On Women’s Day, Sagres and Sport Lisboa e Benfica “balanced the game” at the Estádio da Luz to expose an invisible reality: the lack of time for female fans.
Anyone who watched yesterday’s (March 8, International Women’s Day) “classic” match between Benfica and Porto will have noticed that Sagres’ sponsorship on the Luz players’ jerseys was replaced by women’s names, in this case, the names of the women most important to these soccer players.
Let’s find out what happened?
The “Balance the Game” campaign
This gesture, far from being merely symbolic, served as the motto for the “Balance the Game” campaign , an initiative that aims to launch a debate on gender inequality in access to leisure activities, in this practical case, live soccer games.
According to data presented on the screens at Estádio da Luz, despite the number of female Benfica members having grown by 84% in the last five years, the female presence in the stands at Luz is only around 23% per game, the main reason being lack of time.
Data from the OECD and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality reveal that Portuguese women spend, on average, more than 232 minutes per day than men on unpaid work, the equivalent of two soccer games, time that is mostly spent on:
- Domestic chores;
- Caring for the family;
- Shopping for the home.
For Filipa Magalhães, Marketing Manager at Cerveja Sagres, this initiative demonstrates the brand’s commitment to bringing football culture to everyone.
