Women's Rugby 7s

Will the introduction of women’s rugby sevens in the Rio Olympic games help close the gap of gender equality in Australian sports?
Australia is a multicultural country, where equality holds a great importance (Griffiths, 2010). However, like many societies around the world gender inequality affects not only the Australian society but also cripples the females in the sporting arena (Cozzillio & Hayman,2005). This report will focus on gender equality in the sporting community, in particular the women’s rugby sevens. The main research question, “Will the introduction of women’s rugby sevens in the Rio Olympic games help close the gap of gender equality in Australian sports?” It is essential to evaluate the underlying issues around female participation rates and how it compares to other codes. It also significant to see how governing bodies, such as the Australian Rugby Union, (ARU) the Government and the media influence female participation. It is these very factors that are
The lack of female rugby players meant that the ARU had to scout top female athletes from other sports (Browning, 2012). Funding and resources ensured proper development for the girls selected from other sports like touch rugby and athletics. This paid big dividends as they were rewarded with winning all stages of the HSBC Women’s World Rugby Sevens tournament and are now ranked number one to win gold at Rio. However, because of the lack of resources and funding injected into the junior levels, female participation rates have not met expectations considering the focus on the Olympics. The AFL and NRL focus on females at the junior levels as funding allows them to entice young female players to become lifelong members. The ARU needs to shift its focus on females in the junior level to ensure its longevity, in turn, developing a large player pool to select from to develop future