Colin Sheridan: The quest for equality has had less welcome consequences

If Ireland's women show the same backbone they displayed in a fight for support, they could make a big impact at this World Cup.

KITTED OUT: Ireland's players - like Ruesha Littlejohn - have come a long way since having to change in toilets, thanks to their hard work. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

From the first moment a little girl kicks a ball, pucks a sliotar, or hits a backhand winner down the tramlines, that woman struggles for equality and equity in sport. That struggle has not always had a hashtag or a catchphrase, nor has it had joint committees and editorial backing from influential media companies. It usually begins, like most things good and bad, quietly, and at home. 

A struggle for recognition from parents. An arm wrestle for parity with male siblings. A joust for respect from coaches and teachers and friends. It often comes at a cost. Trying to explain to people you are not like them, when they are the majority, takes patience and a whole lot of moral courage. Society expects certain things from certain demographics. You would hope that we have now moved beyond a culture that once saw young women wanting to pursue elite sport — and be appropriately supported and rewarded for it — as outliers. We are not living in an episode of Mad Men, but in a world of Katie Taylor, Rashidat Adeleke and Katie McCabe.