Global Women and Sport Actions Timeline

The Global Women and Sport Action Timeline (Women & Sport Timeline) documents, shares, and connects the actions undertaken around the world to address inequalities against women and girls in sport. This historical timeline covers all regions of the world with entries of actions from 1865 – 2020. 

Actions for women and sport in this Timeline include policy, legislation, events, campaigns, formation of organisations, international frameworks, and events. Whereas inequalities and discrimination against women and girls persist in sport, the Timeline of Actions shows the enduring and sustained efforts of actors across civil society, government, academic, and private sectors to contribute to creating a fairer sporting society.   

Timeline

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Directory

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Timeline

See how events to advance women and girls in sport, physical activity and physical education have unfolded around the world. The timeline highlights a small set of selected actions to provide context. The view offer a sense of key milestones and events that have contributed to gender equatliy in sport.

Data Collection

The Timeline data was collected, conceptualised and published by Dr Jordan Matthews (University of Chichester). The GO takes forward Dr. Jordan Matthew’s work and invitets collaboration to expand the entries in this resource. 

New entries can be provided through this submission form. The data and associated resources (visualizations and a searchable directory) are updated periodically, based on the availability of new data. The GO reserves the right to modify, amend, or delete any data entry.  

If you notice any gaps or errors in the existing data, don’t hesitate to contact us at data@genderequalitysport.org.

 

Directory of Actions

Filter and browse the Timeline page by page or quickly find what you need using the search and filter options. You can filter entries based on sport, country, and continent or use the search function.

Year Sport Action Country Continent wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Multiple Organisation Reference
1865 Physical Education Vassar Female College opened "'to accomplish for young women what our colleges are accomplishing for young men". From the beginning students engaged in "light gymnastics" and "healthful female sports in the open air" under the direction of an experienced United States of America North America 1330 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Vassar College (Park, 2010: 1253)
1867 Golf Ladies Golf Club forms in St Andrews, Scotland. United Kingdom Europe 1331 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Williams, 2014).
1869 Croquet All England Croquet Club first Lady Championship of England. United Kingdom Europe 1332 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM All England Croquet Club (Williams, 2014).
1876 Gymnastics First women’s gymnastics club in Scandinavia founded in Helsinki Finland Europe 1333 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Laine, 1998).
1878 Gymnastics London School Board appoints Madame Bergman-Österberg, who followed the Ling method of gymnastics. This appointment may be regarded as the crucial factor in launching a new career for women. United Kingdom Europe 1334 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM London School Board (Fletcher, 1984: 4).
1884 Tennis First National Tennis Championship for women at Wimbledon, England. United Kingdom Europe 1335 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Guttmann, 1991).
1885 Physical Education American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education (APEA) created. United States of America North America 1336 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education (APEA)
1888 Athletics American Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) established. United States of America North America 1337 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM American Amateur Athletics Union (AAU)
1889 Gymnastics Madame Bergman-Österberg launches her own UK college for the purpose of ‘training gymnastic teachers for new high schools for middle-class girls’. United Kingdom Europe 1338 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Fletcher, 1987: 147).
1889 Gymnastics Boston philanthropist Mary Hemenway founded the all-female Boston Normal School of Gymnastics (BNSG) and appointed Amy Morris Homans as its director. All had a major impact for the next forty years as a significant proportion of future leaders graduated t United States of America North America 1339 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Boston Normal School of Gymnastics (BNSG) (Park, 2010).
1890 Non-sport First secondary schools open for girls (allowed to attend boys secondary schools in 1920). Portugal Europe 1340 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM
1890 Gymnastics Swedish gymnastics introduced at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. The female principal was against competitive activity. United Kingdom Europe 1341 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Cheltenham Ladies' College (Guttmann, 1991).
1890 Gymnastics Boston School votes to adopt Ling’s Swedish gymnastics system. United States of America North America 1342 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Boston School (Guttmann, 1991).
1893 Golf British women established the Ladies Golf Union ‘with the help of men’. Reports of prizes offered to women golfers in Scotland as early as 1910. United Kingdom Europe 1343 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Ladies Golf Union (Guttmann, 1991: 121).
1894 Golf First national women’s golf championship. Australia Oceania 1344 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Guttmann, 1991).
1894 Organisation International Olympic Committee (IOC) established in Paris. France Europe 1345 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM International Olympic Committee (IOC)
1895 Physical Education Dartford Physical Training College established; the UK version of Vassar College, USA (see 1865). United Kingdom Europe 1346 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Dartford Physical Training College (Fletcher, 1984).
1895 Field Hockey All-England Women’s Field Hockey Association established after women were refused entry to the England Hockey Association. United Kingdom Europe 1347 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM All-England Women’s Field Hockey Association (Guttmann, 1991).
1895 Golf First national women’s amateur golf championship, Meadow Brook Club, Hempstead, New York. United States of America North America 1348 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Williams, 2014).
1895 Athletics Vassar College students organised what is believed to have been the first track competitions for college women in the country. United States of America North America 1349 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Vassar College (Park, 2010).
1896 Gymnastics Women’s Gymnastics Association established. Consisting of Finnish and Swedish groups, it was formed before any male gymnastic organisation. Split into national chapters in 1921. Finland Europe 1350 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM x Finnish Women’s Gymnastics Association
1896 Multi-sport First modern Olympic Games, Athens, Greece. Women not allowed to compete. Greece Europe 1351 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM International Olympic Committee (IOC)
1896 Gymnastics Women’s Gymnastics Association established. Consisting of Finnish and Swedish groups, it was formed before any male gymnastic organisation. Split into national chapters in 1921. Sweden Europe 1352 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM x Finnish Women’s Gymnastics Association
1896 Basketball The first intercollegiate basketball game between University of California and Stanford played in Berkeley. United States of America North America 1353 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Guttmann, 1991).
1898 Motorsport Mrs Laumaille completes one of the first recorded motorsport events; the ‘Marseilles-Nice’. Women competed in other races between major cities in Europe into the early twentieth century but were significantly under-represented compared to male competitors France Europe 1354 Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM Julien 12/09/2025 09:14 AM (Bouzanquet, 2009; Matthews and Pike, 2016).
Sport Country Continent

Data Availability

The data underpinning the GO Timeline is available by contacting the GO at data@genderequalitysport.org e-mail address.