Recess is in Session: Malala Yousafzai Invests in Women’s Sports

Courtesy of David Dow/NBAE/Getty Images

Malala Yousafzai, the globally known human rights, women’s rights, and women’s education rights activist, has always been advocating for women. Now, she’s advocating for them on the field too.

Yousafzai is a big sports fan, and is using her platform to invest in women’s sports. She and her husband, Asser Malik, co-founded Recess, an initiative which “aims to fundamentally alter ownership in the sports industry, from the field to the owner’s box, targeting outstanding investment opportunities and simultaneously seeking to advance gender equity.”

Yousafzai and Malik have attended many women’s sporting events around the world, and noticed the unreached potential when it comes to gender equality and empowering women in sports.

“Women’s sports are growing fast – not just in visibility, but in influence. They are a powerful force to promote equity and representation. But they are also one of the most underinvested sectors in the world,” the website for Recess reads.

Yousafzai was made aware of the divide in men’s and women’s involvement with sports from childhood, which is where Recess got its name.

“I remember in school recess time when boys would go off to the local cricket playground and girls had to stay behind,” she said in an interview for CNN Sports. “From that point onwards, I knew that sports was something that girls did not have easy access to.”

Yousafzai with the Afghanistan women’s soccer team, courtesy of CNN

Yousafzai also brings attention to the role sports play against the backdrop of global political tension and conflicts.

“We are capable of dialogue, we are capable of coming together, and sports, in history, in the current times, have proven to be that powerful way of bringing communities together. … We could be competitive, but at the same time, when the game is over, we can hug each other, shake hands, and recognize that we’re all one humanity,” Yousafzai said for CNN.

Yousafzai and Malik look to invest in established professional leagues, such as the NWSL and WNBA, while also working to increase the involvement of girls in sports around the world. The opportunity for girls and women to have a place in sports, whether it's on the field or off it, is there, they just need the support and for the gender disparity in sports to finally be taken seriously and get put to an end.

Recess’ website says, “We believe that investing in women’s sports isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s a smart, strategic opportunity. Recess is our way of helping alter ownership in the sports industry in alignment with our gender equity mission to shape a fairer, thriving future for girls and women.”