Women and sport in Barcelona have a long and progressive relationship. Today women have a regular and ever-increasing presence in the world of sport and physical activity in the city. The is reflected by the latest survey on sports habits among the city’s adult population, compiled in 2017. The survey shows that 69.2% of women do sport, an increase of 18.5% compared to the figure of 50.7% from the previous survey, carried out in 2013.
Yet parity in the world of sport is still not a complete reality, as we can’t just focus on the pursuit of sport itself. Certain inequalities between men and women in the sphere of sports persist when we refer to women’s real access to the management of sports institutions and organisations, their presence in key posts in sport, their work-life balance in sports and physical activity, the visibility of sportswomen in the media, and equality in the prize money for men and women’s competition categories.
Because of this, here at the Barcelona Institute of Sports we’re starting a series of reports on sportswomen who stand out in their fields. The goal is to give visibility to the role of women in sport and physical activity, and to take another step towards gender parity.
Neus Santamaría, leadership in the world of motor sports
The first person in the “Women who move sport” series is Neus Santamaría (Barcelona, 1996). On 30 October, Neus became the first woman director of the Euroformula Open competition, in a race held at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.
Neus Santamaría has been involved in motor sports all her life and believes that her appointment is “a step forwards in starting to normalise the role of women in motor sport”. Santamaría also hopes that her example will “encourage other girls to get into this sport, which is so stigmatised”.
Women and Sport Award, 13 years with sportswomen
The “Women who move sport” series will act as a prelude to the 13th edition of the Women and Sport Award. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the winners of this year’s award will be announced in an online ceremony to be held in December.
The goal of the event is to raise the profile of the achievements of women, united in their passion and devotion to physical activity and sport. The awards have also opened up a new means of dissemination and knowledge of stories and reflections on the role of women in sport, in order to help achieve a more equal presence in all age ranges and all fields of physical activity and sport.