Abstract

Zimbabwe is one of the pioneering countries to use sport “to promote gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women” in line with the UN General Assembly’s guidelines from 2006. This paper, based on qualitative data from a small scale research about the Youth Education through Sport (YES) initiative in Zimbabwe, illuminates how empowerment through sport has helped girls and young women to resist male domination in sport and in changing their habitus. Our research suggests that empowerment of girls and women may be possible if: a) differences among them are acknowledged; b) sport is modified to meet different tastes and needs; c) they have freedom in choosing activities to play; d) their habitus changes; e) they develop positive physicality; and f) they participate in a supportive sporting environment. Empowerment, however, does not necessarily lead to gender equality.