Patriarchy is alive and well in the world of sports, but is hopefully being crushed, writes Urheilu’s digital producer Jenni Harmanen.
Jenni Harmanendi producer
Not again!
This was the first thought when the cases of harassment in Finnish football came to light this week.
Many may now wonder why such issues seem to come up every week, when a moment ago there was also news about the rape charge of a Finnish ice hockey player and the rape sentence the player received. In the past, cases of harassment in baseball have been reported. Palloliitto told on Thursday that they are also aware of other cases of harassment to be investigated. They are currently being evaluated by the authority.
Unfortunately, all this is not surprising.
Sports circles do not float in their own bubble. Sport has shown its dark side. Harassment doesn’t happen in some mysterious dark hole. It happens during sports clubs’ game trips, sauna evenings and the continuation of recreation parties.
The Sexual Offenses Act was renewed at the beginning of this year. One change is that sexual harassment can be committed in a way other than touching another person, when the act is serious enough. Sexual harassment by touching has been punishable before. Now, sexual harassment can also be verbal, sending or presenting a message or picture, taking a picture or exposing yourself.
When people report the harassment they have experienced, see inappropriate behavior and know that it is addressed, the world becomes a better place. When you also have the support of the law, it can be easier to tell about the harassment you have experienced. There is permission to bring things up.
I maintain that no one starts out lightly accusing another of harassment or something more serious, such as rape. Investigative or criminal processes are long, energy-consuming, and there have also been mild cases in which the victim and his motives are commented on on social media. Blaming the victim is a phenomenon that can raise the threshold to tell about the harassment or harassment experienced. No one wants to be traumatized. It is also common for the victim to blame himself, even though he has done nothing wrong.
The culprits often seem to be those who do not recognize that they are part of the problem.
Each of us is responsible for ending harassment and inappropriate behavior. It is pointless to externalize yourself outside the problem. Smilers, bystanders and silent accepters are just as much a part of the problem as harassers.
Gender-based harassment is often based on unequal power structures. It can be seen in sports culture in the same way as in the rest of society.
Investigator Veera Ehrlén assessed to on Tuesday that heterosexual, competitive and tough men are still admired in Finnish sports culture. Patriarchy lives strong in the sports world, men have also had the power to use their position compared to other groups.
Yes, men are also harassed and harassed. However, this does not remove the fact that in our society, sexual violence, harassment and harassment against women are very common according to research.
SUEK did in 2020 on interference with research in Finnish competitive sports. According to the study, four species had an increasing effect on the prevalence of sexual harassment. The sports were ice hockey, football, baseball and floorball.
According to the study, in the world of sports, women had experienced sexual harassment the most from men, and men from other men. Sexual harassment was also experienced most by men. 49 percent of the women reported a man as the harasser, and 63 percent of the men. Sexual harassment was most often committed by other athletes, their own or another athlete’s coach, the public, fans or social media followers. It is possible that in some sports, for example, there are ways of speaking that expose women in particular to harassment.
It also turned out that female sex, young age and competing at a high level significantly increased the risk of experiencing sexual and gender-based harassment. A significant number of female athletes had experienced belittling of qualities based on their gender.
The information line of the clubs regarding the cases that have now become public has been variable, to put it mildly. It seems to be colorful too, what do you think legal scholars are about what is a sufficient basis, for example regarding the termination of the employment relationship.
Clubs where you dare to intervene and deal with difficult situations are ones where it is easier for everyone to be.
It’s good that behind-the-scenes events come to light that don’t paint a pleasant picture of sports circles. It is important that things are dealt with and brought out honestly. The journey still seems to be long before everyone would feel safe working in sports clubs.
However, you have to believe in better, change. Maybe one harassment intervention at a time?