A/HRC/32/33 64. Women constitute half of the world’s population and are a highly heterogeneous group; health risks are not shared equally among all women. Overweight and obesity are increasingly prevalent among adolescent girls from highly urbanized areas, certain ethnic minorities, and those living with disabilities. Moreover, adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to anxiety and depressive disorders, in comparison to boys. 52 Accordingly, there is a significant need to engage at-risk women and girls in physical activity and sport, particularly at points when activity levels are most likely to drop steeply. 65. The obligation to respect the right to health requires effort in order to combat entrenched discrimination against women in the field of sport and physical activity. Both at the professional and the amateur levels, there remains a worrying gender differential in participation in sport. 66. In some instances, unequal participation of women in sport is directly sanctioned by State policies, in a clear violation of the obligation to respect the right to health. In some countries, nearly all State-supported sports clubs and private gymnasiums are reportedly closed to women. Although there has been a positive shift in the attitude to professional sport recently in certain parts of the world, there is still a strong cultural assumption that women will not engage in exercise. States should ensure that women can exercise their right to participate in and to attend sporting events, as well as to receive physical education. 67. Elsewhere, pernicious practices and beliefs hinder women’s equal participation in sport. Despite repeated declarations and calls for action on equality in sport since the 1994 Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport,53 women’s sport remains deprioritized and heavily underfunded globally. Among professional athletes, there are significant disparities between men and women in respect of incomes and prize money. One study found that men receive more prize money than women in 30 per cent of sports.54 Moreover, men’s sport dominates media reporting.55, 56 68. These examples reflect deep-seated bias towards men’s sport, which diminishes the opportunities for women in sport at all levels. States and other actors must act to shift public consciousness away from a male-dominated sporting culture. States should review their laws, policies and programmes, and amend or repeal those that discriminate against women and girls and prevent them from participating in sport on an equal basis with men. 69. It is encouraging that international sporting bodies are taking steps to improve the status of women in sport. For example, the International Olympic Committee created a commission on women and sport in 1995, and in 2004 the Olympic Charter was amended in recognition of the need for action on women and sport; in addition, various regional intergovernmental bodies have promulgated recommendations and policies concerning sport and gender equity.57 52 53 54 55 56 57 16 R. Bailey, I. Wellard and H. Dismore, Girls’ participation in physical activities and sports: benefits, patterns, influences and ways forward (2005). International Working Group on Women and Sport (1994). BBC, “Prize money in sport: BBC Sport study”. Available from www.bbc.com/news/uk-29665693. Cheryl Cooky, Michael Messner and Robin Hextrum, “Women play sport, but not on TV”, Communication and Sport, vol. 1, No. 3. Claire Packer and others, “No lasting legacy: no change in reporting of women’s sports in the British print media with the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics”, Journal of Public Health, vol. 37, No. 1. Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group, “Sport and gender: empowering girls and women”, in Harnessing the Power of Sport for Development and Peace: Recommendations to Governments (2008).