to understand and respond to girls’ unique needs.
· Building sport systems based on evidence, not assumptions.
Women’s sport has proven its worth on the field. Now, it’s time for institutions — from ministries to research labs — to catch up in the field. Only when science, policy, and community efforts align will we truly see women in sport clearly — not just in the spotlight, but in the systems that sustain them.
