Despite efforts to achieve gender equality in corporate leadership, progress is slow. In 2023, the United Nations warned achieving gender equality will take 300 years. A LeanIn and McKinsey & Company report shows that while women’s representation in the US C-suite has increased from 17% to 28% between 2015 and 2023, gains are fragile. Women continue to be underrepresented at management and director levels, and exit rates are higher, reducing the pool of top candidates.
While America’s corporate world is struggling to create the right conditions to accelerate gender equality, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will have full gender parity of 50:50 women and men athletes for the first time in Olympic history. This is up from a mere 2.2% of athletes when women were first allowed to compete at the Paris Olympic Games in 1900. Since then, the number has gradually risen, reaching 23% in Los Angeles in 1984, 44% in London in 2012, 48% in Tokyo in 2021, and now full parity in Paris in 2024.
What may seem like a natural course of events, however, was the outcome of a deliberate policy and measures led by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – something I have witnessed firsthand as a member of one of the National Olympic Committees for Gender Equality. Based on my experience in this committee over the last six years, I have identified six key practices from the Olympic Games that can help business leaders promote gender equality in their organizations.
“The IOC’s Portrayal Guidelines aim to raise awareness about how female athletes are portrayed in comparison to their male counterparts.”
Business leaders are advised to think: How and when, and on which platforms, can I demonstrate my full commitment to achieving gender equality in my organization?
At the Tokyo 2021 Games, the IOC implemented a policy change that allowed one male and one female athlete to jointly carry their country’s flag during the Opening Ceremony. 89% of the country delegations came into the stadium with both men and women athletes holding their country’s flags proudly. This change was introduced by the IOC to symbolize equality. The IOC has taken further symbolic action to increase the visibility of women. Since the inclusion of the Closing Ceremony in1984, the men’s marathon has been the climactic event to bring the Olympic Games to an end. In Paris 2024, for the first time, it will conclude with the women’s marathon instead.
Business leaders are encouraged to think: What high-visibility substantive symbolic actions can I take in my organization to showcase my commitment to achieving gender parity?
To attract younger audiences, the IOC changed the ‘rules of the game,’ introducing four new types of sports to the Tokyo and Paris Games – sport climbing, skateboarding, breaking (break dance), kiteboarding, and surfing – which are not usually on the Olympic program. In artistic swimming, men will be eligible to compete for the first time in Olympic history. A further change has been the addition of mixed-gender competitions for badminton, archery, swimming, and judo, among others. These events break the traditional gender divide and encourage the National Olympic Committees to field their strongest players in both genders. Athletes sometimes compete individually, sometimes together, but strive for the common goal of an Olympic medal. The mixed-gender games in Tokyo 2021 not only led to higher visibility for women athletes but also meant they were given higher budget allocations, since in the new structure, the men’s teams were dependent on the women’s success.
Business leaders should ask: How can we rethink how excellence is defined in our organizations? How can we promote women based on these novel definitions of what excellence is and achieve higher organizational gains?
While the increase in female athletes is important, visibility is just as crucial. The IOC has adjusted event schedules to ensure women’s events and medal ceremonies are broadcast during prime time, providing equal media exposure. In Tokyo 2021, women competed for more hours than men on a prime broadcasting day, and more women’s medal ceremonies were scheduled for the peak viewing day in Tokyo compared to Rio 2016. For Paris 2024, efforts have been made to balance the number of medal events, with 152 for women, 157 for men, and 20 mixed, highlighting women’s achievements. A balanced schedule offers reporters the chance to provide equal coverage, inspiring future generations of female athletes through media representation.
Business leaders should ask: What platforms can I use to enhance the visibility of junior and senior women managers in my organization? In which creative ways can I alter and use these platforms?
There is an African proverb saying: “If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together.” The IOC leadership is intentionally investing efforts to gain wide influence, both internally and externally, to drive forward gender parity in sports in all structures and at all levels.
Internal circles of influence: Although there is an equal representation among athletes, there is still a large gender gap in the athletes’ entourage, such as team officials, coaches, and technical staff. At Tokyo 2020, only 13% of coaches were women. The IOC is increasing visibility for elite women coaches and instructing National Olympic Committees to strive for gender balance in their leadership, with at least 30% women in various roles (e.g., chefs and deputy chefs de mission, team leaders, and coaches). To have balanced reporting and storytelling for all athletes, the Olympic Broadcasting Services has acted to close the gender gap in key broadcast roles, hiring 35 women commentators and ensuring balanced gender representation among senior staff, production, editorial, and technical positions for Paris 2024. This aims to amplify women’s stories and voices in sports and sustain an inclusive broadcast environment.
External circles of influence: The IOC’s Portrayal Guidelines aim to raise awareness about how female athletes are portrayed in comparison to their male counterparts. These guidelines provide practical checklists and advice to ensure fair media representation of female athletes, dictating appropriate methods of showing women and men equal respect. They discourage phrases that compare women to men, such as “She swam like a man,” or “She is the next Michael Phelps,” advocating instead for terms such as, “She is a remarkable athlete.” The guidelines also instruct photographers to capture women in action, avoiding passive or sexist images, and to present both genders as “strong,” “elegant,” and “emotional.” This shift in historical sports coverage, which often emphasized women’s looks or personal lives, promotes a narrative that celebrates women’s athletic and competitive achievements across media channels.
Business leaders should map multiple internal and external stakeholders they can influence to develop and sustain a gender-equal ecosystem.
The IOC monitors key gender equality progress indicators across the Olympic Movement, assessing changes in numbers, representation, and goal achievement. Annual comparative reports are sent to 206 National Committees, updating goals to ensure continuous improvement. The IOC also facilitates knowledge sharing and the exchange of best practices among stakeholders, fostering mutual learning. In addition, they encourage Olympic stakeholders to join the UN Women Sports for Generation Equality Initiative to collectively advance gender equality globally.
Business leaders are advised to take action and understand: How can I monitor, share knowledge of best practices, accelerate, and accommodate my organizational gender equality goals, strategy, and implementation of programs to ‘win the race’ of sustainable gender parity?
Since the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, I have worked with many senior managerial teams in the private sector comprised mostly of male leaders to understand the guidelines and actions initiated by the leadership of the Olympic Games to achieve gender equality. We set a process called ‘The Olympic Games’ for each business firm, striving to think about how management can implement and adapt the six principles applied by the IOC to their strategy. Harnessing the commitment to accelerating progress, the creative and playful approach, the empowering spirit, and the inspiration of the sports and the Olympic Games allowed these business leaders and organizations to face the challenge of promoting gender equality in their organizations.
There is much to learn from the measures taken by the leadership of the IOC. Their actions have made the Olympic Games more relevant to girls, women, younger people, and diverse audiences. Watching the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will not only be an enjoyable experience but will enable business leaders and others ‘to stay in the game,’ learn about gender-balanced practices, and contribute to our collective ability to ‘win the game’ of advancing gender equality.
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