UNESCO, IRIS and UNFP express commitment towards promotion of women's football

On 23 May last, these three actors presented a “preview” of the report during a conference-debate, held at IRIS premises, on the challenges of the feminization of football.

A few days before the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019, UNESCO, the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) and the National Union of Professional Footballers (l’Union nationale des footballeurs professionnels – UNFP) express their commitment towards the promotion of women's football through the publication of the report “When football rhymes with women”.

On 23 May last, these three actors presented a “preview” of the report during a conference-debate, held at IRIS premises, on the challenges of the feminization of football.

More than a hundred guests attended this conference: experts in the field, many young people interested in finding out more on the topic and media.

The UNESCO, IRIS and UNFP representatives have welcomed the publication of this report as a milestone of a global reflection that show the willingness of these three institutions to change the way women are seen within football and in society.

Through a historical overview of the development of women's football and an analysis of the statistics and figures available, the report highlights the progress made so far while giving a warning signal on what still remains to be done.

As stressed on several occasions at the presentation Conference, it is time for a new step forward in the field of gender equality and status for women football players needs to be created in order to fight against all forms of discrimination, including gender pay-gap. To succeed in this challenge, it is important to bring to everyone's attention to the issues related to the feminization of football and to encourage the greater mobilization of sports stakeholders. The publication concludes with a chapter devoted to concrete recommendations for research organizations, media, national and international organizations and football authorities.