Mamanet: Empowering Mothers Towards Sport

Gender inequalities are accentuated when women become mothers. Some mothers suffer from depression, struggle to maintain social relationships, or do not have their voices heard in their communities. Sport has the potential to be a game-changer as it can liberate parts of the community from gender stereotypes and provide physical, social, and mental health benefits to participants. Mamanet is a team sport based on Newcomb Ball, which supports the emancipation of women and is the fastest growing sport among Israeli women. This chapter offers an overview of the key issues surrounding feminist theory and gender politics and details how Mamanet fits into the UNESCO Kazan Action Plan - Action 4: “Global observatory for women, sport, physical education and physical activity”. Moreover, the Mamanet sport model is linked to the sustainable development goal targets in health, education, empowerment of women, promotion of fair laws, achieve gender equality, and empower all women and girls. Mamanet has and will continue empowering women irrespective of age, race, religion, body stature, physical condition, emotional state, or socioeconomic background. This unique mother-centric league has captured the attention of many stakeholders with its multiple purposes that have brought forward notable reforms.