More women? Sports federations really do

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There was great outrage when Sports Minister Amherd called for a fixed quota for women in sports clubs and associations last July. The middle magistrate’s announcement: Anyone who doesn’t have at least 40 percent women on the board should expect to see federal funds cut, whether it’s an umbrella organization or a village association.

But more on that later. What is the real quota for women in Swiss sport? In short: bad. Few large sports clubs meet the requirements.

Football players can do without women on the board

Things look bleak at the Swiss Football Association (SFV). Seven of the seven board members are men. After all, the problem seems to have been recognized by the football players. “Women should be promoted, everyone in the association agrees on that,” says secretary-general Robert Breiter. At the next General Assembly in the summer, delegates will vote on a reform package to improve good governance. An important point in this package: the promotion of women. In concrete terms, the Board of Directors will be expanded with one or two positions. These functions are clearly intended for women, explains Robert Breiter. Any vacancies should, if possible, be filled by women.

There are plenty of exciting candidates, according to the secretary-general of the SFV. The association actively put out feelers. Not only in our own organization, but also externally. “It would increase diversity in the SFV if there were some career changers on the board in the future. So far, almost all board members have followed a similar path. » Will the football association manage to elect several women to the central board in 2025? “It’s a very ambitious goal,” Breiter admits. “The SFV is not the only association that will have to struggle with this tight time window.”

Amherd had to crawl back

The SFV does not have to take into account the consequences if it does not make it. Because shortly after the announcement of Amherd’s quota last July, massive resistance arose. Smaller associations in particular feared for their existence. It is not easy to find motivated and dedicated people to lead an association on a voluntary basis. If a gender requirement were added, it would be almost impossible, Swiss Badminton criticized at the time.

It soon became clear: Amherd’s ideas were too ambitious, her plan for the advancement of women fell through. In the consultations, the Federal Council weakened the regulation. The associations now only have to demonstrate what measures are being taken to achieve equal representation of the sexes. The principle is called “comply or explain”. There are no consequences for quota violators. In addition, only national associations are affected.

There are bright spots

Then you are at Swiss Ski. With two of the seven female board members, Swiss Ski does not meet the requirements for the board. However, with absolute balance in management, the Ski Association leads the way.

That was not done consciously, explains interim co-CEO Claudia Lämmli. “It is clear that gender balance is an important issue for us. But such a balance should not be forced, it should happen naturally. At Swiss Ski, competence plays a bigger role than gender.”

This is the situation in the largest Swiss sports federations:

Source : Blick