Women in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Women still have not exceeded 45 percent of the total participants in the Olympic Games and 36 percent in the Paralympic Games; however, in the 2012 London Games, for the first time in history, women made up more than half of Team USA. Women still have not exceeded 45 percent of the total participants in the Olympic Games and 36 percent in the Paralympic Games; however, in the 2012 London Games, for the first time in history, women made up more than half of Team USA.

The 2012 London Olympic Games were widely recognized as the “Year of the Woman,” because with the exception of two nations, for the first time in the history of the Games every nation that sent a delegation included at least one female. However our new research, “Women in the Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation and Leadership Opportunities,” provides new insights into the generally poor representation of women in leadership roles and sports participation in the international and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic organizations. The groundbreaking report also assesses the extent that the IOC, IPC and USOC are fulfilling their stated missions with respect to gender equality. Read the press release. Full Report

SHARP Center

The SHARP Center is led by representatives from both the Women’s Sports Foundation and the University of Michigan.

Progress and Promise: Title IX at 40, a White Paper

"Keep Title IX Strong" rally staged in anticipation of the Final Policy Interpretation on Title IX by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, April 1979.

Our 2012 Title IX at 40 conference brought together a diverse array of more than 200 athletes, coaches, administrators,...

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About SHARP

SHARP, the Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls, was established in 2010 as a new partnership between the Women’s Sports Foundation and University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology and Institute for Research on Women & Gender. SHARP’s mission is to lead research that enhances the scope, experience, and sustainability of participation in sport, play, and movement for women and girls. Leveraging the research leadership of the University of Michigan with the policy and programming expertise of the Women’s Sports Foundation, findings from SHARP research will better inform public engagement, advocacy, and implementation to enable more women and girls to be active, healthy, and successful.

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SHARP Research Agenda

The SHARP research agenda will run the gamut from helping to promote rapid advances in the understanding of gender, exercise and sports, to creating a new generation of researchers committed to issues surrounding women’s and girls’ physical and sports activities.

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