The effect of National Sports Events on Women and Gender in Sports in Juba, South Sudan

Abstract

The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to understand the reality of gender disparities in sport in South Sudan, which has not been fully understood; and second, to examine the effects of sporting event interventions, such as whether they can improve gender disparities in sport. In order to achieve the research objectives, quantitative household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted with Juba citizens before and after the national sporting event held in Juba in 2020. Regarding the reality of gender disparities in sport in Juba, contrary to expectations, we found that more than 75 per cent of men and more than half of women play sports in Juba. However, a breakdown by sport shows that the sports actually played and participation rates are highly skewed by gender; men for football and women for volleyball. Furthermore, it was found that the national sport event intervention increases the probability of playing sport and the number of days playing sport for women more than for men. These findings suggest that the more sport events can be held, the more gender disparities in sport can be improved in South Sudan. In South Sudan, where patriarchy persists, the results show that increasing women's participation in sport may not only reduce gender disparities, but may also entail a change in the traditional social norm to date that women should focus only on childcare and housework.

Keywords:

• South Sudan
• Africa
• sport event
• women
• gender
• SDP
• peacebuilding

Acknowledgements

This article has been prepared as part of a JICA Ogata Research Institute project entitled ‘Study on Peace and Development through Sport’. I am grateful to all staff of JICA Ogata research institute, JICA South Sudan, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, especially Edward Settimo Yugu and Lemor William Joseph and anonymous reviewers. The views and interpretations expressed in this article and any errors are my own and not necessarily those of JICA.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Separate administrations and judiciaries for the north and south, restrictions on the movement of people between the north and south, the introduction of different official languages (Arabic in the north and English in the south) and the application of different religions (Islam in the north and Christianity in the south).

2 In the north, the country invested in economic development (large-scale irrigation, railways and other infrastructure) as a source of products to meet its own needs. On the other hand, it did not invest in the south because it did not see the value in it. Similarly, little investment was made in social services such as education in the south, leaving it to the churches to proselytize and educate.

3 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is an implementing agency of Japanese official development aid (ODA) for the purpose of supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions. JICA's role in sport in South Sudan is to rebuild trust between ethnic groups that has been disrupted by repeated conflicts.

4 The 10 regions in South Sudan are: Greater Jonglei, Greater Lakes, Greater Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Greater Unity, Greater Upper Nile, Greater Warrap, Greater Western Bahr el Ghazal, Greater Central Equatoria, Greater Eastern Equatoria, and Greater Western Equatoria. The 2 administration areas are Abyei and Pibor.

5 Boruboru is a revived traditional game predominately played by girls in South Sudan.

6 THE BRIGHTON DECLARATION ON WOMEN AND SPORT. https://www.juntendo.ac.jp/athletes/albums/abm.php?f=abm00003720.pdf&n=Brighton%2BDeclaration_EN.pdf Access:2022.04.30

7 https://www.topendsports.com/world/countries/sudan.htm Access: 2022.04.30

8 Although the 2008 census data is out of date, it is the only comprehensive population data of its kind for the country and the best starting point for constructing a representative sample at all levels.

9 A payam is the second-lowest administrative division, below counties,A boma is a lowest-level administrative division, below payams.

10 https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/literacy-rate-by-country/ Accessed 11 July 2021.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mitsuaki Furukawa

Mitsuaki Furukawa is a professor in International Relations at University of Shizuoka, Japan. His research explores peacebuilding, post-war development, sports for development and peace, and SDGs.