Lessons on gender parity from University of St Andrews

CHENNAI: Recently, the University of St Andrews announced that it had signed the R&A Women in Golf (WIG) Charter, thereby making a noteworthy commitment to gender equality.

The Charter, launched in 2018 by the Royal & Ancient (R&A), the governing body of golf outside of the USA and Mexico, is an initiative aimed at increasing the number of women and girls playing and working in the golfing fraternity.

In practical terms, signing the WIG Charter meant that the University would be working to promote gender equality and diversity in its own golf programmes and facilities, as well as in the wider golf community.

This may include coming up with initiatives to encourage more women and girls to take up golf, providing support and opportunities for women golfers and coaches, and working to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all golfers.

The University, known for its golf scholarship and research, hopes to attract more women to take up various areas associated with the sport, said a spokesperson.

It was in 2013 that 85 per cent of R&A Club’s global members, including Chennai’s Ishwar Achanta, voted to admit women members into R&A, ending the male-only diktat that had been in place dating back to 1754.

Achanta tells me that since then a number of women have been offered membership at R&A. The WIG Charter is the next big step.

Eyeballs matter: Gender parity has taken a long time to reach this stage. Reach of the sport to a larger audience is a big gender hurdle, and that is being taken down steadily; in cricket, for example, the Women’s Premier League has taken a big step in terms of live television coverage.

The Qatar 2022 was a seminal moment as Stephanie Frappart and other women referees broke the glass ceiling, officiating for the first-time ever in the FIFA Men’s World Cup. However, gender parity has to go beyond merely allowing women to play or officiate.

Working together: How does WIG help? It is a step in the right direction, says Achanta. “In India, the ladies section merged with the main body in 2009/2010, when Asith Luthra was the President. The Indian Golf Union (IGU) Ladies Section merged with the IGU. Since then, events for men and women are set, managed and executed under one umbrella,” he says.

Past forward: Rita Punwani, Lady Captain, Tollygunge Golf Club, was part of the Council that oversaw the merger of the Men’s and Ladies sections years ago. “Golf has gained more ground and is viewed seriously now, compared to 10 years ago. At that time, many would drop golf for college. But now, many focus on it as a career. There is more mileage out of playing golf, and the junior golf circuit in the country is now very vibrant,” she says.

Efforts taken to empower women and close the gender gap is the only way forward and a win-win scenario for all, she feels.

For Malini Srinivasan, one of Chennai’s senior most golfers, the IGU Ladies card is still a prized possession. All the zones (clubs) used to play the Eileen Mandel Cup in April and the Team Trophy in November, where they added the best silver and bronze handicappers scores and sent the same to the Convenor. Prizes were awarded at the IGU AGM. The focus was centred around getting more ladies to play.

However, many agree that women have a limited role in the game and that their full potential – ideators and administrators among others – is yet to be tapped. Which is why the commitment by the University of St Andrews is one step forward.

The rationale is to integrate women into every aspect of golf, be it access to golf clubs, competitions on all days (not just a special day for women only), entry into managing committees of Clubs or into Boards of apex bodies.

The idea is to establish leadership positions for women in golf, rewrite age-old rules and bye laws to be gender-neutral, provide equal prizes to men and women. It also enables reaching out to marginalised sections of the society to include female, especially children, and train women as instructors and ambassadors.

Who knows, the day may not be far off when women call the shots in marquee tournaments.

(The writer is an avid golfer)