The Women’s World Cup is being held across Canada next year. Apparently the decision was made to use Astroturf fields instead of grass. The reason? FIFA wanted to “test it out”.
Hmmm…I wonder why they didn’t see fit to test it out THIS year during the World Cup?
It’s a decision (and a defense) that says a lot about gender equality – or rather, inequality.
Who decided that testing it out on the Women’s World Cup was a good idea?
Or a better question, and probably the more appropriate question: why didn’t anyone think about the many reasons why testing Astroturf out on the women’s competition wasn’t a good idea?
Unconscious bias would likely explain the chasm in both respect and awareness. No matter how far we have come, there is still an unconscious belief that women are “less than” – which would explain the choice to “test out” the Astroturf during their World Cup . Which, of course, holds less importance than THE World Cup.
A little awareness can go a long way. If only the folks at FIFA had taken the Harvard Implicit Association Test on gender….
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2014 Copyright Annemarie Shrouder
Speaker & Facilitator on issues of Diversity & Inclusion
www.beeing.ca
www.annemarieshrouder.com
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