Supporting Muslim women and girls
Welcoming, respectful sport environments can encourage Muslim women and girls to join in
Muslim women and sport
Muslim women and girls have diverse experiences in sport. These experiences are shaped by culture, religion, community and money.
Understanding a bit more about Islam
Follows of Islam are called Muslims. Islamic faith in Australia has a long history, from early Indonesian fishers and Afghan cameleers to more recent migration from around 120 countries. Today over 813,000 people in Australia are Muslim (3.2% of our population), and almost half are women. Islam shares a close history with Christianity and Judaism, and teaches submission to God through faith, family, peace, love and work.
What stops Muslim women and girls getting involved in sport?
It can be hard for some Muslim women to balance their culture and religious practices with sports or being active in public. Barriers can include:
- uniforms that don’t meet modesty needs
- fear of misunderstanding, discrimination, racism or lack of belonging at clubs or events
- feeling uncomfortable when facilities or events aren’t culturally appropriate
- cost of fees, uniforms, equipment and transport
- policies or programs that aren’t flexible about religious practices such as fasting.
What could help?
Understanding these barriers is the first step. Listen to Muslim women and work with them to create activities that meet their needs. Helpful approaches may include:
- supporting flexible policies and uniforms (such as hijab-friendly options)
- educating your broader communities on culturally safe practices and the harm of racism and Islamophobia to help break stereotypes and stop poor behaviour
- giving girls leadership opportunities to skills that show the wider value of sport in their lives
- creating welcoming environments, such as women-only and family friendly sessions, ‘come and try’ programs and school partnerships
- providing low-cost options for fees and equipment where needed if possible.
These steps can help Muslim women and girls feel safe, included, respected and more confident to play sport and enjoy being active.
Further reading:
Change Our Game – Enabling Muslim girls to play sport and be active, opens in a new tab
2021 Census shows changes in Australia’s religious diversity, opens in a new tab