Gender equality in sports
Gender equality in sport is important for many reasons: it encourages a broader range of individuals to participate and benefits their health and well-being; it builds teamwork, communication skills, and discipline, helping to create positive lifelong habits; it can bring whole communities together for shared celebrations and experiences, and it helps tackle the root causes of social issues such as depression, anxiety and self-harm. Unfortunately, the reality is that gender inequalities continue to exist.
Misogyny and sexism still persist in many sports, especially at the elite level. Female athletes are far less likely to receive funding for their clubs, and their representation in governance roles, coaching, technical officials, and team leadership remains disproportionately low. Female athletes are also more likely to experience sexual assault, and they may be less likely to report these incidents.
Moreover, studies have shown that women in sport are more likely to experience negative mental health outcomes such as anxiety and self-harm. In addition, teenage girls who once loved sport are disengaging, with some avoiding it altogether and others suffering from eating disorders, self-harm, or even becoming victims of physical abuse.
The most important action areas identified by this study were promoting women’s leadership in sporting organisations, improving the quality of women’s training and coaching, ensuring equal economic opportunities for women and men in sports, implementing robust safeguarding mechanisms to protect players from violence, prioritising survivor-focused, trauma-informed responses, and providing equal visibility in media. A further key priority was engaging male allies, as research shows that they are essential in tackling misogyny and sexism in sport.