It’s 2016, and still, women are constantly told that they are inferior to men. A World Economic Forum report this year predicted that economic equality of the sexes will not be achieved for 170 years. The Census Bureau calculates that on average, an American woman in 2014 made 79 cents for every dollar a man makes.
An app isn’t going to close the gender equality gap, but Albanian football teams think it could be a start. The HeForShe campaign and mobile app is encouraging men and boys to speak out against gender-based violence and discrimination, and act to empower women. The Albanian Football Federation is supporting the program.
“Football is passion,” Armand Duka, Head of the Albanian Football Federation, said in a statement. “I know well the energy and emotions football gives to fans. So, with UN Women Albania, we thought to make football a bridge to empower society and make Albanian Super League fans reflect on gender equality.”
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
App users can play real-time quizzes that ask questions about the football game they are watching for a chance to win an Android phone or tablet.
For the past three months, HeForShe messages filled Super League stadiums in Albania. HeForShe volunteers were at stations at the playing facilities, engaging with fans in HeForShe T-shirts. When the players walked out onto the field for pregame festivities, children wearing HeForShe T-shirts accompanied them.