In 2024, there will be as many men as women at the Olympic meeting in Paris. For Catherine Louveau, this parity is still far from being synonymous with equality.
At a time when gender parity at the Olympic Games, present in Paris in 2024, is celebrated for the first time in history, women still expect equality with their male counterparts. Unequal treatment, discordant socialization, gender stereotypes… For franceinfo: sport, sociologist Catherine Louveau, professor emeritus at the University of Paris Sud and author of several books on the subject, returned to the differences that persist between women and men in sport.
Franceinfo: sport: Beyond a simple symbol, is parity at the Paris Olympics representative of the integration of women in sport?
Catherine Louveau : To begin with, I don’t find it symbolic. The worst thing is that I see once again the confusion of the terms between parity and equality. This is not only an error in relation to the observed facts, but it is above all an abuse of language, a deception. This parity does not belong to any sports institution, not even to the IOC. No one had to work for it to be established, except the sportswomen themselves throughout history. It’s exactly like in the world of work, gradually over time, we managed to achieve parity. But we know very well, in the world of sport as in the world of work, there is no equality.
So male athletes would be more privileged in your opinion?
Obviously, men are more privileged than women. I remember an episode with the French women’s football team. They had had to leave their rooms at Clairefontaine to return them to the boys. It made me angry with them, because they thought it was normal! In France, there is a lack of a Megan Rapinoe or a Billie Jean King who would dare to say: “If we’re not paid the same as men, well, we don’t play”. As soon as they are paid in the same way as men, we can start talking about equality.
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Isn’t it dangerous for them to speak out against their federation?
If there were several of them, they might be able to protest about the bonuses, the outfits, the distribution of the grounds in the clubs. Obviously, it is not easy to claim, they may fear losing their place. But keeping silent, they saw off the branch on which they are sitting.
Maybe that’s the key: finding a voice that resonates enough to make things happen?
Yes, I am convinced of it. I remember Marion Bartoli, the day she won Wimbledon in 2013. An English journalist remarked to her that she was not “a hottie”. And she replied, “Yes, I’m not blonde. Did I dream of becoming a model? No. Did I dream of winning Wimbledon? Yes, absolutely.” It’s exactly that. They are not there to look pretty, they are there to win, like men.
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The importance of a responsive physique to the standard standards of beauty and femininity of today’s society is also one of the great singularities of women’s practice in sport…
They are obliged to be sporty and feminine. Sporty but feminine. In athletics, I notice that some wear make-up, put on nail polish, wear jewellery… I’ve even seen some girls apologize for being in tracksuits on the field, explaining that they wear skirts outside. As if they had to justify themselves to their sponsors!
Are these disparities not directly the result of our society?
Absolutely, it starts with the socialization of little boys and little girls. We observe it for example with toys. The toys for little girls in the catalogs continue to be indoor toys, dolls, babies, cookers… They are destined to be a housewife, a good mother and a good wife. The boys, meanwhile, play with cranes, toy cars. They build the world and they explore it.
