EQUITY

• How Long Does It Take to Help Advance Women? 36 Minutes a Week, JPMorgan Chase & Co, (accessed 6 April 2023). It’s widely known that women face unique barriers to professional success. While shining a light on this challenge is important, real progress requires actionable solutions. That’s why JPMorgan Chase launched its 30-5-1 campaign internally last year. The message is simple and it’s easy to participate:
• Spend 30 minutes a week having coffee with a talented up and coming woman.
• Spend 5 minutes a week congratulating a female colleague on a win or success.
• Spend 1 minute a week talking up the woman who had that win to other colleagues around the firm.
• Tennis Australia aim to boost female leadership in regional sport arrives in Albury Wodonga, Callum Marshall, ABC Goulburn Murray, (4 March 2023). The Women Leaders in Tennis program has been running for about 18 months with more than 200 women across the country taking part. Casey Dellacqua says women are performing only 26 per cent of president roles in Australia's tennis clubs. The Tennis Australia program is aiming to support 1,000 women to have leadership roles in the sport by 2024.
• Paving the way: ASTN-WiST power 100+ list of leading women in sports innovation, Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN), (28 February 2023). Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) and Women in Sports Tech (WiST) have today released a new report ‘Paving the way for Sports Innovation in Australia’ to recognise and celebrate more than 100 women who are leading sports innovation across Australia within government, industry, sporting institutions, universities and high-performance sport within Australia.
• There are plenty of pathways for women to become leaders in sport, but are they working? Amanda Shalala, ABC, (12 June 2022). As girls and women's participation in sport steadily grows, we've all heard the call to action for women in senior leadership positions to follow. So, while sporting fields fill with many more girls and women, is the same happening in senior executive roles and in boardrooms?
• Challenge who rules to change the rules: Women, sport and leadership in Australia, Ruth Jeanes and Jerril Rechter, Monash University, (8 March 2021). While participation in sport by women is growing, with more women and girls playing a breadth of sports, the number of women taking on senior leadership roles in sport remains low. In 2021, there are no women CEOs leading sports that are part of the coalition of major professional and participation sports (which includes netball – the CEO role is currently vacant – tennis, rugby union, rugby league, football, the AFL, and cricket), and across other national sporting associations (including disability sporting associations), just 23% have women in senior leadership roles (CEO or equivalent). Women struggle to gain access to significant leadership opportunities, but when they do, they generally enter a hostile, masculinised environment where they’re disproportionately scrutinised and their abilities questioned, and even their appearances criticised.
• Influential figures on the contribution of women to science in athletics, World Athletics, (11 February 2021). According to data for 2014 to 2016 produced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), only about 30% of all female students select fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics in higher education. But in recent years, World Athletics has worked with a growing group of women scientists who are bucking that trend. And to mark this special day, World Athletics has spoken to four of them.
• Leigh Russell’s hard slog at the helm of Swimming Australia [paywall], Wayne Smith, The Australian, (24 November 2020). Did she encounter problems at Swimming Australia because she was a woman? “That’s difficult to answer,” Russell replies. “The short answer is that when you are ‘the other’ – there are very few female coaches, very few female administrators – you are up against a traditionally male level of thinking. It’s not overt. It’s covert. It is a hard slog.”
• Influencing Gender Equity through an Infographic, Anna Sherwood, Melissa Sullivan, and Melissa Grandberg, SIRC blog, (4 November 2020). On the 2019 International Day of the Girl, the Valley Female Leadership Network (VFLN), in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, posted an infographic on the status of girls and women’s participation and leadership in sport and recreation. The infographic was shared across the country, but most importantly used by the VFLN and their stakeholders as a tool to increase support for female-only programming in the Valley. This blog is the story of our infographic.
• The Inclusion of Men in Gender Equity Efforts, W. Brad Johnson, David G. Smith, TLNT, (21 October 2020). Not only does greater gender diversity and gender balance in leadership lead to better financial outcomes, creativity, and mission success, there is now clear evidence that when men are deliberately engaged in gender DEI efforts, 96% of women in those organizations see real progress in gender equity and inclusion versus only 30% of women when men in their organizations are seen as disengaged.
• Showcasing women in sports performance roles: wrapping up 18 women in sport interviews, Catapult, (7 October 2020). For the past 12 months, we’ve been speaking with the practitioners that have been paving the way for women in sports performance. Below are links to 18 stories with 18 powerful, hard-working, innovative women who inspire us. Women interviewed include: Tania Gallo, Head Sports Scientist, North Melbourne FC; Tahleya Eggers, Sports Scientist, Parramatta Eels; Suzy Russell, Mental Health Project Manager, Queensland Rugby Union; Dr. Shona Halson, Associate Professor in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University; Rachel Finlay, Head Sports Scientist, Tasman United; Natalia Bittencourt. Physical Therapist, Scientific Committee of the IOC World Conference on Sports Injury Prevention; Naomi Datson. Senior Lecturer in Sports Performance Analysis, University of Chichester; Michelle Truncali, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of Notre Dame; Kate Starre, High Performance Manager, Fremantle Dockers (AFLW); Júlia Vergueiro, President, Pelado Real Futebol Clube; Hannah Jowitt, International Pathways Analyst, England and Wales Cricket Board; Georgie Bruinvels, Research Scientist, Orreco; Cheryl Cox, Athletic Performance Coach, University of California-Berkeley; Alivia del Basso. Strength and Conditioning Coach, West Coast Eagles (AFLW); Alice Sweeting, Sports Scientist, Western Bulldogs; Minky Tshabalala. Sports Science Manager, University of Johannesburg; Mar Alvarez, Head of Strength and Conditioning, Spanish National Rugby Team; Heidi Thornton, Head of Sports Science, Gold Coast Suns.
• Why a female athlete should be your next leader, Kristy Ingram, EY, (23 September 2020). EY research highlights the important role sport plays at every stage of professional women’s lives – from girls to C-suite executives. In brief: When they enter the boardroom, women athletes have a unique advantage by thriving on competition, determination and a strong work ethic; Sport participation helps girls grow up healthy and confident, helps young female leaders rise, and helps C-suite leaders succeed; Our findings show that 94% of C-suite women have played sports, demonstrating that sport participation can propel them into successful business careers.
• Embedding female leaders in the heart of New Zealand sports, Suzanne McFadden, LockerRoom and stuff.co.nz, (27 August 2020). Across 28 targeted sports in New Zealand, there are only four women appointed as high performance directors or managers. Less than a quarter of the country’s 114 carded coaches (who receive support from HPSNZ) are female. The woman leading the Women in High Performance Sport project, Sonia Boland, says there’s no shortage of talented and capable females wanting a career in high performance sport, but there is a failure within the system to support their progression through the ranks. Through that pilot project, there are now eight female coaches and leaders who have been placed directly into the high performance programmes of national sports organisations. And another 12 emerging women coaches will be paired up with experienced mentors as part of Te Hāpaitanga, a development project to expand the female coaching talent pool.
• Female membership of IOC Commissions reaches an all-time high of 47.7 per cent - Two new female chairs, International Olympic Committee, (28 May 2020). This all-time high is a concrete manifestation of one of the key focuses of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms—to encourage the whole Olympic movement to advance gender equality both on and off the field. Since 2013, as a result of Olympic Agenda 2020, female participation in the IOC commissions has more than doubled (up from 20% in 2013).
• 6 women in sport on sexism, progress and what’s needed next, Jessica Halloran, Vogue, (16 December 2019). For a long time, the notion of women in sport was met with scorn, condescension and blatant sexism, but times have changed. Here, award-winning sports journalist Jessica Halloran, who has witnessed the victories for female athletes on and off the field in recent years, champions the trailblazing women behind the movement and explores what’s still needed to achieve gender equality.
• Male-dominated sports organisations getting desperate for women, as time runs out, Olivia Caldwell, stuff.co.nz , (3 July 2019). For five years, Sport New Zealand has been pushing sports organisations to get more women on their boards. Last month, its patience gave out, when it announcing a 'do-it-or-else' funding ultimatum to the laggards. The gender target for boards must be reached by December 2021, or funding will be on the line. NZ Rugby has an 87.5 per cent male board, Basketball NZ is 85.8 per cent, while three-quarters of Netball NZ's board is female.
• #WorldAtHerFeet: Women’s Football Shatters Records but Obstacles Still Stand in Way of Progress, says BCW report, sportanddev.org , (29 May 2019). 2019 is shaping up to be a year of transformation for women’s football with record-breaking crowds, major sponsorship deals and increasing levels of coverage. The Women’s World Cup (7 June to 7 July) could reach a billion viewers and eclipse the cricket and rugby world cups, but obstacles still stand in the way of progress and equality in the female game, according to the #WorldAtHerFeet report unveiled today by BCW (Burson Cohn and Wolfe).
• Building a pipeline of female sports leaders, Matthew Campelli, Sustainability Report, (12 March 2019). Despite progress being made by some sports organisations, representation of women at leadership level is still low. How can the sector overcome its ‘pipeline problem’?
• Balance the Board, Victorian Government Change our Game media, (2019). By 1 July 2019, all sport and active recreation organisations funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria and the Victorian Government will be expected to comply with the mandatory 40% women on boards quota. Organisations that are not at the mandatory quota by 1 July 2019 risk losing funding through the Supporting Victorian Sport and Recreation program.
• Mandatory Board Quotas, VicSport, (2019). Dr Bridie O'Donnell, Head, Office for Women and Sport and Recreation along with a few state sport associations share their insights as to how they are taking action in order to meet the mandatory board quota by July 1 2019.
• Five Ways Men Can Improve Gender Diversity at Work, Matt Krentz, Olivier Wierzba, Katie Abouzahr, et al., BCG, (10 October 2017). When companies try to fix this problem, they often center their efforts solely on women. Experience shows, however, that this is not enough to bring about material change. Such a narrow focus essentially walls off gender diversity as a women-only issue instead of positioning it as a broader topic that has a significant effect on overall company performance. What’s more, at most companies, women who try to generate meaningful change on their own find that they are too few in number to produce the necessary impact. Men need to join their efforts in order to succeed. A key finding from our research is that the career obstacles women face, such as being overlooked for promotions, tend to be institutional, with deep roots in the organization’s culture. Many women stall out in middle management—or step off the career track entirely—not because of explicit discrimination or lack of ambition but rather because of many small factors and daily hassles. Worldwide, our data shows that among companies where men are actively involved in gender diversity, 96% report progress. Conversely, among companies where men are not involved, only 30% show progress.
• Developing gender equality indicators in sports, European Institute for Gender Equality, Council of Europe, (January 2016). This Microsoft PowerPoint presentation highlights some of the strategic goals for gender equality, current state and examples of policies to promote gender-balanced participation in decision-making in sport.
• Women on Boards, Play by the Rules, (2015). Play by the Rules has devised a short list of ideas to help your club or sport organisation encourage more women to get involved in leadership.
• Getting results on women in leadership: Employers must ditch what they think works and do what actually works, Diversity Council Australia, (27 February 2014). The Diversity Council Australia (DCA) has reviewed a range of the latest research on leadership and concluded that many programs aimed at increasing the representation of women are failing to deliver results. Current evidence suggests that some initiatives are more effective than others. In particular: actively sponsoring women into leadership positions; addressing bias at every level; adopting broader definitions of what leadership looks like; and public accountability via reporting on measurable outcomes, may actually deliver results. This article provides an overview of what strategies appear to work and which do not.

• Routledge Handbook of the Business of Women's Sport, Nancy Lough, Andrea Geurin (eds.), Routledge, (2019). Featuring international perspectives, with authors from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, and in-depth profiles of real leaders within different sectors of women's sport in the global sport industry, this book offers an integrated understanding of the ways traditional media and social media impact both the understanding and advancement of women’s sport properties, businesses, teams, and athletes. Case studies show how societal issues such as gender, power, and framing impact the business of women’s sports and those who work in women’s sport.

• A guide for action: To encourage women from culturally diverse backgrounds as leaders in sport, Victoria University, (2020). A resource for sport organisations to assist attract and retain women from culturally diverse backgrounds as leaders in sport. It was developed based on insights gained from women from culturally diverse backgrounds in Australia. Based on the findings, five strategies are recommended for sport organisations including:
  • Even the 'playing field'
  • Strengthen workplace culture
  • Build support and opportunity
  • Increase visibility of women from culturally diverse backgrounds
  • Welcome women from culturally diverse backgrounds
• Change Our Game Recruitment and Retention Guidelines for Women in Sport and Recreation, State of Victoria, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, (April 2019). Provides simple and practical guidance and strategies to ensure women and girls have rewarding experiences in these roles, making them more likely to stay on at the club. These guidelines focus on the following areas: recruiting women to join your committee; women and girls as leaders outside the committee; and making leadership at your club a rewarding experience for women and girls.
• Seeing capability before disability — a guide for employers, Disability Sport and Recreation, (2020). Sport and recreation organisations looking to provide employment and leadership opportunities for women with disability can sometimes find it difficult to know where to start. The guide covers: Understanding the different types of disability; Getting commitment from management; Knowing where to find the appropriate resources; Learning the recruitment process for people with disability; Retaining women with disability in your workforce. It also includes many resources, and a case study, to help organisations navigate the above considerations.

• Women in Sport Leadership, Canadian Women & Sport, (February 2022). Public attention, and dedicated funding from Sport Canada, is driving change for the national sport system. Compared to 2019, after the government commitment was announced, the percentage of women holding board seats has jumped by 5 points. That means 45 more women are at the table than three years ago. Sport is ahead of “corporate” Canada, with women holding 49% of executive leadership positions at national sport vs just 18% for TSX-listed companies and Canadian Business Corporations Act corporations subject to disclosure requirements.
  • Provincial and Territorial women in sport leadership, Canadian Women & Sport, (July 2022). Similar report to the national report, but focussed on provincial and territorial sport organizations (PTSO) that have significant influence in grassroots sport, which makes them leaders in the sport system in Canada.
• Women Leadership in Sport: research update, Werthner, P., E-Alliance, (2020). Members of the E-Alliance research community have collected some of their most recent and relevant findings to help introduce E-Alliance’s priorities. These findings have been translated into infographics that are now available online and will also be shared on social media in the coming weeks.

• Mandated gender equity targets in sport, Senator The Hon Katy Gallagher, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, (10 September 2024). More women will have more opportunities at boardroom tables following the launch of the National Gender Equity in Sport Governance Policy, which addresses the under representation of women in sports leadership. The national policy is the first of its kind in Australia and is a collaboration between the Australian Government, Australian Sports Commission (ASC), and the State and Territory Agencies for Sport and Recreation. This will require the Australian sport sector to reach the following standards by July 1 2027: 50% of all board directors are women and/or gender diverse; 50% of board chairs are women and/or gender diverse; 50% of specified board sub-committee members are women and/or gender diverse.
• ASC Welcomes Gender Equity Policy, Australian Sports Comission, (10 September 2024). The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has welcomed a new policy that will ensure sporting boardrooms across the country meet gender equity targets or risk funding being withheld.
• Sport Integrity Australia CEO David Sharpe calls for more women in leadership roles in sport, Sport Integrity Australia, (13 November 2020). Mr Sharpe said his agency is invested in promoting equality in Australian sport and is working to ensure there is gender parity in the leadership within Sport Integrity Australia. “Sport Integrity Australia commenced on 1 July 2020 and the new executive team has a 50% gender balance. Along with this around 46% of our senior leadership are women leaders. Those numbers still need to improve and we are committed to that. We have a number of development initiatives in place to address this.” Of the 68 funded National Sporting Organisations less than 13% have a female CEO and only 26% have a female Chair.
• The dial is shifting for gender equality in sport – just not fast enough, Kate Palmer, Australian Sports Commission, (8 March 2019). This op-ed, written for International Women's Day 2019, highlights that the quest for gender equality in sport has come a long way, but the starting point was a long way behind. Women comprise 24% of CEOs across the 63 national sporting organisations funded by the Australian Sports Commission. The number across the high performance coaching system is 15%, while a mere 9% of accredited Australian Olympic coaches in Rio were female. The ASX shares this historic under-representation, which does not make it right.
• Let's stop calling it women's sport, Kate Palmer, Australian Sports Commission, (7 February 2019). It’s time to rewrite the language of Australian sport. We need to drop the unnecessary, divisive labels and erase the gender bias that has become accepted and ingrained. We have made one of the biggest shifts in the participation of women in sport in this country in the past five years, while the tipping point at the elite level came with the recent growth of domestic professional leagues and the rising profiles of national teams. But let’s not be complacent, because we still need to keep growing the role of women in sport. We need to create more opportunity for participation, for developing leaders and coaches and for increasing the number and importance of female roles across all levels of sport. We must continue to build on the significant progress that has already been made.

• Board gender diversity, Sport NZ, (accessed 29 March 2023). In October 2018 Sport NZ launched its commitment to supporting funded partners to make organisational change and achieve a board gender diversity target. This initiative has been highly successful. As of December 2021, 65 out of 66 qualifying Sport NZ-funded partners have achieved a gender balance on their boards of 40 percent or more self-identified women.
  • Evaluation of Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa’s National Policy for Gender Equity in Governance, Dr Jo Cribb, Sport NZ, (September 2022). This qualitative evaluation of the implementation of the policy found that building a pool of board-ready women, focusing on supporting boards with their recruitment processes, and supporting chairs were key to success. To achieve the quota, the attitudes and behaviours of some incumbent board members needed to be challenged, constitutions and deeds modernised, and women needed to be encouraged to apply. The results of having more women on the qualifying boards have been an overall improvement in the quality of governance and board dynamics, more conversations about women and girls at the board table, more women in chair roles and more consideration of wider diversity opportunities, especially biculturalism. However, such changes are not fully embedded or guaranteed sustainable, and there is no compelling evidence that the governance conversations are resulting in strategic prioritisation of women’s and girl’s initiatives.
• Women in Turf Strategy, Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), (June 2022). Women continue to be underrepresented in the sports turf management industry; with females making up only 1.4% of qualified trade workers, and the Women in Turf Strategy developed by the Association aims to redress this gender and diversity balance. This strategy has been developed in response to the disproportionately low number of females undertaking apprenticeships in Sports Turf Management and the currently low volume of females right across the Sports Turf Management industry.
• Inclusive Swimming Framework 2020-2022, Swimming Australia, (December 2020). While swimming has a long and proud egalitarian history with many positive outcomes for inclusion already achieved, there is more work to do. The snapshot below provides some current statistics regarding diversity within our membership audiences: 59% Female swimmers v 15% female coaches. One out of nine female CEOs, with 41% female Board members across the SA network. The Framework commits to several initiatives during 2020/21 and 2021/22 including:
  • Developing and implementing a Women’s Coaching Strategy
  • Implementing a Workplace Sexual Harassment Policy
  • Maintaining Champions of Change Coalition partnership
• Golf Australia's Vision 2025: The future of women and girls in golf, Golf Australia, (February 2019). On 13 February 2019, Golf Australia launched a new strategy aiming at addressing a fundamental imbalance in Australian golf where women currently make up just 20% of all members. The four main pillars of Vision 2025 are: culture and leadership; grassroots; high performance coaching; and marketing and postitioning.
• No boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity, Australian Women in Sport Advisory Group, (2019). Our vision is that there are no boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity. Our goal is to achieve this by 2025, but what does it look like, and how will we know when we have made it? Here we set out what we are striving for, actions to take and measures of success. Key members of the sport sector, governments and industry are onboard.
• Women on Boards Strategy 2020-2025, Communities, Sport and Recreation, Department of Communities Tasmanian, (November 2020). Relevant to sport is Focus Area 4: Action 14: Increase women’s representation on every eligible state sporting organisation board to targets of 20 per cent by 2020, 30 per cent by 2021 and 40 per cent by 2022. Under the new requirements, SSOs are required to have a gender diverse board or committee, with no less than 40 per cent representation from any one gender (sports operating under a unitary model are exempt). The requirement is being phased in over three years and from 2022, SSOs must have no less than 40 per cent of any one gender to be eligible for funding.
  • The March 2021 Women on State Sporting Organisation Boards Report shows that in 2020, 63 per cent of Tasmanian SSOs had 40 per cent or greater female representation at board level, and there were no SSO boards without female representation.
  • Guidelines have also been released to support the participation of women and girls in sport and recreation, which encourage sporting organisations to have diverse representation within leadership positions, including board membership. The Guidelines recommends strategies to increase diversity in leadership, including targeting, promoting, and training women into management and board positions; providing networking and development opportunities for women in leadership positions; and considering caring responsibilities when scheduling times and attendance methods for board meetings.

• Change the Ratio, Australian Sports Technologies Network, (June 2022). Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) and Women in Sports Tech (WiST) have today announced a long-term partnership to work together to increase representation of women in the sportstech industry in Australia. WiST has a strong reputation in the United States. In five short years, WiST’s unique programs and engaging original content have created a community of nearly 20,000 committed stakeholders and students and the non-profit organisation now has over 32 corporate partners who support their work, in all categories of sports tech. WiST and ASTN will collaborate to run specialised programs, provide mentorship, and work with ASTN members to improve their culture to encourage a more inclusive and diverse workforce.
• Equality and Respect in Sport, Our Watch, (accessed 11 April 2023). Our Watch’s Equality and Respect in Sport is an initiative which aims to assist national sporting organisations to build their capacity to promote gender equality. Website provides information on understanding the issue; taking action; ambassadors and media; examples in sport; and tools and resources.
• FIFA Women’s Development Programme, (8 September 2020). In line with FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy, the FIFA Women’s Development Programme aims to provide all 211 member associations with the opportunity to apply for and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football at a national level. Member associations will be able to apply for support across 8 key areas of women’s football development during the 2020-2023 period. In addition to financial assistance to cover the costs in selected programmes, the FIFA Women’s Development Programme will also provide member associations with access to women’s football experts, additional equipment and technical support within FIFA to develop women’s football in their country.
• Our Future Female Leaders Program, Bowls Australia, (21 August 2020). Our Future Female Leaders Program is tailored to women in management, administration, advisory and coaching roles within Bowls Australia, state and territory associations and clubs Australia-wide.
• Women's mentoring program, Surf Life Saving Australia, (2 July 2020). Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is proud to announce the first ever Women’s Mentoring Program with 40 women from across the country to take part. From the 160 applications received, 20 mentors and 20 mentees were selected to participate in the program which was designed to strengthen leadership skills and develop the next generation of female leaders to position Surf Life Saving for the future.
• World Triathlon resumes the Mentorship Programme, Olalla Cernuda, World Triathlon, (1 July 2020). World Triathlon Development, together with the Women’s Committee, is delighted to announce the launch of a re-envisaged World Triathlon Mentor Programme to be delivered virtually, with the goal to increase and sustain the number of women and people with disability in leadership roles in coaching, technical officiating and governance in the sport.
• ALL IN: Towards gender balance in sport. European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (COE) joint project, (1 March 2018-31 October 2019). A European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (COE) joint project (1 March 2018-31 October 2019) aimed at providing support to public authorities and sport organisations when designing and implementing policies and programmes addressing gender inequalities in sport, and when adopting a gender mainstreaming strategy.
• The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia, Australian Research Council, Linkage Project, (2014). Naming Australia's 20th-century leading women performers in sport is a difficult task because there are so many of note. Browse the list of names in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) and one can see a roll call of household names, women who are not just legends of world sport but important to Australia's sense of itself as a sporting nation. This ‘encyclopaedia’ provides a profile on women who have been elite athletes, administrators, coaches, and role models to generations of Australian women.

• The volunteer capacity of community sports clubs to support women and girls in sport, Change Our Game, (2023). The aim of this research project was to investigate community sports clubs’ volunteer capacity - including management, retention and recruitment - to engage women and girls in participating and volunteering in community sport. The insights from this research can help sports organisations and local clubs identify areas of improvement in growing volunteer capacity to support women and girls’ participation in community-level sport. Some key findings include:
  • Women’s willingness to volunteer, and the volunteer roles they perform in local sports, are influenced by many societal, organisational and individual factors, with gendered roles and stereotypes continuing to be one of the biggest barriers. E.g., women generally volunteer in team manager roles rather than coaching or executive committee positions. This is particularly the case in sports traditionally dominated by men with few women volunteers.
  • There was a perceived lack of credibility towards women in coaching positions, in particular, women coaching men’s or boy’s teams and in sports traditionally dominated by men and boys.
  • Supportive behaviours from men at clubs (including players) are important in enabling women to play sport, such as men taking on roles on game day (e.g. scoring or running the canteen).
  • To support women and girls community sports clubs should consider actions such as: Addressing inequalities in team resourcing, developing specific strategies to increase women in volunteer roles, have policies supporting women in leadership roles in the club, support younger women to build confidence and capability, create a welcoming and inclusive club culture.
• Pathway to Gender Equality in Sport 2021–2022 Progress Report, Champions of Change - Sport, (June 2023). Despite consistent effort across the industry over several years, and an increase in the overall number of women working in the industry, we continue to see gender segregation in the areas of administrative leadership and high-performance leadership. Our key areas of focus moving forward will be addressing the disparity in the number of women in leadership (namely executive, CEO, Board and coaching roles). We continue to invest in leadership training and development opportunities for women through various programs. However, there is a need to investigate and address the systemic barriers that continue to facilitate gender segregation in sporting workplaces. Some key highlights and future priorities from 2022 for organisations in the Champions of Change Sport Group include:
  • 88.2% have achieved or moved closer to overall gender balance (up from 68.8% in 2021).
  • 25% report gender balance in their high-performance roles (up from none in 2021).
  • No organisations have achieved gender balance among coaching staff at the elite level in 2022 (down from 31.3% in 2021).
  • Ony 37.5% report gener balance in key management (up from 25% in 2021).
  • Only 31.3% have achieved gender balance on their boards (same as 2021).
• Insights & Impact Report: Edition 2, AFL Players Association, (June 2023). This report represents annual insights derived from data collected from AFLPA members. In 2022 the AFLPA voting members gave their approval to the board equalisation effort, leading to a notable amendment to the AFLPA constitution. This marked a historic moment for the organisation as it introduced mandatory equal minimum positions for both AFL mens' (AFLM) and AFLW members on an ongoing basis. Three additional AFLW members were appointed to the board at the 2022 AGM.
• State of Play Survey 2022-23, Change our Game, Victorian Government, (June 2023). Between October and November 2022, more than 670 Victorians answered questions on a range of topics relating to gender equality in sport, including values and behaviour in community sport, elite sport, sports media and coverage, leadership opportunities and perceptions, and experiences working and volunteering in sport. The State of Play Survey revealed that overall, while there are some positive attitudes towards women and girls in sport and their right to equal opportunities and access, change is still required in terms of underlying attitudes and behaviours. Consistently throughout the survey, men were less likely than women to perceive gender inequality in various aspects of sport. In relation to leadership some of the key insights were:
  • 4 in 5 people working in sport felt their organisation cared about creating a work environment where men and women are equal.
  • Despite two-thirds of people believing women have fewer senior leadership opportunities, 87% feel women are as good as men at leading sports organisations
  • Only 27% believe women are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in any sport.
  • More than 50% of people who play community sport have experienced or seen gender imbalance (56%) sexist language and jokes (55%).
  • Women working or volunteering in sport were 13% less likely than men to feel comfortable voicing their opinion, and 8% less likely to feel that their opinions were valued.
  • 2 in 3 people reported that men have more opportunities to be in senior leadership positions.
  • 4 in 5 people working in sport felt men and women are given recognition for their work equally within their organisation but 1 in 4 still felt men were more qualified to make decisions.
  • People agreed a board quota to require sporting organisations to have at least 40% women on their committees or board led to: more opportunities for women on boards (84%); increased diversity of opinions and ideas (81%); better outcomes for participants (63%); better decision-making (60%); improved board performance (59%).
  • 28% of women have considered leaving their club due to inequitable treatment.
• Holding up a mirror to cricket The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), (June 2023). In November 2020, the ECB announced its intention to establish a Commission “to assist the ECB Board in assessing the evidence of inequalities and discrimination of all forms within cricket, and the actions needed to tackle these issues.” The ICEC was then established in March 2021. The problems we identify are not, sadly, unique to cricket. In many instances they are indicative of equally deeply rooted societal problems and so whilst our headline finding is necessarily blunt, we consider the fact that the ECB proactively initiated this process and opened itself up to independent scrutiny is both positive and brave. Our evidence shows that women continue to be treated as subordinate to men within, and at all levels of, cricket. This is evident both from the lived experience of professional and recreational women cricketers and from the structural barriers that women continue to face.
  • Only 12.7% of cricket’s most senior leadership are women. All current 18 FCC Chairs are men. All but two of those men - one of whom is shortly to depart - are White.
  • Women’s Regional Teams (WRTs) are not members of the ECB and so do not have a voice at the highest levels of the game when important decisions are being made.
  • Across the County cricket workforce, women are underrepresented especially at senior levels.
  • Adult participation is dominated by men who make up an estimated 81% of the recreational game, with women at approximately 19%. The gap is narrower for children playing cricket, 33.4% of whom are girls.
  • Women and women’s teams are frequently demeaned, stereotyped and treated as second-class. There is evidence of “a widespread culture of sexism and misogyny, and unacceptable behaviour towards women in both the recreational and professional game”. A "laddish drinking culture", “predatory behaviour” and “disturbing examples of the conduct and attitude of men towards women, often fuelled by alcohol”.
  • Key recommendations to improve equity for women: As part of governance structure overhaul, women’s game should have equal representation to the men’s game including direct representation on par with first-class counties, not indirectly through the FCCs; Articles of Association amended with specific obligation to promote and develop women’s and girl’s cricket.
• NCAA Demographics Database [data visualisation dashboard], National Collegiate Athletic Association, (published December 2022). Provides access and visualisation of self-reported data sourced from active NCAA member schools on the gender, race and ethnicity for all coaching and administrative positions within each school from 2008-2022.
• Analysis of career pathways of British postholders in international sport governance: Interim Report, Lucy Piggott, Jordan Matthews, Johanna Adriaanse, University of Chichester and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for UK Sport, (October 2022). We commissioned new research to examine the pathways that British women and men have taken to achieve roles on committees or boards of international sports organisations. The main purpose of the research is to identify if there are gendered differences in these pathways and provide insight which can inform future actions to address the gender imbalance in international representation in leadership. Many women already have the skills and experience they need to be successful but need more opportunities to build their network and reputation within their sport’s international federation. The report also provided some baseline demographic data for British international postholders, and found that people from ethnically diverse communities and disabled people were significantly underrepresented across both genders. Out of 55 survey respondents, 54 identified as white and only 7% were disabled.
• Evaluation of Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa’s National Policy for Gender Equity in Governance, Dr Jo Cribb, Sport NZ, (September 2022). As of December 2021, 65 out of 66 qualifying partners of Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa (Sport NZ), achieved a gender balance on their boards of 40 percent or more self-identified women. This qualitative evaluation of the implementation of the policy found that building a pool of board-ready women, focusing on supporting boards with their recruitment processes, and supporting chairs were key to success. To achieve the quota, the attitudes and behaviours of some incumbent board members needed to be challenged, constitutions and deeds modernised, and women needed to be encouraged to apply. The results of having more women on the qualifying boards have been an overall improvement in the quality of governance and board dynamics, more conversations about women and girls at the board table, more women in chair roles and more consideration of wider diversity opportunities, especially biculturalism.
• Women in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation, Leadership, and Media Coverage, Women's Sport Foundation, (April 2022). This study is the seventh report in the series that follows the progress of women in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Some of the major findings documented by this study included:
  • Women account for close to 49% of the overall athletes in the Olympic Games. Many larger nations brought delegations with more than 50% female athletes.
  • While not equal, the Olympic programme has narrowed the gap in terms of number of medal events for female and male athletes.
  • Despite the celebration of gender equality and previously intransigent nations who had refused to include female athletes in their delegations, four countries did not include women in their Olympic delegations.
  • The wealth gap continues to widen: In both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there is a distinct difference between wealthy nations and less financed nations. Wealthy nations were more likely to have athlete delegations that were gender equal.
  • While American women continue to dominate team sport competition in the Olympic Games, in large measure due to the impact of Title IX, other nations are benefitting from Title IX with many of their female (and male) athletes attending American colleges, leading their teams to success, most notably Canada winning gold in women’s soccer and Japan in softball.
  • While significant strides have been made to increase the number of women in leadership positions, particularly within the IOC structure, women continue to be underrepresented within IFs, NOCs, IPC, and the IOC.
  • Continuing the trend from recent Olympic and Paralympic Games, online overage of both Olympic and Paralympic female athletes exceeded the coverage of male athletes in both articles and photographs.
  • Almost 70% of the articles about female athletes were “task” related. Similarly, 89.5% of articles about female Paralympians were “task” related.
• Women in Leadership in Scottish Sport, Ryan Brown, Dr Paula Murray, et al., Observatory for Sport in Scotland, (October 2021). This research seeks to inform and deepen understanding of the representation of women in leadership roles across Scottish sport. It is a limited study, conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21, which severely restricted face-to-face contact and travel. It focuses specifically on women’s roles within Scottish Governing Bodies (SGBs) and leisure trusts, chiefly responsible for the administration of sport and leisure, and includes key national umbrella organisations. Interesting themes emerged from the qualitative research with 31 SGBs and other respondents, including perceptions of women leaders, influence of wider society, governance, recruitment processes, equality and inclusion policies, and barriers faced by women. Gendered stereotypes appear still to be evident in some quarters, manifest in a belief that women who lack a sport participation ‘pedigree’ cannot hold leadership roles, for example. Participants emphasised their being driven by a desire to recruit the best candidate for the job, irrespective of gender, and avoidance of ‘tokenism’ - the suggestion that females be appointed to leading roles purely on account of gender, and not ability - and the potential detrimental effect that could have on female aspiration. As a result, several SGBs disagreed with the idea of gender quotas, and some stated that gender-balanced boards were not among their priorities. Childcare and maternity-related absences were raised as an under-rated barrier to women taking on leadership roles. Research into Swedish women’s football in this report revealed that husband/partner support in childcare, and other areas, was key to the success of one of the country’s leading clubs. Here, childcare in Scottish sport was regarded still, generally, as the responsibility of mothers, with a plea made for more guidance for sport organisations, and male leaders, around childcare requirements, flexibility and routes to support.
• Women on State Sporting Organisation Boards, Department of Communities, Tasmanian Government, (March 2021). Since 2009, female representation on SSO boards has grown from 34.6 per cent to 44.5 per cent - a total increase of 9.9 per cent across a twelve-year period. The 3.63 per cent increase from 2019 to 2020 accounts for one third of total improved diversity across this period. The 2020 report is the second time that the overall proportion of females on SSOs boards has reached the Australian Sports Commission recommendation of at least 40 per cent representation. The only other time this occurred was in 2019. In 2020 there were no SSO boards without female representation. This is the first time since reporting began that all SSO boards had one or more female board members. Additionally, no boards had less than 10 per cent female representation, which is again an improvement from 2019. The 2020 results indicate good progress compared to previous reports; however, there is still more work to be done:
  • The proportion of females represented as president or chair of an SSO was 30 per cent, down from 34 per cent in 2019. This means less than one in three SSO boards has a female president or chair.
  • In 2020, 36.67 per cent of boards had less than 40 per cent female representatives. In actual terms, 40 per cent (12) of SSO boards had two females or less indicating a percentage of boards still have an insufficient number of females to achieve a gender balanced board.
• Is gender on the international agenda? Gender representation and policy in international sport governance, Lucy Piggott, Jordan Matthews, University of Chichester and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for UK Sport, (June 2021). The research study reviewed the leadership of 60 international federations and international sports organisations. In addition it also examined six different kinds of gender and governance actions that international federations and international sports organisations have used to promote gender equality: gender targets, gender quotas, election and recruitment rules, gender- or equality-focused groups, official documents and women’s leadership development programmes. The report concluded that gender and governance actions alone will not lead to change. Actions must be ambitious, process-driven and embedded across an organisation and its strategy, with senior leaders actively championing and engaged in efforts to promote gender equality and committed to their implementation.
• Gender equality and inclusion report 2021, International Olympic Committee, (2021). This report describes the progress we have made in advancing gender equality and inclusion since the release of Olympic Agenda 2020 and particularly in the last Olympiad. It reviews the implementation of the IOC Gender Equality Review Project, issued in March 2018, and presents the new IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion objectives for 2021-2024 across the three spheres of responsibility of the IOC and five focus areas.
  • 48% of athletes were women at Tokyo 2020, compared with 45% at Rio 2016.
  • 91% of NOC delegations had a woman flag bearer at the opening ceremony (either as a joint or individual flagbearer), compared to 38% at Rio 2016.
  • 28 out of 33 sports had an equal number of medal events for women and men.
  • 32% of international technical officials were women, compared to 29% at Rio 2016.
  • 13% of coaches were women, compared to 11% at Rio 2016.
  • 20% of Chef de Mission roles were held by women, compared to 11% at Rio 2016.
  • Female IOC directors and Associate directors now make up 27% of roles.
  • An increase in women in decision making bodies, for all categories including members, executive board, commission chairs, and commission members (all above 35% female now, but only commission members is near parity with 48% women).
• Diversity & Inclusion Survey 2020: Report on findings, Angus & Associates for Sport New Zealand, (2020). Sport NZ undertook a comprehensive and confidential survey across the play, active recreation and sport paid workforce and governing boards in October 2020 with a specific focus on diversity. The main report provides a representative view of the entire sector, while Sport NZ and all participating organisations with more than 10 respondents receive their own confidential individual reports. Those with less than 10 respondents will receive a report summarising the results of other organisations of the same type (e.g. Regional Sports Trust, Regional Sports Organisations, clubs). Some of the key insights relevant to women in sport included:
  • A 15% gender pay gap based on the median annual income.
  • More females than males see poor remuneration as the main barrier to progression in the sector.
  • Overall, the sector's workforce reflects the wider adult population by gender, but there is a male skew in Governance roles, a female skew in other paid roles and a male skew in four of the seven leadership roles: Chief Executives, HP Directors, HP Coaches, and Coach/Sport Development Managers.
  • Females are less likely to agree their organisation puts its commitment to Diversity & Inclusion into practice.
• Third Review of International Federation Governance, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), (June 2020). Building on the previous reviews published in 2017 and 2018, the evaluation for 2019-20 took the form of a self-assessment questionnaire with independent moderation of the responses. Only one IF had a board that was over 40% comprised by women; 12 IFs had boards between 25% and 40% female in composition, plus rules or a policy to encourage better gender balance – an increase on nine IFs at this level in 2018; for 10 IFs the proportion was between 15% and 25%; eight IFs had fewer than 15% of their board composed by women.
• Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women, Women's Sports Foundation, (January 2020). The report highlights that despite the assumption that increased female participation in sport would lead to more women working in, and leading, sports organisations this has not occurred. Women are impacted at various levels of their career, often leading them to select a different career path or field altogether, rather than persist within sport. Much work remains before fair access at all levels of sport is achieved. Key statistics relating to leadership and governance include:
  • Women held, on average, less than a quarter of head coach or athletic director positions in all levels of the NCAA.
  • In the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees, women comprise approximately 37.5% of members and approximately 33% of positions on the boards of US national governing bodies.
• Facts and figures on gender (in)equalities and differences, Fact Sheet #1 of the Toolkit: How to make an impact on gender equality in sport All you need to know, European Union and the Council of Europe, (September 2019). This factsheet is composed of five sections presenting facts and figures relating to gender inequalities and differences in participation (from grass-roots to elite sport), coaching, leadership and the media and to the prevalence of gender-based violence in sports.
• Gender equality in sport: Getting closer every day, Ivana Katsarova; graphics: Samy Chahr, European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing, (March 2019). Briefing paper covers background and research relating to gender equality and sport. Specific focus areas include: women's (long) road to the Olympics; women in sports-related decision-making; women as coaches; gender pay inequalities; gender-related stereotypes in media representation; popularity and coverage of women's sports events in the EU; and European parliament views on gender equality in sport.
• Press for Progress Report 2018/19: to be the leading sport for women and girls, Cricket Australia, (2019). This is the second annual report relating to the aspiration 'to be the leading sport for women and girls', set out in the Australian Cricket Strategy 2017-2022. It reports on representation of women in director (26%), executive management (34%), other management (29%) and total employee roles (34%). The 2020 target for all categories is minimum 40% representation of men and women across every level of the Australian Cricket workforce.
• World at her feet, Burson, Cohn and Wolfe (BCW), (2019). BCW, one of the world’s largest full-service global communications agencies, invited players, former players, officials, administrators, commercial experts and fans to give their views on the current state of play and future of women’s football for this report. Through their own personal sporting stories and different experiences of the game, they offer insights into how the sport can seize opportunities to develop and overcome the obstacles that still stand in the way of progress and equality. Some key findings from the report relevant to leadership and governance include:
  • Women are making their way into football boardrooms and management, but it’s hardly a stampede. Less than 1% of presidents of national associations are female.
  • The game’s fan base is rapidly expanding with record attendances in several countries including Spain, Italy and Mexico, as well as rocketing ticket sales for the Champions League and World Cup, but gate receipts in national leagues still remain too low for most clubs to be self-sustainable.
  • Investment in infrastructure, pitch quality, academies and the grassroots game is still relatively weak
  • Big-brand sponsorship is on the increase. Sponsors believe that investing in a world that produces healthy, confident and empowered women is good for business.
  • While attitudes are changing for the better, examples of sexism, conservatism and bias still persist.
• Beyond 30% – Workplace Culture in Sport Report, Women in Sport, (June 2018). Currently, women are under-represented in senior leadership roles and on boards in the sector. There is also evidence of discrimination and negative workplace culture. This needs to change in order to create an environment in which both women and men thrive and to nurture the pipeline of talented female leaders for the future.
• IOC Gender Equality Review Project, International Olympic Committee, (2018). The project findings emphasise that if gender equality initiatives are to be successfully implemented and sustained, all recommendations should be fulfilled. Achieving across-the-board gender equality in sport also requires clear timelines for action, with identified responsibilities, and follow-up monitoring and evaluation. Five themes are identified in the report including sport (participation, rules, competition formats, venues, safeguarding, career transitions, coaches, officials, etc.); portrayal (balanced media portrayals and communication partnerships); funding; governance (leadership development, electoral processes, roles and responsibilities); and HR monitoring and communications (inclusive leadership, monitoring progress and communications plan).
• 2017 Sport and Recreation Paid Workforce survey, Angus and Associates for Sport New Zealand, (June 2017). This report presents the findings of the 2017 Sport and Recreation Paid Workforce Survey. The results outlined in this report are based on a total sample of n=1,145 paid employees of 114 organisations in the sport and recreation sector. These organisations include a broad cross-section of national sports organisations (NSOs), regional sports organisations (RSOs), regional sports trusts (RSTs), national recreation organisations (NROs), territorial authorities (TAs), and relevant government agencies/ crown entities. The workforce profile has a slight skew towards female employees when compared to the population profile by gender. The workforce of RSTs and NROs is significantly female skewed, while the reverse is true of RSOs and NSOs.
• Gender Balance in Global Sport Report, 2nd report, Tranter R, Medd R and Braund C, Women on Boards, (2016). This report was written in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games to update the inaugural report published in June 2014. This report provides an updated publicly available dataset on the number of women serving on boards of sports governing bodies; the gender pay gaps in certain sports; and case studies on sports that are successfully addressing the gender gap. The core data set includes information from 129 of the 206 National Olympic Committees; 27 Paralympic Committees; 28 International Sports Federations; 14 Paralympic International Sports Federations; 59 National Governing Bodies (NGBs) in the United Kingdom and 57 National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) in Australia. Overall findings include: (1) the number of women in elite governing bodies of the Olympic movement remains below 30%; (2) female representation on National Olympic Committees has fallen a further one per cent over the past two years and now stands at 16.6%; (3) female representation on International Sports Federations has remained static at close to 18%. Statistics vary from sport-to-sport and across countries. For example, at international level, only Tennis recorded a significant increase in the percentage of female board members, but it was coming off a base of zero percent in 2014; Taekwondo, Aquatics, Boxing and Wrestling all recorded a slight increase in the percentage of female board members. In Paralympic sports, only the boards of Table Tennis, Basketball, Curling and Bocca recorded an increase in the number of women on their boards. 20 National Olympic Committees recorded a 5% or greater reduction in the number of women on their boards, while 28 improved by more than 5%. Again, many of the top performers came off a zero base. Only Malawi, Australia, Bermuda, Norway, New Zealand, Kiribati, Samoa and Tuvalu have at least 40% or more women on their national Olympic boards and committees; the USA has 31.3% females and the UK has 26.7%. Tables identifying the changes (from 2014 to 2016) in the representation of women on national sports boards in the two focus countries (i.e. UK and Australia) are presented in this report. In addition, this report addresses the gender gap in earnings between male and female athletes in the same sport, sponsorships and other earnings were not included; two case studies — football (soccer) and cricket, are provided.
  • Gender balance in global sport report, 1st report, Braund C, Women on Boards, (2014). This report reveals that many of the top international sports governing bodies have not done enough to ensure that a representative number of board positions are held by women. Among International Sports Federations surveyed, the average female representation was only about 15% and National Olympic Committees 16.5%. These figures exist despite a pre-Sydney 2000 Olympic Games target set by the International Olympic Committee to achieve a minimum of 20% women on all boards of Olympic sports by 2005.
• Gender Report Card: 2016 International Sports Report Card on Women in Leadership Roles, Dr. Richard Lapchick, et.al., Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), University of Central Florida, (2016). The Report Card covers the international sports federations affiliated with the International Olympic Committee, called the International Federations (IFs), the national federations affiliated to each IF, the regional zone confederations, the International Olympic Committee itself and the United States Olympic Committee. The lack of women in leadership positions in international sport has been a problem for many years. This Report Card is the most extensive coverage to date and is the first time that grades have been issued. More than 8,500 leadership positions were examined.
• Her Life Depends On It III: Sport, Physical Activity, and the Health and Well-Being of American Girls and Women, Staurowsky, E. J., DeSousa, M. J., Miller, K. E., et al., Women’s Sports Foundation, (May 2015). A comprehensive report that reviews existing and emerging research on the links between participation in sport and physical activity and the health and wellbeing of American girls and women. As with the previous editions in 2004 and 2009, this study also confirms that physical activity and sport provides the critical foundation, in no small part, that allows girls and women to lead healthy, strong, and fulfilled lives. The report’s contents reflect the review of 1,500 studies, nearly 400 covered since the previous edition. While the report’s focus continues to be on U.S. girls and women, selected research findings that offer perspective regarding girls and women worldwide is also referenced in order to provide some perspective and context. The research compiled in this updated report strongly suggests that sport and physical activity provide conditions that help to ensure girls’ health and wellbeing (physical, social, psychological, and academic). In this report, we also highlight the emerging areas of research that focus on protecting the health of female athletes and offer insights into the steps that need to be taken to ensure their health and safety. Some important selected findings identified include:
  • As a general trend, females across the board, regardless of age, race, or social class, are shortchanged in realizing the benefits of participation in physically challenging activities. However, females from lower economic backgrounds, females of color and females with disabilities suffer even greater negative health consequences as a result of less engagement in physical activity and less access to sport and physical fitness programs.
  • Despite more female athletes than ever before participating in the sport system, obstacles persist for women who wish to be leaders and decision-makers in the sport industry. The career aspirations of young women often collide with the gender barriers that exist in most male dominated sport organization.
  • Previous athletic participation has been found to be an asset and valued quality among global business leaders. According to a 2013 study issued by Ernst & Young, a corporation that does business around the world, women at the executive level were found to have participated in university sport more frequently than women who were in manager positions (55% to 39%). The Ernst & Young (2013) study also found that more than 75% of women agree that adopting behaviors and techniques from sport in the corporate environment can be an effective way of improving the performance of work teams, which is a high management priority.
• Final Report of the Government’s Women and Sport Advisory Board, United Kingdom, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Women and Sport Advisory Board, (March 2015). The aim of this final report is to present a final overview of the Board’s work and highlight some of the progress that has been made in women’s sport since summer 2013. The Board has also provided some suggestions for future action around women’s sport, based on their own extensive experience and insights in this area. Overall media coverage of women’s sport sits at around 7% with broadcasters overall at 10% and the print press at 2%. Given the emergence of new media platforms, and the different types of sports coverage, we do not believe a blanket target is useful in this context. Figures from the National Council for the Training of Journalists show that while 54% of journalism students are women, just 11% of sports journalism students are women. While we are hopeful that the market will start to shift to recognise the true value of women’s sport, there is still huge disparity between the levels of investment going into women’s sport (0.4%) compared to men’s sport (85.5%).The most recent audit carried out by Women in Sport, in May 2014, shows that the overall number of women on NGB Boards is 27%. However, almost 50% of NGB Boards have not yet reached the goal of 25% by 2017.
  • Interim Report of the Government’s Women and Sport Advisory Board, United Kingdom, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Women and Sport Advisory Board, (October 2014). Just over a year after its inception, the Women and Sport Advisory Board released this interim report to provide an overview of the key issues surrounding women and sport and provide a snapshot of action by the government, its primary delivery bodies for sport (i.e. Sport England and UK Sport) and key stakeholders. Sport England’s research has identified three areas that present barriers to participation: (1) emotional barriers, many women do not have a positive relationship with sport; (2) capability barriers, many women have the perception that they are not good enough; and (3) opportunity barriers, such as lack of time due to family priorities.
• Trophy Women? 2015: No more board games, Women in Sport, UK, (2015). Following six years of research by Women in Sport into the gender diversity of sports boards, female representation on the boards of National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and other sports organisations that are funded and supported by Sport England and UK Sport is finally averaging 30%, compared to the first survey (21%) conducted in 2009. However, further analysis suggests that barriers that existed six years ago persist. There is still variation in the progress made by individual NGBs and publicly funded sport organisations. This report showcases best practice and identifies areas where there has been less change.
• Gender Equity: What it will take to be the best, Richmond Football Club in partnership with Bluestone Edge, Australian Football League and the Australian Sports Commission, (2014). Sport, as a reflection of our wider society, is not an industry shared equally between men and women and gender inequity remains firmly entrenched, particularly at the leadership and governance level of most sports. The leadership of the Richmond Football Club decided it needed to more effectively engage with female stakeholders, internally and externally, to improve business performance. This report presents an abridged version of the overall research findings, so that gender equity may become a sustainable reality in sport. Nine themes were identified: (1) an equity mindset; (2) the right kind of support for women; (3) recognising the stress of the status quo; (4) women’s brand in football; (5) the role of men as learners, partners and leaders; (6) the visibility and voice of women; (7) workplace access and flexibility; (8) recruitment and attraction; and (9) affirmative action, measurement and reporting. The issues, focus areas and themes arising from the research have been distilled to form an overarching framework, which highlights key areas and suggested interventions that Richmond Football Club and other sporting organisations can make to embed gender equity and diversity in the management and governance of their organisation. Four strategic areas for change are identified: structural, cultural, leadership and business; with strategies suggested for each.
• Women’s Sport: say yes to success, Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, (2014). This is the third major report from the WSFF examining the levels of commercial investment afforded to women’s sport in the UK. As well as updating these figures, we also include for the first time, the results of a media audit providing a detailed breakdown of the coverage different media types give to women’s sport. Commercial investment in sport and the media coverage it receives are inextricably linked—brands are looking for profile and media outlets need exciting competitions and events in packed sporting arenas to make for spectacular viewing and reporting. To improve one the other must also be addressed, hence this new combined analysis. This report reveals that despite some positive developments in a handful of sports, women’s sport in the UK still accounts for only 0.4% of the commercial investment going into all sports and for only 7% of total sports coverage in the media.
• About Time! Women in sport and recreation in Australia, Australian Government; The Senate, Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee, (September 2006). The Committee’s terms of reference were to inquire into women in sport and recreation in Australia, with particular reference to: (a) the health benefits of women participating in sport and recreation activities; (b) the accessibility for women of all ages to participate in organised sport, fitness and recreation activities; (c) the portrayal of women’s sport in the media; and (d) women in leadership roles in sport.
  • Australian Government response to the Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee report: About Time! Women in Sport and Recreation in Australia, Australian Government, Department of Health, (October 2012). This response to the About Time Report outlines action taken by the Australian Government, its current priorities and future agenda in this area.

• Mandating Women Board Members in Sport Organizations: Change via Coercive Institutional Pressure, Kathleen B. Wilson, Adam Karg, Emma Sherry, et al., Journal of Sport Management, Volume 38(6), pp.411-425, (2024). Boosting board representation of women redresses structural unfairness and improves corporate governance and performance. The Change Our Game initiative, running over 3 years statewide in Victoria, Australia, mandated 40% representation of women on state sport boards. At the start, only 44% of state sport boards had 40% women representation; by the mandate deadline, this had increased to 93%. Using an institutional theory lens, the authors qualitatively analyzed four stakeholder groups: mandators, policy champions, operationalists, and mandate targets. Stakeholder sentiments were analyzed pre- and postmandate deadline over 3 years. Sentiments ranged from positive to equivocation to denigration. The mandate’s coercive pressure, supported by institutional legitimacy and work to accelerate changes, led to institutional change and achieved a significant increase in women board members. Change was grounded in strong ethical and cognitive support from mandate champions. Microsocial expressions of denigration and change resistance did not prevent successful change.
• Women representation and organisational characteristics in sport governance: Implications for gender policy and practice, Lara Lesch, Shannon Kerwin, Pamela Wicker, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, (25 May 2023). This study investigates the representation of women board members in sport governing bodies (SGB) and the extent to which boards can be assigned to subgroups based on the number and share of women board members. The study examines the organisational characteristics of SGBs with low, medium, and high representation of women on the board. Data were gathered from the websites of German national and state sport associations and federations (n = 930), including information about the size and gender composition of the board and several organisational characteristics (e.g. type of sport, headquarter location, membership figures). SGBs with low representation of women have on average smaller boards and represent non-Olympic sports or ‘typically masculine’ sports. Sport federations are more frequently represented in the clusters with medium and high representation of women on the board. SGBs in the third cluster represent ‘typically feminine’ sports like dancing or equestrian and have the most women and youth memberships. The findings help sport policy makers target respective groups of organisations with interventions to implement gender policies and explain the important role of such policies for attracting new women board members or gaining legitimacy from public institutions.
• Women as leaders in male-dominated sectors: A bifocal analysis of gendered organizational practices, Wendy O’Brien, Clare Hanlon, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Gender, Work & Organization, (19 May 2023). In this paper, we examine the gendered social practices from insights of 15 women leaders in Australia as they attempt to advance their careers. In particular, on formal policies, informal practices, narratives and social interactions, and informal patterns of unconscious bias and merit, they negotiate in three male-dominated sectors: Trades, Sport, and Surgery. The findings indicate a disconnect between policies and their application. Women were conflicted about the importance of quotas, and often felt unable to access flexible work arrangements upon returning to work after parental leave. Career pathways were often unclear, and women felt a lack of support from their organization, particularly when they attempted to navigate dominant masculine cultures. Drawing on these findings, we argue that executive leaders are central to changing the systemic sexism and discrimination in organizations that persist in male-dominated sectors. To create organizational changes necessary for women to step into leadership roles, we propose four target areas: create accessible and visible career pathways, provide networking support, activate mentoring opportunities, and address unconscious bias.
• Gender equality achieved through crisis: Football Federation of Australia (now FA), Catherine Ordway, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, (9 March 2023). It was not until the international federation for football (FIFA) threatened to withdraw its recognition of its member federation, Football Federation of Australia (now Football Australia), that gender equality measures were adopted. This governance crisis threat led to the Congress Review Working Group being established. The Working Group recommendations led to significant structural change including mandated gender equality measures. It remains to be seen if constitutional amendments, including the 40:40:20 strategy (40% women, 40% men and 20% of any gender), can translate into meaningful and lasting transformation. It is intended that this case study will be a roadmap for other sports to follow.
• Capacity for gender equity initiatives: a multiple case study investigation of national sport organisations, Swarali Patil, Alison Doherty, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, Volume 15(2), pp.271-288, (April 2023). Instrumental case studies were used to examine and compare the capacity of three Canadian NSOs engaged in addressing gender equity in their sport through their respective initiatives designed to increase the engagement of women in sport as athletes, coaches, and officials. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15) were conducted with board members and staff across the three NSOs. Several common capacity strengths (e.g., knowledgeable and experienced staff, dedicated funding) and challenges (e.g., limited staff, constraints in external communication) were identified. Capacity elements unique to each NSO were also uncovered. Environmental factors influencing the NSOs’ capacity to implement their respective gender equity initiatives included the broad political climate, access to volunteers, and availability of additional funding sources . The findings address the call for further evidence of critical organisational practices for enacting gender equity, with a particular focus on NSOs, and framed by a multidimensional model of organisational capacity and environmental influences. The findings have implications for being aware of the capacity of NSOs to address government policy and directives for gender equity in sport, and for maintaining and building capacity to implement gender equity initiatives.
• From the Sideline to CEO: An Investigation into Women, Leadership Roles and Australian Rugby League [PhD thesis],
  Gabriella Hotham, Charles Sturt University, (March 2023). This thesis highlights the lived experiences and perspectives of 30 women working and volunteering in leadership positions, such as coaches, board members, trainers, strappers, officials, exercise scientists and administrators in elite and subelite rugby league competitions in Australia. Using research methods such as in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis investigates the traditionally male dominated environment of rugby league and whether women are welcomed, included, and respected within this space. The extent to which elite and sub-elite rugby league competitions practice gender equality is also explored. The participants of this study shared experiences where both subtle and explicit forms of sexism were evident within the workplace. However, participants also felt motivated to continue their careers within rugby league despite experiencing hostile and unwelcoming behaviours from male colleagues and athletes. As such, by adopting an organisational culture lens and third-wave feminism perspective, this research concluded that the environment of elite and sub-elite rugby league competitions in Australia are simultaneously empowering and oppressive for women involved in leadership positions.
• ‘We are going to the right direction… but we are not in ideal world yet’: understanding gender (in)equality within leadership positions in Nordic football governance, Marjukka Mikkonen, Sport In Society, Volume 26(6), pp.1003-1023, (2023). In comparison with previous studies (conducted mainly in the US, e.g. Burton and Leberman Citation2017; Shaw and Hoeber Citation2003), this study shows that some major barriers for women aiming for leadership positions have been broken down (e.g. family-work relation, and heroic and masculine leadership style) in Nordic football. In line with Cunningham’’ (2019) and Burton’s (Citation2015) findings, this article shows that the barriers women leaders face are dynamic and multi-faceted and emerge from several levels. Thus, multi-level actions are needed to tackle gender inequality in football. However, regardless of the aforementioned actions and changes, women remain underrepresented within leadership positions in Nordic football. As shown in this study, women in Nordic football face both structural and cultural bottlenecks at different levels in their leadership careers. However, the barriers seem largely intertwined with the following dilemma: football-specific experience (derived from men’s football) is seen as crucial in many leading positions at both FAs. as it seems that men keep reinforcing the culture they learned in the past as players and other actors in the FAs, it becomes essential to intertwine the past. As umbrella organizations for football, the FAs have the power and means to steer (men’s) football clubs towards a more inclusive culture. Furthermore, addressing the culture and organizations at the club level would help break the structural barrier of women lacking the right kind of football experience.
• Achieving gender equity: barriers and possibilities at board level in Swedish sport, Daniel Alsarve, European Sport Management Quarterly, (16 August 2022). Three dilemmas relating to the realisation of gender equity are analysed: between quotas and stigmatisation, overcoming gender equity as a side-project and how the democratic infrastructure of Swedish sport enables men’s continued dominance. The findings indicate that one-dimensional (affirmative) interventions dominate, which in turn explain why achieving gender equity in Swedish sport is difficult, i.e. cultural interventions only limit the chances of achieving gender equity. To implement transformative interventions, cultural and economic resources need to be equally recognised and redistributed so that the organisations’ gender order is deconstructed and participation on equally recognised terms secured.
• Women leaders in sport: a community of practice programme to create social learning, Clare Hanlon, Tracy Taylor, Managing Sport and Leisure, (17 March 2022). A community of practice (CoP) social learning approach can purposefully support change and provide rich experiences to benefit participants and their sport organisations. We explore how a CoP intervention programme creates social learning outcomes and expands opportunities for women as leaders in sport. Chief Executive Officers (16) undertaking a 1-year intervention programme were interviewed and completed a Gender Equality Diagnostic Tool, pre- and post-programme. The social network formed during the CoP programme expanded participant's social learnings and associated actions, through informal social interactions and discussion of shared practices.
• Workplace Experiences of Women With Disability in Sport Organizations, Clare Hanlon, Tracy Taylor, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Volume 4, (January 2022). Women with disability often experience barriers to employment and career progression, most notably in hyper-masculinised industry sectors such as sport. Applying an intersectionality lens and insights from critical disability theory, this research explores the lived experiences of eight women with varying types of disability through their stories of working and volunteering in sport organizations in Victoria (Australia). Analyses of the interviews highlighted the importance that these women attached to their identity as a woman with disability and the intrapersonal and organizational factors that impacted on initial sport workplace attraction and retention. The findings discuss the relationship management strategies adopted to manage these factors in workplace interactions.
• The impact of gender quotas in sport management: the case of Spain, Celia Valiente, Sport in Society, Volume 25(5), pp.1017-1034, (2022). This article investigates the impact of gender quotas on sport management by analyzing the gender quota established in 2014 in Spain on boards of national sport federations (of at least three women or 33% of board members). Drawing on published and on-line documents and eighty-six interviews of female and male federation board members, I find that the Spanish gender quota increased the proportion of women board members (but not the proportion of women federation presidents). Economic sanctions for non-compliance made the quota effective. The quota had the effect within federations of making gender inequality more visible. Thus, this research concludes that gender quotas have substantial consequences for sport management other than the numerical increment of women managers.
• Gender inclusive sporting environments: the proportion of women in non-player roles over recent years, R Eime, M Charity, B. C Foley, et al., BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 13, (May 2021). This study involved secondary analysis of the AusPlay survey, a national population survey, funded by the Australian Sports Commission. This study utilised data from people aged 15-years or older about their involvement in non-playing roles in sport, and their demographic data. In this study of 61,578 Australians there was a higher proportion of men in non-player roles in sport compared to women, across each of the three years (2018: men 55 %, women 46 %). Involvement of women in coaching increased significantly from 38 % to 2016 to 44 % in 2018 (p < 0.001). The proportion of women involved in administration roles significantly decreased from a peak of 51 % in 2017 to 46 % in 2018. Aligned with strategic policy and investment strategies, there are gradual increased representation of women in non-playing sport, coaching roles. Women are still underrepresented in terms of coaches, officials and administrators, but are more likely to be managers. It is recommended that there is continued mentoring, identification and emphasising of female role models, and further strategies to increase female presence in non-playing roles.
• Going on a ‘witch hunt’: investigating the lived experiences of women working in male team sports in regional Australia, Gabriella Hotham, Chelsea Litchfield, Jaquelyn Osborne, Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics, Volume 24(3), pp.396-411, (2021). Male dominated team sports potentially provide many opportunities for women, through both voluntary and paid employment. However, very few studies focus on the experiences of women at a regional (or rural) level in sport. By examining the experiences of women working with male team sports at this level, insight into why women choose to be involved within male dominated sporting spaces can be explored, including the benefits and the barriers faced within these spaces. Such information is pertinent to the wider discussions relating to women in sport in Australia. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the lived experiences of female coaches, trainers, strappers, umpires, exercise scientists and administrators involved in regional male team sports in NSW.
• Gender Relations, Gender Equity, and Community Sports Spaces, Ruth Jeanes, Ramòn Spaaij, Karen Farquharson, et al., Journal of Sport and Social Issues, (9 October 2020). This study employs a spatial analysis to critically examine gender relations within an Australian football and netball community sports club that has sought to address gender inequity and promote the participation of women across the club. Notable changes included increased female representation in the club’s decision-making structures, growing numbers of female members, and the establishment of a women’s and girls’ football section. The study utilized spatial and feminist theory to illustrate that, despite the club’s efforts to change gender relations, men who are able to embody dominant forms of masculinity (i.e., high ability and able-bodied) continue to be privileged within the club environment. The findings reinforce that although a greater number of women and girls are participating in community sport, this alone is not significantly reshaping gender relations. Policies seeking to promote gender equity in sport need to enforce changes in club environments in addition to focusing on increasing women’s participation.
• Women in sports leadership: A systematic narrative review, Adam Evans, Gertrud Pfister, International Reviw for the Sociology of Sport, (5 April 2020). There is consensus in the literature that, globally, women continue to be under-represented in leadership positions. Patriarchal selection practices and organisational cultures reinforce this inequity, despite evidence that men in leadership roles recognise the problem. While gender equity policies exist, actions to pursue gender equity are more limited. Patriarchal language, gendered stereotypes and person-profiling still persist, resulting in specific emotional and practical challenges for women in sports leadership positions. The reflective panel recognised an over-representation of studies from a liberal ‘Western’ tradition that conceptualises gender inequity in a specific socio-cultural and political way. Studies also often overlook the effects of the intersectionality. Finally, we suggest areas for further research, including a need to understand the electoral procedures of sports organisations beyond ‘formal’ channels, to better understand women’s lived experiences of inequity and to investigate the experiences of women who either step down or are not appointed to leadership positions.
• Women and Leadership Development in Australian Sport Organizations, Marissa Banu-Lawrence, Stephen Frawley, and Larena Hoeber, Journal of Sport Management, Volume 34(6), pp.568-578, (2020). Understanding leadership development processes is important for the sport industry, in which organisations are becoming increasingly professional and commercially focused. Despite the increased attention on gender diversity and leadership development within the sport industry to date, the scope and application of organizational gender and leadership development theory within an Australian sport context has been limited. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the leadership development practices adopted by key stakeholders of the Australian sports industry, with the intention to uncover how they impact the role of women in different organisations. Specifically, the research investigated the practices of three organisations that have a major stake in Australian professional sport.
• Sexism in Professional Sports: How Women Managers Experience and Survive Sport Organizational Culture, Lauren Hindman and Nefertiti Walker, Journal of Sport Management, Volume 34(1), pp.64-76, (2020). Women remain the minority in sport organisations, particularly in leadership roles, and prior work has suggested that sexism may be to blame. This study examines women’s experiences of both overt and subtle sexism in the sport industry as well as the impact such experiences have on their careers. Based on interviews and journal entries from women managers working in a men’s professional sports league, the findings suggest that the culture of sport organisations perpetuates sexism, including the diminishment and objectification of women. Sexism occurs in women’s everyday interactions with their supervisors and coworkers, as well as others that they interact with as part of their jobs. Such experiences result in professional and emotional consequences, which women navigate by employing tactics that enable their survival in the sport industry.
• Gender diversity in sport leadership: an investigation of United States of America National Governing Bodies of Sport, Lindsey Gaston, Milly Blundell, Tom Fletcher, Managing Sport and Leisure , Volume 15(6), pp.402-417, (2020). The results of this study indicate that females are largely under-represented in leadership roles within national governing bodies (NGBs). Findings also indicate a positive correlation between female representation in the leadership structure of NGBs, and the ability of the NGB to achieve female membership benchmarks, thus supportive of Critical Mass Theory. The implications of the study support both an ethical case for female representation and also highlights a clear business performance case for greater gender diversity in the senior roles of leadership within NGBs in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
• Women and leadership: advancing gender equity policies in sport leadership through sport governance, Popi Sotiriadou and Donna de Haan, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, Volume 11(3), pp.365-383, (2019). This paper uses a multilevel framework to deconstruct the role board members play in advancing gender equity policies in leadership positions in sport governance. Data were collected using in-depth interviews with triathlon board members of the International Federation and two national federations. The results show that within the multilevel framework, at the individual (micro) level, male equity champions pave the way for both challenging existing stereotypes at an organisational level (meso) within the boards, and at the sport level (macro) through the introduction and implementation of strategies and policies in the organisations studied and constitutional changes that encourage women to engage in leadership roles. These strategies and policies display the power of equity champions of change and their willingness and ability to create a gender-equitable governance culture. Equity champions of change enable women to feel valued in leadership roles, and further encourage and promote the acceptance of women in the governance of sport organisations.
• A Holistic Perspective on Women’s Career Pathways in Athletics Administration, Allyson Hartzell and Marlene Dixon, Journal of Sport Management, Volume 33(2), pp.79-92, (2019). Though progress has been made in recent years, women continue to be underrepresented in sport leadership positions around the globe, particularly at the highest levels. This problem persists despite the known advantages to gender diversity in leadership positions. Multiple approaches from various levels of analysis (macro, meso and micro) have been used to study this phenomenon. However, there is a strong need for a more comprehensive model that would consider not only multiple levels of analysis, but also time and nonwork considerations. To that end, the authors review the existing literature in the area and then examine career and life course theories that would extend current conceptualizations of women’s experiences in sport leadership positions and the choices they make in the shaping of their career paths. This model enhances effective career development strategies that help women achieve the positions they strive for within sport, thereby enriching their own personal development and helping sport organizations achieve the multiple and positive benefits of a more diverse workforce.
• Examination of Gender Equity and Female Participation in Sport, Joshua A. Senne, The Sport Journal, (26 February 2016). This paper presents an overview of five topics related to gender equity and sports. These topics include: (a) history of gender equity in sports and Title IX; (b) gender equity in sport governance; (c) gender equity issues in athletics; (d) gender equity, sports participation and Title IX; and (e) gender equity in coed sports. For each topic, the author presents an overview as well as a reason for selecting the topic. Further, the author presents information about the importance of each topic to gender equity in sports, plus any relevant social, ethical or legal concerns.
• Professional women’s sport in Australia, Emma Sherry, Chelsey Taylor, Chapter 9 in Routledge Handbook of the Business of Women's Sport, Nancy Lough, Andrea Geurin (eds.), Routledge, (2019). Professional women’s sport in Australia is undergoing a period of unprecedented growth in its numbers of professional leagues, salary, television broadcast, and talent development opportunities. The history of women’s competition in sport in Australia is over 120 years old; however, since these formative years, the professionalization of women’s sport in Australia has been slow. In more recent times, we are now witnessing a rapid increase in interest, salaries, and sponsorship of a variety of professional women’s leagues – in both traditionally female sports (such as netball), and increasingly growing into new franchises and leagues in the traditionally male football codes and cricket. This chapter presents the history and evolution of professional women’s sport in Australia, with particular attention to current professional leagues and sport codes, and the expansion of professionalization to new and emerging sports across the country.
• Career experiences in Australian sport organisations: formal and informal effects of gender [PhD thesis], Michelle O'Shea, Griffith University, (2017). The research used a multiple case study approach with four Australian national and state sport organisations. My analysis of the study organisations’ human resource management (HRM) policies and practices revealed how formally documented and managerially endorsed recruitment and selection, promotion and retention policies were not always enacted in sport workplaces. Instead, there were ambiguities, tensions and gaps between formally espoused hiring and promotions policies, managers’ interpretations of those policies, and women’s and men’s experiences of the practices routinely enacted to recruit, promote and retain sport personnel. How sport organisation employees interpreted and experienced these disparities provided me with a unique window into the complexities of how, in the case organisations, gender was understood and enacted, and how gender power relations differentially and inequitably shaped women’s and men’s sport management careers.
• Diversity work in community sport organizations: Commitment, resistance and institutional change, Ramón Spaaij, Jonathan Magee, Karen Farquharson, et al., International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 53(3), (June 2016). This paper critically examines diversity work in community sports clubs. Drawing upon qualitative research at 31 amateur sports clubs in Australia, the findings show that diversity work in community sport organizations is often haphazard and accidental, rather than a strategic response or adaptation to policy. This paper concludes that while individual champions are critical to the promotion of diversity, persistent tensions and resistance arise when they seek to translate the language of diversity into institutional practice and culture change.
• Gender and leadership positions in recreational hockey clubs, Litchfield C, Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics, Volume 19(1), pp.61-79, (2015). Women are not traditionally associated with leadership roles in sport and the culture of sport is often a space where males are in positions of power. This paper explores the experiences of women from two mixed-gendered and one female-only recreational level hockey clubs in Melbourne. The author examines the gendered leadership, principally male dominant, at these hockey clubs and uses Connell's theory of gender relations to identify the differences in the level of involvement of women in leadership roles between mixed-gendered and single-gendered hockey clubs.
• Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review of research, Burton L, Sport Management Review, Volume 18(2), pp.155-165. (2015). Despite increased participation opportunities for girls and women in sport, they are underrepresented in leadership positions at all levels of sport. The objective of this review is to provide a multilevel examination of available scholarship that contributes to understanding why there are so few women in leadership positions within sport. This review looked at existing research covering the institutionalised practices of gender in sport; stereotyping of leaders; issues of discrimination and gendered organisational cultures, and; women's expectations in leadership positions and occupational turnover. Gender as an organising principle in sport needs to be considered along with other forms of identity, such as race, sexual orientation, class and ability.
• The impact of gender quotas on gender equality in sport governance, Adriaanse J, Schofield T, Journal of Sport Management, Volume 28(5), pp.485-497, (2014). A common intervention to address women’s underrepresentation in governance has been the introduction of gender quotas. This study examined the impact of gender quotas on gender equality in governance among boards of national sport organisations (NSOs) in Australia. The findings suggest that a quota of a minimum of three women was the first condition to advance gender equity. However, it needed to operate in conjunction with other gender dynamics to effectively move toward equal participation by men and women in board decision making. Supporting principles such as: including women in influential board positions; common emotional relationships between men and women directors; and directors’ adoption of gender equity as an organisational value; were critical to the success of gender quotas.
• Women on boards of directors in Australian national sporting organisations (NSOs): is gender a factor? [thesis] Anne Emms, University of Wollongong, (2014). This study concludes that, while new institutional ideas have been introduced to change board structure and practice, such as non-member elected board appointees who are recruited for their corporate governance expertise, the gender bias that has shaped historical practice remains.
• Analysing gender dynamics in sport governance: A new regimes-based approach, Adriaanse J., Schofield T., Sport Management Review, Volume 16(4), pp.498-513, (2013). An audit of 56 NSOs and in-depth interviews with board directors and chief executive officers was conducted. The data suggest that directors’ participation in sport governance was not uniform in terms of gender dynamics. Comparison of the proportion of women board members with the proportion of women who participate in each of the sports investigated suggests that women's representation remains low and men still hold the majority of senior and influential positions on boards. Although gender ratios on boards are important since they impact on power and control, there is a need to go beyond numbers to examine and understand the gender dynamics involved in the production of these ratios. Analysis of the data suggests that the following are significant in advancing gender equality in sport governance: (1) the adoption of quotas is an effective organisational strategy in achieving gender parity; (2) the occupation of women in power positions is fundamental to exercising power and authority in the decision-making of boards; (3) recognition and understanding of the organisational and governance dynamics in producing the board's gendered composition— rather than women themselves—is critical to the advancement of gender equality; (4) cooperative and collaborative behaviours that exist between men and women on a board are critical—hostility by men on boards towards women's presence and participation will undermine gender-equal governance. It is critical to emphasise that none of these structural dimensions on its own is sufficient to advance the practice of gender-equal governance. Rather, it is the combination of each of these dimensions that appears to be effective in achieving such a goal.

• WiST Career Toolkit, Women in Sports Tech, (accessed 5 April 2023). WiST is the trusted partner and mentor for women and nonbinary students and adults working in, or interested in working in, the exploding sports tech industry. To support your growth and prep you to succeed, we created the WiST Career Toolkit. Here’s what you will gain: Confidence: to approach job-seeking in a professional manner; Courage: to ask for support and advice and seek out role models; Community: for networking and building professional relationships; Education: for specific skills and advice you need to succeed.
• How to Apply A Gender LENS to Decision Making, Canadian Women and Sport, (May 2020). When you make decisions using a gender lens, you help to create the conditions for the inclusion of girls and women. Greater inclusion makes sport better for ALL involved. Put simply, using a gender lens means accounting for the different ways that different genders might experience the results of your decision.
• Gender Equity Self-Assessment Tool for Community Sport Providers, Canadian Women and Sport, (March 2020). This self–assessment tool is designed for use by community sport and physical activity providers (municipal recreation departments, boys and girls clubs, Ys, etc.) to assess whether their programs, services and facilities meet an acceptable standard of gender equity. Results will help organisations actively engage women and girls as participants and leaders.
• Balancing the Board: a toolkit to help increase women's representation on rugby boards, World Rugby, (updated February 2020). This toolkit is designed to help you improve the level of women’s representation on your Board. It provides some background information about what is needed and why, and then outlines some practical steps for getting there.
• Gender Equity Toolkit: Gender equity in the organising of Flying Disc Sports tournaments. A Tournament Directors Toolkit, World Flying Disc Federation, Women in Sport Commission, (2020). This Tournament Directors Toolkit (TDT) provides tournament organising committees with information about gender equity, and some ideas/strategies to consider when stage events that are more gender-equitable. This TDT does not attempt to cover in detail every aspect of gender equity as this is a complicated topic and around the world, there is no single approach. Local customs, culture, events and business practices must be considered. This document is a working document, which may be updated over time
• How to make an impact on gender equality in sport: All you need to know, European Union and the Council of Europe, (September 2019). This toolkit helps sports organisations and administrators to:
  • understand the extent of gender inequalities and differences in the sports world
  • understand the prevalence of gender-based violence and the added-value of moving towards gender equality in this area
  • design, implement, monitor and evaluate an action plan to achieve gender equality; understand what a gender mainstreaming strategy is
  • implement a gender mainstreaming approach in sport policies, program, actions and in sporting organisations (when devising a human-resources policy, organising sports events, developing a communication strategy, allocating funds, renovating a sport facility, etc.).
• The Leading Edge: Good practices for creating gender-equitable boards in sport, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity, (2018). This resource provides sport leaders with information and tips to enhance good practices or dial up efforts to support gender-equitable boards. It includes information on making the case for gender-equitable boards; intentional leadership; setting clear objectives and evaluating progress; reviewing by-laws, processes and procedures; creating an inviting culture; proactively recruiting women; and providing mentoring and training opportunities.
• Women's Football Development Guide: A guide for community football clubs to develop women’s football and increase the number of females participating in the game at all levels, Football Federation Australia, (2017). This resource will provide community football clubs with practical strategies and ‘how to guides’ on the recruitment and continued involvement of female players, coaches, administrators and referees. Information relating to Female Administrators is from pages 74-93.

Clearinghouse videos

• Women in Sport - breaking the mould, Giles Thompson, CEO, Racing Victoria, Mandy Spear, COO, Titanium Security Arena, Laura Johnston, General Manager Performance and Culture, Swimming Australia, Our Sporting Future Conference (16 November 2017).
• Sport and gender equality, Kate Jenkins, Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Our Sporting Future Conference (16 November 2017).
• Linking with local Government, Amanda Spalding, Sport and Recreation NSW, Sports Talks (20 May 2013).

Videos

• Digital storytelling project, Women Win, (accessed 12 April 2023). Women Win is committed to not just telling stories of girls' sport achievement and the impact those stories have, but helping build the skill and leadership of girls to tell their own story. A collection of videos is available to listen to and view.
• IOC wraps up second Gender Equality Webinar Series with record number of attendees, International Olympic Committee, (30 March 2021). Male allyship, establishing a gender equality action plan and developing initiatives to grow the number of women technical officials were the three topics covered in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s second Gender Equality Webinar Series for the Olympic Movement.
• Playing to win: a conversation on Australian female leadership, The Matildas, (10 March 2020). Discussion with several women including three Matildas players on their journey into leadership.
• #watchthewomen, SA Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, YouTube, (2017). A series of videos promoting women and girls participation in sport and addressing some of the key barriers to participation at all levels.
• It Makes Sense – Gender Diversity SA Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, YouTube, (2016). The State Sporting Organisations in South Australia for Surf Life Saving, Hockey, Australian Football, Golf and Yachting share their sports journey in a series of videos. They highlight the challenges and the successes as they move towards truly reflecting the gender diversity of the South Australian community.
• Are You On Board Campaign, VicSport, YouTube, (2015). While evidence shows that diversity is good for business, only 33 percent of all board positions available in Victorian State Sport Associations are currently held by women (as at December 2013).
  • ‘Are You On Board’- Why have a diverse committee? VicSport, YouTube, (2015). The 2015 VicSport Are You On Board campaign kicks off with a video around the importance of having diversity among committee members in grassroots sport, with particular focus on including females on committees and boards.

• Female cricket coaches are in high demand in India after successful stints in inaugural WPL, Rica Roy, WINS/ABC, (5 May 2023). You may not have heard the names Anju Jain, Hemlata Kala or Nooshin Al Khadeer. But all three women have made a name for themselves in Indian cricket. Out of the five teams in the WPL, two had women as head coaches. Charlotte Edwards led the Mumbai Indians and Rachel Haynes the Gujarat Giants. "The WPL has brought more in professionalism. Coaches are treated with a lot more respect than they were earlier."
• Free childcare part of $4m push to boost elite women coaches, Georgina Robinson, Sydney Morning Herald, (17 April 2023). Aspiring women coaches will have access to childcare support and flexible working arrangements as part of a $3.9 million push to turn around poor participation rates in elite sport. Women made up just 18 per cent of accredited coaches at the Tokyo Olympics and only 23 per cent at the Paralympics, according to data provided by the Australian Institute of Sport. The Australian Sports Commission has promised to more than double the number of accredited women coaches by the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
• Women's Coaching Stories, coachAFL, (accessed 13 April 2023). A collection of stories from female AFL coaches including Narelle Smith, Sam Virgo, Alicia Eva, Michelle Cowan, and Bec Goddard.
• World Triathlon strikes gender balance in technical officials for Paris 2024, Geoff Berkeley, Inside the Games, (13 March 2023). It will be the first time that the worldwide governing body has selected an equal number of male and female officials for a Games after 47 per cent per cent were women at Tokyo 2020.
• Women coaches: Creating a pathway for future generations, International Olympic Committee, (8 March 2023). Rising slowly from a low base, the proportion of female elite coaches at the Olympic Games has been around only 10 per cent over the past decade. The challenge starts already at grassroots level, with fewer girls and women choosing to take on coaching roles. This unfortunately reinforces the gender gap, because if a sports club has only male coaches, girls will not see the possibility of becoming a coach as an option. A career in coaching typically consists of 10-12 years’ experience at national level in regional competitions before reaching Olympic level. This in part explains why the process of becoming a coach is much slower than that of becoming an elite athlete.
• Women rarely coached high-level footy when Michelle Cowan forged her path, but that has changed with the AFLW, Erin Delahunty, Siren Sport/ABC, (5 February 2022). When coaching trailblazer Michelle Cowan did her AFL level two accreditation in 2008, she was the only woman in the room, surrounded by 86 men. Now, 13 years on — as one of only three women to have been head coach of an AFLW side — the 39-year-old is excited about the growing number of female coaches in the league. While AFLW doesn't have a single female head coach this season, there are 28 women in varying secondary coaching roles with the 14 sides. That includes 13 assistant coaches and 15 at the more junior development level. Across the AFLW coaching ecosystem, 30 per cent of all coaches are now women.
• Women Coaches Face Greater Professional and Personal Obstacles Than Men, Dr. Nicole LaVoi, Global Sport Matters, (9 November 2021). Since the implementation of Title IX, the number of girls and women who play sports has gone up -- but the proportion of women coaches in college sports has decreased. Why? Decades of research show that women coaches face numerous and intertwined career barriers that do not impact men, including a false but prevalent narrative that pregnancy, childcare, and family responsibilities will impede their success.
• Number of Female Coaches in Each Team Sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Female Coaching Network, (23 July 2021). Below are the number of coaching positions available within the team sports at the Tokyo Olympic Games. These include Head Coaching Roles and Assistant Coaching Roles. Total = 402 coaching positions – 108 female coaches = 26.8%.
• How female coaches can help bring professional men’s football into the 21st century, Pete Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching, Nottingham Trent University, The Conversation, (8 March 2021). With eight women currently coaching in the NFL, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to parity, but it does seem that women are finally breaking into elite men’s sports coaching in the US. Sadly, the same cannot be said about most major team sports in the UK.
• Janelle Pallister challenges the lack of women in coaching roles, Liana Buratti, Olympics.com.au, (8 March 2021). After Janelle retired from elite swimming, she believed the door had closed on that part of her career, however, a fortuitous last-minute ‘filling in’ led her to take up coaching. Today, she’s one of very few female coaches in the pool, which is something she wants to change. After being asked to fill in at her kid's Learn to Swim school, a spark was ignited, and the Olympian went from supportive parent to coach.
• How Women and Technology Are Changing the World of Ice Hockey, Elena Okaemova, HUDL, (22 February 2021). Female coaches are a critical component to the game of hockey, according to the president of the NHL Coaches’ Association Lindsay Artkin. However, there is still a long way to go in combating the disparity behind the bench. A big step in the right direction is the new NHLCA Female Coaches Development Program. Learn more how the Association is developing a new diverse coaching pool for the NHL.
• These Women Were N.F.L. ‘Firsts.’ They’re Eager for Company, Gillian R. Brassil and Kevin Draper, New York Times, (8 February 2021). Two women will coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this year’s Super Bowl, a milestone in the N.F.L.’s gender diversity efforts. Women in football hope their presence quickly stops being noteworthy.
• Changing the gender imbalance in Australian sports coaching, Steve Pallas, Sports Community, (accessed 22 January 2021). In this time, where volunteers are harder and harder to find, how many coaches and for that matter team managers are being lost to sport simply because they are not being given an opportunity? The issue of imbalance highlights a cultural weakness in Australian sport. In the absence of reason to the contrary, the behaviours of individuals, especially new individuals into a club environment, will default to the existing culture and behaviour exhibited by club members. For generations, generally, this default position is men filling the leadership roles within clubs and sport.
• Debate over experience keeps door shut to female coaches seeking to enter men's sport, Kasey Symons, The Guardian, (10 November 2020). The conversations around former national netball coach Lisa Alexander’s application for the vacant North Melbourne AFL coaching position – and the club’s decision not to offer her an interview – have provided telling insights to how women who want to extend their careers into men’s sports are still viewed. After being knocked back for an interview with North Melbourne on Monday afternoon, Alexander told AAP: “It was a thanks but no thanks. I was told I need to get more experience.” For somebody who has coached at the highest level of one sport, the term “experience” is driving debate.
• Creating a New Horizon for Women in Coaching, Lawrie Woodman, Australian Sport Reflections, (12 October 2020). It is the responsibility of sporting organisations around the world, at all levels, to develop the potentially vast, and currently underutilised, talent pool of women in coaching. There is strong support for this, and while it will not be quick or easy, it can be done by taking purposeful action producing generational and cultural change. Ideas expressed in this article can be addressed and strategies implemented so sport can improve the diversity and balance in coaching. This includes:
  • Creating similar pathways for men and boys, and women and girls in playing and coaching
  • Ensuring greater inclusion of women in coaching – may require special pathways or assistance for women coaches
  • Ensuring all the appropriate support systems are in place to optimise the outcomes
  • Bringing substantial groups of women coaches through the pathways together
  • Ignoring the stereotypes and current cultural norms around women in coaching and other key roles in sport
  • Defining and reinforcing the term coach as a non-gendered, through generational and cultural change – so those making coach appointments are focused on ability rather than gender
  • Influencing (usually) male decision makers
  • Maintaining a long term (generational) focus on developing women in coaching.
• Showcasing women in sports performance roles: wrapping up 18 women in sport interviews, Catapult, (7 October 2020). For the past 12 months, we’ve been speaking with the practitioners that have been paving the way for women in sports performance. Below are links to 18 stories with 18 powerful, hard-working, innovative women who inspire us.
• Sports Federations leading the way to increase percentage of female coaches and technical officials, International Olympic Committee, (16 September 2020). Women’s sport has made significant progress recently, but efforts to ensure gender balance on and off the field of play continue. Just 10%of accredited coaches at the Olympic Summer and Winter Games over the past decade were female, with women accounting for 30% of technical officials over the same period. The latest in a series of six online sessions was devoted to sharing concrete examples of programs that sports federations can implement in order to ensure a higher percentage of female coaches and technical officials in the future.
• Embedding female leaders in the heart of New Zealand sports, Suzanne McFadden, LockerRoom and stuff.co.nz, (27 August 2020). Across 28 targeted sports in New Zealand, there are only four women appointed as high performance directors or managers. Less than a quarter of the country’s 114 carded coaches (who receive support from HPSNZ) are female. The woman leading the Women in High Performance Sport project, Sonia Boland, says there’s no shortage of talented and capable females wanting a career in high performance sport, but there is a failure within the system to support their progression through the ranks.
• Why are there not more female referees in rugby? Leana Kell, Centurion Rugby, (accessed 22 January 2020). In 2015, Sarah Cox made history when she became the first female rugby referee to join the RFU match official team. Other successful women referees, such as Clare Hodnett and Australian referee Amy Perrett, are currently paving the way for other female referees and raising hopes that before long things will change. However, if we consider the here and now, rugby continues to lack female referees.
• Kate Jacewicz says time will tell if she's a trailblazer despite A-League refereeing debut, Simon Smale, ABC News, (22 January 2020). Jacewicz became the first woman to referee an A-League match in the competition's 15-year history when she took charge of Melbourne City's 2-0 victory over Newcastle Jets on Saturday evening.
• Sexism in Collegiate Swim Coaching: Experiences of Coaches, Jessica Siegele, Robin Hardin, Elizabeth Taylor, Allison Smith, Athletic Director U, (2020). In 2019, there were 208 Division 1 women’s swim teams in the NCAA. Exactly 33 had a female head coach. It is a sobering statistic that nearly 85% of the leadership in a women’s sport is male. The data tells the story of what has been termed a leaky pipeline. In Division 1 collegiate swimming, women are entering the profession as assistant coaches (40%); however, they are not ascending to the ranks of head coach (15%). We interviewed 21 female coaches regarding their experiences in coaching in NCAA Division 1 swimming. The experiences of the participants in this study revealed a pervasiveness of gender bias and sexism in the swim coaching profession. Sexism was manifested in five general categories: misidentification, differential treatment; tokenism; isolation; and motherhood.
• 'Nothing will change': More is needed to boost Australian women's referee numbers, AAP/SBS, (20 September 2019). The share of female referees in three of Australia's biggest sporting codes is static or declining, despite an explosion in the number of women playing sport.
• Referee Stéphanie Frappart: 'Girls see me on TV and know it's possible', Paul Doyle, The Guardian, (11 August 2019). The official is regarded as one of France’s very best and will take charge of Liverpool versus Chelsea in Istanbul on Wednesday.
• Lacking Number of Female Refs in Professional Sports, Female Referees in Professional Sports, (accessed 13 April 2023). Throughout the years of the NBA, there has only been 3 official, full-time female referees in the last 69 years. However, compared to the NFL, it's a drastic difference. The NFL has been around for 95 years and only hired one full-time female referee this season. So, why has there been, and still is, a low number of female referees in these professional sports?
• 'Little bit surprised': NRL appoints first female referee, Adam Pengilly, The Sydney Morning Herald, (15 July 2019). Belinda Sharpe will on Tuesday be confirmed as the first woman to take control of an NRL match, assigned as the assistant referee for Thursday night's Broncos and Bulldogs clash at Suncorp Stadium.
• The war on women coaches, Laura Burton, Nicole LaVoi, The Conversation , (4 June 2019). During the past women’s college basketball season, two prominent head coaches, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s Sylvia Hatchell and Georgia Tech’s MaChelle Joseph, were fired.
• How female cricket coaches are blocked by the league of gentlemen, Raf Nicholson, The Guardian, (17 May 2019). Change is afoot, but statistics make bleak reading as women struggle to break down barriers to coach top-level cricket. Since 2014, when the England and Wales Cricket Board made history by announcing the first professional contracts in the world, it has been possible, as a woman, to play the game for a living. Yet coaching is lagging far behind. None of the men’s counties is coached by a woman. In 2018, only one Kia Super League side had a female coach—the former Australia batter Alex Blackwell. There are no women working as coaches in the England men’s or women’s setups.
• Girls need more confidence to coach, research shows, Youth Sports Trust, (5 April 2019). Data released today by children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust shows more than one in three girls have a desire to coach/lead in school but only a small number are currently taking up the opportunity. Girls who were coaches, leaders or admin support had higher levels of body confidence, overall confidence and happiness.
• Female referees: What is it like to officiate games? Alistair Magowan, BBC Sport, (11 November 2018). Life as a female referee can sometimes be daunting.
• WNBA Announces The Officials For The 2018 Playoffs, WNBA media release, (20 August 2018). The WNBA today announced the 16 referees who have earned spots to officiate in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs.
• Women Are Largely Untapped Resource In Alleviating Youth Sports Referee Shortage, Bob Cook, Forbes, (16 June 2017). Ever since the Journal News in Westchester County, New York ran an excellent piece on the referee shortage in school sports in May, I've seen a lot of other pieces designed to localise the ongoing crisis in finding enough officials to staff youth games.

• Improving Gender Equity in Sports Coaching, Leanne Norman (editor), Routledge, (2021). The sport coaching profession has historically been and continues to be a white male-dominated occupation and this remains a global issue. This imbalance persists despite an improvement in wider social attitudes and legislation towards equality and diversity within many societies, and despite the action by sporting organisations and national governing bodies. Within the research literature, the underrepresentation of women in sport coaching is a well-documented issue with a number of research studies highlighting the experiences and impact of being in the minority for women coaches. The issue of gender inequity in sport coaching is a long-standing one and shows little sign of changing significantly anytime soon. Therefore, a new approach is needed, one that draws on the knowledge and evidence we have to create actionable, sustainable, deep-rooting interventions that challenge the issue of gender equity at its very core. In this book, we have brought together not just the insight but also a collection of strategies and recommendations as to how this research could be or has been utilised to make our sport coaching envrionment places where all coaches feel as though they belong.
• Women in Sports Coaching, Nicole LaVoi (editor), Routledge, (2016). Sport coaching remains a domain where gender equity has declined or stalled, despite increasing female sport participation. The percentage of women who coach women are in the minority in most sports, and there is a near absence of women coaching men. This book examines why. Drawing on original multi-disciplinary research from across the globe, including first-hand accounts from practicing coaches, the book illuminates and examines the status of women in coaching, explores the complex issues they face in pursuing their careers, and suggests solutions for eliminating the barriers that impede women in coaching. The book covers issues including sexual identity, race, motherhood, cross-gender coaching and media coverage to give voice to women coaches from around the world.

• The case for change, Sport New Zealand, (2018). This provides an overview of research illustrating the 'case for change' for women and girls in sport. Coaching statistics include High Performance Coaching is 70% male and 30% female, and Coach Development is 67% male and 33% female.

• AIS targeting gender equality in coaching by 2032, Australian Sports Commission, (18 April 2023). Minister for Sport, the Hon Anika Wells, recently met with members of the program and welcomed the ASC’s target of more than doubling the number of coaches by the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Women represented just 18 per cent of accredited coaches for the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympic Games and just 23 per cent at the Paralympics. The Gen32 Coach Program is being delivered in collaboration between the AIS, National Sporting Organisations and National Institute Network partners with a total investment of over $11 million. The AIS is investing over $7 million including $3.9 million announced as part of the Women’s Leadership Package in the 2022-23 Federal Budget.
• The dial is shifting for gender equality in sport – just not fast enough, Kate Palmer, Australian Sports Commission, (8 March 2019). This op-ed, written for International Women's Day 2019, highlights that the quest for gender equality in sport has come a long way, but the starting point was a long way behind. Women comprise 24% of CEOs across the 63 national sporting organisations funded by Sport Australia and the AIS. The number across the high performance coaching system is 15%, while a mere 9% of accredited Australian Olympic coaches in Rio were female. The ASX shares this historic under-representation, which does not make it right. Sport Australia announced 33 successful candidates to join AIS Talent Programs, designed to identify and develop female sport executives and high performance coaches.

• Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Strategy 2023-2025, Water Polo Australia, (April 2023). In order to grow our game and create an environment where everyone can feel truly welcome, we are committing to transformational change. All staff, volunteers, members, players, parents, coaches, officials, and spectators of the sport are expected to behave in a way that is respectful, inclusive and treats others with dignity and integrity. Women and girls are included as one of the identified communities where Water Polo Australia acknowledges it can do more to make the sport more inclusive, diverse and equitable. This list is not exhaustive or exclusive to those not listed and notes the intersectionality approach. Baseline statistics highlight that a the completion of the 2021/22 water polo season 52% of players were female, with 46.7% female coaches and 48.1% female referees.
• Inclusive Swimming Framework 2020-2022, Swimming Australia, (December 2020). While swimming has a long and proud egalitarian history with many positive outcomes for inclusion already achieved, there is more work to do. The snapshot below provides some current statistics regarding diversity within our membership audiences: 59% Female swimmers v 15% female coaches. One out of nine female CEOs, with 41% female Board members across the SA network. The Framework commits to several initiatives including developing and implementing a Women’s Coaching Strategy and maintaining Champions of Change Coalition partnership.
• Golf Australia's Vision 2025: The future of women and girls in golf, Golf Australia, (February 2019). On 13 February 2019, Golf Australia launched a new strategy aiming at addressing a fundamental imbalance in Australian golf where women currently make up just 20% of all members. The four main pillars of Vision 2025 are: culture and leadership; grassroots; high performance coaching; and, marketing and positioning.
• No boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity, Australian Women in Sport Advisory Group, (2019). Our vision is that there are no boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity. Our goal is to achieve this by 2025, but what does it look like, and how will we know when we have made it? Here we set out what we are striving for, actions to take and measures of success. Recommended metrics to track include the % of women coaching, officiating, and working as high performance staff at an elite level. Additionally, the strategy calls for genuine and equitable high-performance pathways for athletes, coaches, and officials to be clearly defined and communicated.

• Women in High Performance Coaching, Australian Sports Commission, (November 2023). The underrepresentation of women in High Performance coaching roles in Australia is a critical issue, with less than 10% of the top 36 funded High Performance sports led by women head coaches. The Women in High Performance Coaching Project (WiHPC) has been established to address this situation and drive immediate action to create a more diverse and successful coaching ecosystem by 2032. Extensive engagement across the sector over a two-year period led to the development of comprehensive reports and an action plan that was launched in November 2023. The next phase of the WiHPC project will require continued support and engagement with organisations, sports, and researchers.
• Women’s Coach Acceleration Program, Australian Football League , (accessed 16 June 2023). Program is designed to fast-track the development of women in coaching and assist in their progression to senior coaching roles across both AFL and AFLW programs. All AFL clubs can apply to be awarded one of six available positions as part of the Women’s Coach Acceleration Program that will see successful applicants employed by an AFL Club for a minimum two-year period and provided an opportunity to undertake a coaching role within an AFL or AFLW program.
• Women’s Coaching Association (WCA), (accessed 14 April 2023). Founded to empower, support and encourage women and girls to participate in coaching sport. Provides support, network opportunities, education and a voice for women and girls who coach.
• Te Hāpaitanga, High Performance Sport NZ, (accessed 13 April 2023). A holistic coach development initiative enabling more females to pursue and maintain careers in high performance coaching in New Zealand. The 18-month initiative provides a range of opportunities for a number of future female high performance coaches to test and develop their coaching capability, and to develop new skills to navigate a complex and challenging career in high performance sport.
• 100% Cricket – Future Leaders Programme, International Cricket Council, (8 March 2023). The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that applications for the third edition of the ICC 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme opens today. Designed to support emerging female talent in cricket across administration, coaching and officiating, broadcast, and journalism as well as marketing, digital and technology and events. The programme is designed to address the low percentage of women in leadership positions in global cricket and build a pipeline of new female leaders in cricket. Applications for the 2023 edition closed 29 March 2023.
• Coaching opportunities, (accessed 3 April 2023). Includes news about women coaches in tennis, Coach Connect to engage, educate and connect women coaches across the country through mentoring and professional development opportunities; women's coaching scholarships; and a national course and workshop calendar.
• Women's Coaching Pathway Scholarship, AFL Coaches Association, (accessed 29 March 2023). The AFL Coaches Association established the Women’s Coaching Crusade and Women’s Coaching Pathway Scholarship in 2019, to support AFLW players to realise their potential and fast-track their development to coach at the highest level. In 2021, the scholarship was expanded to include applications from women coaching in State Football Leagues (women’s and men’s) and players from the Women’s State Football Leagues and AFLW.
• Coaching internship programme, World Rugby, (June 2022). In September 2020 World Rugby launched a transformational Rugby World Cup 2021 Coaching Internship Programme, providing talent-identified female coaches with a unique 12-month placement opportunity with a team competing at the showcase women’s 15s event in New Zealand.
• Generation next: New program revealed to fast-track women coaches, AFLW, (December 2021). Six women will be awarded a position in the AFL's new Women's Coach Acceleration Program, which aims to fast-track the next generation of female senior coaches. The participants will be employed by an AFL club for a minimum of two years, and will take up a coaching role within either the AFL or AFLW program. AFL clubs will apply to take on one of the participants for the duration of the program, which will also see a formal mentorship between the respective clubs' senior AFL coach and the participant.
• Female Coaches Programme, UK Sport, (November 2020). UK Sport has today announced a new leadership programme as part of a plan to more than double the representation of female coaches in the Olympic and Paralympic high-performance community by Paris 2024. The new leadership programme will involve six of the best female coaches in the UK providing key support and development opportunities for the next aspiring generation of elite coaches.
• Our Future Female Leaders Program, Bowls Australia, (accessed 18 September 2020). Our Future Female Leaders Program is tailored to women in management, administration, advisory and coaching roles within Bowls Australia, state and territory associations and clubs Australia-wide. The program has come to fruition with significant support provided from Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
• FIFA Women’s Development Programme, (8 September 2020). In line with FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy, this Programme aims to provide all 211 member associations with the opportunity to apply for and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football at a national level. Member associations will be able to apply for support across 8 key areas of women’s football development during the 2020-2023 period. In addition to financial assistance to cover the costs in selected programmes, it will also provide member associations with access to women’s football experts, additional equipment and technical support within FIFA to develop women’s football in their country.
• World Triathlon resumes the Mentorship Programme, Olalla Cernuda, World Triathlon, (1 July 2020). World Triathlon Development, together with the Women’s Committee, is delighted to announce the launch of a re-envisaged World Triathlon Mentor Programme to be delivered virtually, with the goal to increase and sustain the number of women and people with disability in leadership roles in coaching, technical officiating and governance in the sport.

• Shaping attitudes: Exposure to women coaches and officials influences children and parent perceptions, Victoria University for Change our Game, (April 2024). This research sought to understand attitudes towards women in coaching and officiating roles amongst children (aged 4 – 17 years) involved in community sport, and their parents in Victoria. A total of 75 parents/carers (84% women) and 75 children (73% boys) provided insights into their experiences and attitudes of women as coaches and officials.
  • Children and their parents were more likely to believe that men make great coaches and officials, compared to women. Children were 2 times more likely to select a man compared to a woman as “looking” like a coach or an official.
  • Children who experienced at least one woman as a coach were 3 times more likely to associate a woman as “looking” like a coach or an official, compared to those without any experience.
  • Children whose parent associated a woman as “looking” like a coach were 6 times more likely to also associate a woman as being a coach (compared to children whose parents did not associate a woman being a coach).
  • The older children become, the more likely they were to believe that women can make great coaches and officials. This finding highlights the importance of young players being coached and officiated by women. Such early exposure could be pivotal in shaping more inclusive views of what it means to be a coach or an official in sport from a young age
• What type of uniforms do women want to wear when they referee or umpire sport? National research insights from current officials and non-officials, Victoria University, (February 2024). Insights were gained from 286 survey respondents (250 current officials and 36 non-officials) comprising girls and women aged 15 – 80 years (avg age 33 years). Each group answered approximately 20-items that were carefully curated to gain insights into sport officiating uniforms. Responses were gained from each state and territory in Australia, predominately these were from Victoria (36%), New South Wales (23%) and Queensland (23%). Intersectional identities included LGBTIQ+ (12%), born outside of Australia (11%), a mental illness (11%), speaks another language at home (5%), a physical disability (4%) and/or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (2%).
  • 61% of referees and umpires feel uncomfortable wearing their current uniform.
  • 82% would feel more confident officiating if wearing their preferred uniform.
  • Nearly two thirds of non-officials identified uniforms as a barrier to officiating.
  • Preferred uniform considerations were: comfort and fit; professional and identifiable; choice and flexibility; and, practical features.
  • Harassment/discrimination, lack of flexibility, inadequate training and gender stereotypes were also recognised as barriers to officiating.
• Women in High Performance Coaching (WiHPC), Australian Sports Commission, (November 2023). The WiHPC Project was established to address the underrepresentation of women in Australian high performance coaching, and to drive action to create a more diverse and successful coaching ecosystem by 2032. Extensive engagement across the sector over a two-year period led to the development of comprehensive reports and an action plan that was launched in November 2023.
  • Women in High Performance Coaching: Fixing the leaky pipeline action plan, Michelle De Highden, Patrick Sharry, David Joyce, Pip Taylor, Australian Sports Commission, (November 2023). This Action Plan represents a moment in time and identifies opportunities to build momentum, based upon what we know now. The four strategic focus areas (Behaviours, culture and environment; Systems supporting diversity; Strategies for development; Visibility and storytelling) have been identified over the course of the Project based upon what is working and what we need to continue to amplify in order to Win Well.
  • Women in High Performance Coaching: Fixing the leaky pipeline action plan - Executive summary.
  • Women in High Performance Coaching: Our Approach.
  • Women in High Performance Coaching: Mapping the coaching pipeline.
  • Women in High Performance Coaching: the women's coaching pipeline [infographic].
• Women in High Performance Coaching: Understanding the environment around women & their experiences in developmental programs, SenseMaker Insights, (August 2023). This survey identified six overarching insights across all qualitative and quantitative questions, for both positive and negative experiences.
• The volunteer capacity of community sports clubs to support women and girls in sport, Change Our Game, (2023). The aim of this research project was to investigate community sports clubs’ volunteer capacity - including management, retention and recruitment - to engage women and girls in participating and volunteering in community sport. The insights from this research can help sports organisations and local clubs identify areas of improvement in growing volunteer capacity to support women and girls’ participation in community-level sport. Some key findings include:
  • Women’s willingness to volunteer, and the volunteer roles they perform in local sports, are influenced by many societal, organisational and individual factors, with gendered roles and stereotypes continuing to be one of the biggest barriers. E.g., women generally volunteer in team manager roles rather than coaching or executive committee positions. This is particularly the case in sports traditionally dominated by men with few women volunteers.
  • In some clubs, women are still not widely accepted to be president of a club, nor coach of a men/boys’ team/sport and are thus reluctant to put their hand up.
  • There was a perceived lack of credibility towards women in coaching positions, in particular, women coaching men’s or boy’s teams and in sports traditionally dominated by men and boys.
  • To support women and girls community sports clubs should consider actions such as: Addressing inequalities in team resourcing, developing specific strategies to increase women in volunteer roles, have policies supporting women in leadership roles in the club, support younger women to build confidence and capability, create a welcoming and inclusive club culture.
• Pathway to Gender Equality in Sport 2021–2022 Progress Report, Champions of Change - Sport, (June 2023). Despite consistent effort across the industry over several years, and an increase in the overall number of women working in the industry, we continue to see gender segregation in the areas of administrative leadership and high-performance leadership. Our key areas of focus moving forward will be addressing the disparity in the number of women in leadership (namely executive, CEO, Board and coaching roles). We continue to invest in leadership training and development opportunities for women through various programs. However, there is a need to investigate and address the systemic barriers that continue to facilitate gender segregation in sporting workplaces. Some key highlights and future priorities from 2022 for organisations in the Champions of Change Sport Group include:
  • No organisations have achieved gender balance among coaching staff at the elite level in 2022 (down from 31.3% in 2021).
  • 18.8% achieved gender balance among officials at the elite level (up from 12.5% in 2021).
• State of Play Survey 2022-23, Change our Game, Victorian Government, (June 2023). Between October and November 2022, more than 670 Victorians answered questions on a range of topics relating to gender equality in sport, including values and behaviour in community sport, elite sport, sports media and coverage, leadership opportunities and perceptions, and experiences working and volunteering in sport. The State of Play Survey revealed that overall, while there are some positive attitudes towards women and girls in sport and their right to equal opportunities and access, change is still required in terms of underlying attitudes and behaviours. Consistently throughout the survey, men were less likely than women to perceive gender inequality in various aspects of sport. In relation to coaching and leadership some of the key insights were:
  • Women working or volunteering in sport were 13% less likely than men to feel comfortable voicing their opinion, and 8% less likely to feel that their opinions were valued.
  • 2 in 3 people reported that men have more opportunities to be in senior leadership positions.
  • 4 in 5 people working in sport felt men and women are given recognition for their work equally within their organisation but 1 in 4 still felt men were more qualified to make decisions.
  • 28% of women have considered leaving their club due to inequitable treatment.
  • Women were more likely to indicate that men had more opportunities in sport than women, except for community sport coaching, where they felt men and women had similar opportunity. Men were more likely to think that there were equal opportunities for both men and women in all aspects except community coaching.
  • People were more than 16x more likely to believe men have more opportunities to coach elite teams than women. In community sport, people were 4x more likely to believe men have more opportunities to coach junior or community clubs than women.
• Holding up a mirror to cricket The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), (June 2023). In November 2020, the ECB announced its intention to establish a Commission “to assist the ECB Board in assessing the evidence of inequalities and discrimination of all forms within cricket, and the actions needed to tackle these issues.” The ICEC was then established in March 2021. The problems we identify are not, sadly, unique to cricket. In many instances they are indicative of equally deeply rooted societal problems and so whilst our headline finding is necessarily blunt, we consider the fact that the ECB proactively initiated this process and opened itself up to independent scrutiny is both positive and brave. Women are not even nearly on an equal footing with men within the sport today. Our evidence shows that women continue to be treated as subordinate to men within, and at all levels of, cricket. This is evident both from the lived experience of professional and recreational women cricketers and from the structural barriers that women continue to face.
  • Across the County cricket workforce, women are underrepresented especially at senior levels.
  • Adult participation is dominated by men who make up an estimated 81% of the recreational game, with women at approximately 19%. The gap is narrower for children playing cricket, 33.4% of whom are girls.
  • The number of women participating in coaching courses at the Entry level has increased from 9% in 2013 to 30% in 2022. Level 1 is a new course and the proportion of women participating was around 20-25% from 2018- 2022. At levels 3-4 (now known as Advanced or Specialist), the proportion of women has remained around 10% for most of the last 10 years. The ECB’s target for female participation in the Advanced and Specialist courses is 20%, and the ECB requests that the Counties apply the same target for the Entry level and Level 1 and 2 courses.
  • As at August 2022, there were no female head coaches at FCCs; there were 3/16 (19%) female head coaches with The Hundred teams and 2/8 (25%) female head coaches at WRTs. The ECB appointed its first female head coach in January 2022, who left her role at the end of the 2022 season and was replaced by a man.
• NCAA Demographics Database [data visualisation dashboard], National Collegiate Athletic Association, (accessed 22 January 2021). Provides access and visualisation of self-reported data sourced from active NCAA member schools on the gender, race and ethnicity for all coaching and administrative positions within each school from 2008-2019.
• Women Coaches Research Series and Report Card, Tucker Centre for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, (accessed 13 April 2023). In the 40+ years after the passage of Title IX in the United States, female sport participation is at an all-time high but the percentage of women coaching women at the collegiate level has declined from 90+% in 1974 to near an all-time low today of 40%. To help stop this decline, increase the percentage of women in the coaching profession, provide an institutional accountability mechanism, create awareness, and foster a national dialogue on this issue, the Tucker Center, in collaboration with the Alliance of Women Coaches, continues its research series and annual report card.
• Women in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation, Leadership, and Media Coverage, Women's Sport Foundation, (April 2022). This study is the seventh report in the series that follows the progress of women in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. The report highlights that of the 71 listed U.S. Olympic and Paralympic head coaches at the 2020 Olympic Games, only 15 (21.1%) were women, of the 62 listed assistant coaches, only 19 (30.6%) were women, and of the five Paralympic team sports in which the United States competed, all five had male coaches. Some recommendations relating to coaching included:
  • Establish recommendations for processes and procedures for hiring that mimics the “Rooney Rule” (the NFL stipulation that each team must interview at least two female and/ or BIPOC candidates when seeking to fill positions such as general manager, head coach, and other executive titles).
  • Increase the number of women in administrative and coaching positions at each National Olympic Committee by making accreditation regulations actively mandate gender equality.
  • Use the Women Coach Internship Programme CGF Tool Kit for International Federations (see Appendix C on page 79) as a model for increasing the number of women who are coaching at elite international levels, with a goal of balanced gender representation for coaches chosen to participate at the Games.
  • Create women’s committees at the national level with built in leadership training and mentor and internship programs.
  • National Olympic Committees should mandate goal percentages for coaches within each sport that model the thresholds created for governance and participation, particularly as even a body like the USOPC, which has made significant strides in terms of gender equity within its leadership ranks, has dismal numbers for coaching.
• Good Organisational Practices: To encourage women as high-performance coaches, Victoria University, (2022). The following brief is part of a larger project and presents perspectives from women as high-performance coaches and senior managers across five national sport organisations (NSOs) in Australia on what are good organisational practices. Clear high-performance pathways and recognition of family needs and talent identification were common good practices recognised by both groups. Women as high-performance coaches provided a greater range of good organisational practices related to attraction than senior managers. The provision of opportunities to attend training camps and to coach male and junior high-performance athletes were noted by these women however were not recognised by senior managers.
• Gender equality and inclusion report 2021, International Olympic Committee, (2021). This report describes the progress we have made in advancing gender equality and inclusion since the release of Olympic Agenda 2020 and particularly in the last Olympiad. It reviews the implementation of the IOC Gender Equality Review Project, issued in March 2018, and presents the new IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion objectives for 2021-2024 across the three spheres of responsibility of the IOC and five focus areas.
  • 48% of athletes were women at Tokyo 2020, compared with 45% at Rio 2016.
  • 28 out of 33 sports had an equal number of medal events for women and men.
  • 32% of international technical officials were women, compared to 29% at Rio 2016.
  • 13% of coaches were women, compared to 11% at Rio 2016.
• Women in Sport Coaching Research: Where do things stand in Ireland? Sport Ireland Coaching, (December 2020). Sport Ireland undertook its first ever study exclusively targeting active and inactive female coaches across all sports on the island of Ireland. Following a thematic analysis of both survey responses and focus group data, nine themes emerged:
  • Coaching Network. Female coaches emphasised the benefits of accessing a coaching network to offer support to coaches and enable shared learning.
  • Barriers to progression. Job role requirements, financial impact, NGB/Club support, Gender related issues, Advancement challenges, Personal factors.
  • Role models/mentoring. Most found value from having a mentor who was either male or female, but emphasis was placed on the particular benefits of having a female mentor within a sporting context.
  • NGB/Club Support. A lack of NGB and Club support was a prominent challenge faced by female coaches.
  • Personal Commitment. 69% of elite female coaches spend over 9 hours a week on coaching related activities whilst non-elite active female coaches spend on average 8.4 hours a week on coaching and related roles.
  • Coaching Culture. Despite several female coaches noting that they received respect from male athletes, many female coaches faced challenges and had more negative experiences because of their gender or age in other coaching related roles, particularly when dealing with male parents, male coaching colleagues, and males in positions of management or administration.
  • Confidence. Whilst overall, coaches noted they were confident in their coaching practice, confidence levels fluxed in other situations. Low levels of confidence were noted in the following scenarios: Dealing with male coaches; Interacting with executives; Pursuing higher level roles; Standing up to parents; Addressing male management/admin.
  • Re-engaging inactive coaches. Of female coaches who had stopped coaching: 60% stopped for time related reasons of trying to balance work, family and coaching; 43% stopped for personal reasons such as moving house or pregnancy; 30% stopped for club related reasons such as management issue. Many coaches would return if a NGB or club were to reach out and personally invite them.
  • Learning structures. Learning structures were identified as a key barrier to progression for coaches with respondents highlighting the need for improved course flexibility and improved availability and accessibility of courses. Active female coaches were also asked what they would like to be supported with. They identified the following: Opportunity to observe other coaches in their sport; Funding to attend courses; Peer learning (networks, communities of practice); Mentoring; Being able to watch workshops in your own time.
• The Rally report: Encouraging action to improve sport for Women and Girls, Canadian Women & Sport, (June 2020). The under-representation of women in coaching is echoed at many levels of sport. A progression of numbers shows women are under-represented as club, provincial, or national level sports coaches (based on training certification) at 34%, narrowing to 25% of post-secondary coaches, and further narrowing to less than 20% at the Olympic level. This means that even if girls stay in sport, the likelihood that they train with women coaches decreases as they move up in level of competition. Women coaches are also impacted personally and professionally by stereotypes, discrimination and gendered organizational cultures that favour advancement opportunities for their men counterparts. In addition, the sport system suffers because it misses out on the benefits of diversity in perspective, lived experience and approaches that girls and women bring to sport.
• Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women, Women's Sports Foundation, (January 2020). In this report, we examine the state of girls’ and women’s sport in the United States through a broad lens, looking at the triumphs, the challenges and the tremendous opportunities that are yet to be realised. One area of focus is workplace bias and wage gaps in sport. The report highlights that despite the assumption that increased female participation in sport would lead to more women working in, and leading, sports organisations this has not occurred. Women are impacted at various levels of their career, often leading them to select a different career path or field altogether, rather than persist within sport. Much work remains before fair access at all levels of sport is achieved. Key statistics in the report follow:
  • Women held, on average, less than a quarter of head coach or athletic director positions in all levels of the NCAA.
  • Of the 66 main coaches for the US Olympic team at the 2018 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, 8 (12.1%) were female. Seven of the eight coached figure skating or ice dancing (i.e. more traditional feminine roles).
• Facts and figures on gender (in)equalities and differences, Fact Sheet #1 of the Toolkit: How to make an impact on gender equality in sport All you need to know, European Union and the Council of Europe, (September 2019). This factsheet is composed of five sections presenting facts and figures relating to gender inequalities and differences in participation (from grass-roots to elite sport), coaching, leadership and the media and to the prevalence of gender-based violence in sports.
• Gender equality in sport: Getting closer every day, Ivana Katsarova; graphics: Samy Chahr, European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing, (March 2019). Briefing paper covers background and research relating to gender equality and sport. Specific focus areas include: women's (long) road to the Olympics; women in sports-related decision-making; women as coaches; gender pay inequalities; gender-related stereotypes in media representation; popularity and coverage of women's sports events in the EU; and European parliament views on gender equality in sport.
• A snapshot of coaches in women's sports in 2018/19, Level One, (2019). For their inaugural snapshot Level One collected data for 2018 - 2019 from various women’s professional, semiprofessional and amateur leagues, as well as global women’s national team competitions, which had publicly available information regarding the gender of the participating head coaches. They focused on the team sports of soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball and softball. Five global national team competitions and 24 domestic leagues were analysed. Overall, in these leagues and competitions: 40% of head coaches were women. One national team competition (netball) featured a female head coach for the majority of participating teams. Seven leagues featured a female head coach for the majority of participating teams, including: basketball, NCAA Championship (USA); softball, NCAA Championship (USA); netball: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK.
• IOC Gender Equality Review Project, International Olympic Committee, (2018). The project findings emphasise that if gender equality initiatives are to be successfully implemented and sustained, all recommendations should be fulfilled. Achieving across-the-board gender equality in sport also requires clear timelines for action, with identified responsibilities, and follow-up monitoring and evaluation. Five themes are identified in the report including sport (participation, rules, competition formats, venues, safeguarding, career transitions, coaches, officials, etc.); portrayal (balanced media portrayals and communication partnerships); funding; governance (leadership development, electoral processes, roles and responsibilities); and HR monitoring and communications (inclusive leadership, monitoring progress and communications plan).
• Mapping and analysis of education schemes for coaches from a gender perspective, A report to the European Commission, (July 2017). There is a wide acceptance of the notion that an increase in women coaches (as visible role models) can provide inspiration and encouragement to girls and women to take part in sport and sustain their participation. It is estimated that between 20%-30% of all coaches in Europe are women; however, in most sports the underrepresentation of women becomes more pronounced at the highest levels of coaching.
  • The mapping review indicates that the most common type of approach aimed at promoting equality in coach education is women-only courses. This approach appears to work well in increasing levels of attendance amongst women and allowing women to overcome initial self-confidence issues. The case studies suggest that women-only courses have worked well where the numbers of women coaches are starting from a low base and where there is a particular perception that coaching is a male–dominated profession.
  • The mapping review has revealed very few examples of programmes which explicitly seek to provide more accessible education activities for women through more flexible timetabling or childcare facilities. A more common approach in improving accessibility is through the involvement of women tutors and coach developers.

• Mother-Coaches’ Experiences of Policy and Programs: “Whoever Wrote This Policy Doesn’t Understand What It Means to Be a Mom”, Jesse Porter, Dawn E. Trussell, Ryan Clutterbuck, et al., Journal of Sport Management, Volume 38(6), pp.426-437, (2024). In this paper, we explore the lived experiences of mother-coaches who, while coaching, navigate policy and programs aimed at promoting gender equity. Specifically, this study took place within the context of an amateur national, 10-day multisport games event in Canada. Using critical feminist narrative inquiry, 14 mother-coaches (apprentice, assistant, or head coach), representing eight different provinces, and 10 different sports, participated in this study. Three themes were constructed that call attention to the Canadian sport system broadly, as well as the 10-day multisport games event specifically: (a) performative policies and gendered assumptions, (b) programs that are band-aids for a “shitty culture,” and (c) a pathway to nowhere for mother-coaches. The findings complicate the hegemonic work–family conflict narrative, suggesting that mother-coaches’ advancement, opportunities, and quality experiences are impacted by the current heteropatriarchal culture and structure of sport that these programs and policy are rooted in.
• ‘I didn’t know girls could coach football that well’: the experiences of female football coaches in the South East of England, Maria Mira Martinez, Rory Magrath, Rachael Bullingham, Sport in Society, (30 June 2023). Although women’s football has seen a significant growth of participation in recent years, this has not reflected in the number of female coaches. In this semi-structured interview research, we examine 10 female football coaches’ experiences in the South East of England. Our findings document three central findings: (1) participants were motivated to pursue a coaching career either due to a love of football, an alternative to a playing career, or were inspired by a recent increase of female role models in the game; (2) the institutional support networks (i.e. those established by the game’s governing body, the Football Association) were inadequate, forcing them to seek support from elsewhere, such as their family; and (3) consistent with previous research, all participants in this research had encountered some form of sexism in their coaching careers. Accordingly, this article contributes to a growing body of research centered on female coaches’ experiences of football.
• Girls and women in umpiring: retention and participation limited by hostile cultural contexts, Victoria Rawlings, Damian Anderson, Sport, Education and Society, (13 June 2023). In recent years there has been substantial growth of women playing in and competing at the top levels of traditionally male-dominated sports, including Australian Football. By comparison, the number of women officials have not increased at the same rate, raising multiple questions about retention, participation and sustainability. This paper reports the experiences of girls and women Australian Football officials. 27 umpires who identified as girls, women or as non-binary participated in interviews or focus groups which were then analysed thematically. Findings indicate that regardless of their location, level of experience, or seniority, girls and women faced overt and covert exclusion and discrimination in umpiring due to their gender. These included microaggressions delivered through the framing of their appointments to games, change room practices and gendered and sexual harassment. Discursive constructions often positioned the participants as ‘different’ and ‘lesser’ in their abilities and belonging, impacting their desire to continue umpiring. We argue that the current cultural context of umpiring is at best marginalising to girls and women, and at worst hostile and dangerous. To improve these environments, commitment to and strategy for reform is needed at a broad, institutional level, and at a local, interactional level, including specific education and inclusion initiatives, targeted development pathways, investment in infrastructure and policy, and ongoing analysis of change.
• Why are there no female coaches in elite women’s soccer? A qualitative study of Spanish female coaches, Alicia Burillo, Jairo León-Quismondo, Álvaro Fernández-Luna, et al., Sport in Society, (18 April 2023). The objective of this research was to examine the opinions of women coaches who have reached an elite level to understand the shortage of female coaches in Spanish women’s soccer. Fifteen female coaches with a mean coaching experience of 14 years underwent semi-structured interviews. The main factors identified as barriers were work conditions, low pay, gender stereotypes, lack of female role models, and a lack of effective hiring strategies. Despite this, it seems that, besides external discrimination, decisions made by women themselves have contributed to the lack of female coaches in Spanish elite women’s soccer.
• The Goldilocks Dilemma in Coaching: Women Coaches’ Experiences of Stereotypical Biases and a Two-Dimensional Approach to Combat Them, Jyoti Gosai, Sophia Jowett, Daniel Rhind, International Sport Coaching Journal, (27 March 2023). The purpose of this study was to explore through semistructured interviews (a) the experiences of women coaches in relation to the stereotypical biases they may encounter in their workplace and (b) the strategies women coaches and sport organizations have, or can potentially put in place, to raise awareness and address these stereotypical biases. Content analysis of the obtained qualitative data using a rudimentary framework based upon the two sections of the interview schedule (i.e., dilemmas and strategies) guided categorization of the data. Findings indicated that women coaches experienced three broad types of stereotypical dilemmas: (a) extreme perceptions (e.g., too soft or too tough); (b) the high competence threshold (e.g., higher standards with lower rewards); and (c) competent but disliked (e.g., competent or likeable but rarely both). In addition, the findings indicated that tackling these stereotypical dilemmas effectively required a two-dimensional approach: individual and organizational. Within this paper, the authors discuss the ways women coaches both experience and confront a range of stereotypical dilemmas while moving into and through the coaching system. Such dilemmas inevitably disadvantaged women coaches by either slowing down or holding back their progress compared with their men coach counterparts. Practical solutions are also discussed.
• Sociological Tools for Improving Women's Representation and Experiences in Strength and Conditioning Coaching, Lord, Rhiannon, Kavaliauskas, Mykolas, Strength and Conditioning Journal, Volume 45(1), pp.40-48, (February 2023). Women are underrepresented in strength and conditioning (S&C) coaching, arguably more so than women in sport coaching. They account for approximately 6–16% of strength and conditioning coaches at all levels, thus negatively affecting the gendered experiences of women working in S&C. Based on evidence from coaching research, this is likely because of longstanding patterns of structural bias and discrimination, which is inherent in sport, but it is important for future strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs), both men and women, that more equitable practices and opportunities are implemented. In this article, we present 3 sociological perspectives as tools for those working in S&C, including individual coaches, educators, governing bodies, and organizations, to critically examine their gendered practices and environments. We hope that by doing sociology within their day-to-day practice, those working in S&C can develop a better awareness of structural bias and forms of discrimination that affect women SCCs' experiences and then, where possible, make positive changes for women working in the field.
• Female volunteer community sport officials: a scoping review and research agenda, Haley Baxter, Pam Kappelides, Russell Hoye, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 23(2), pp.429-446, (2023). This paper uses a scoping review methodology to synthesize and analyse the extant research published on female community sport officials, to identify gaps in the existing literature, and to provide directions for future research. It identifies a general lack of reported research on female officials within community levels of sport and that the existing research that has been published to date has focused on four themes: motives, barriers, supports and retention. The paper proposes a research agenda focused on seven key themes: policy and governance, officiating pathways, recruitment, support, retention, performance, stress and well-being, as well as suggestions for research methods to explore these themes.
• Gender order through social censure: an examination of social exclusion in sport coaching, Chris Zehntner, Jenny McMahon, Kerry McGannon, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 28(1), pp.105-116, (2023). In this paper, findings from an investigation into the gender imbalance in swim coaching in Australia, particularly at the higher levels of accreditation, are reported. Stories of the experience of two elite female swim coaches were analysed with reference to the concept of hegemonic masculinity. Analysis found that some male coaches and attendants to the swimming culture use literal and ideological force, including differentiation, direct control, and trivialisation to enact hegemony and to (re)create a gendered order. The findings suggest that without intervention and (re)education, this ideology will remain uncontested, will continue to inform the practice of coaches in the field, and will remain deeply entrenched in the system of values of the sport’s organising body and the federal funding organisation for sports in Australia.
• She'll Be ‘Right… but Are They? An Australian Perspective on Women in High Performance Sport Coaching, Alexandra Roberts, Anthea Clarke, Caitlin Fox-Harding, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Volume 4, (June 2022). Participation and media coverage of women in high-performance sport has been steadily increasing in recent years throughout the world. While this increase in interest has led to many young women and girls becoming involved in grassroots sport, there has yet to be a significant change in the number of women in coaching roles, particularly at the high-performance level. This paper synthesizes and summarizes the current challenges facing women sport coaches in Australia, drawing from existing research, media and government reports to understand the barriers for women entering and progressing in these roles. We also present some of the more recent initiatives to increase opportunities for women in high performance coaching. Within Australia, there is a need to (1) understand the pipeline for women coaches, (2) examine the interacting contexts and constraints that women are subject to within sporting organizations, and (3) create a preliminary framework for future research, outreach, and education to address gender inequity within Australian sport coaching.
• Elite women coaches negotiating and resisting power in football, Annelies Knoppers, Donna de Haan, Leanne Norman, et al., Gender, Work & Organization, Volume 29(3), pp.880-896, (May 2022). While football remains mostly a sport associated with men and national identity, it has also become a popular sport for women and girls in Western countries. Despite this success, however, the coaching of football remains a strongly male dominated occupation. In this paper, we explored how 10 elite women coaches of national football teams negotiated and resisted the entanglement of techniques of biopower, sovereign and disciplinary power within the sport. The results revealed that sovereign power as exercised by Football Associations was intertwined with forms of discursive and biopower. This power constructed men as more knowledgeable about women's football than women who have years of playing and coaching experience at the elite level in the sport. Consequently, men are more often hired to coach women. In response, elite women coaches negotiated and resisted these forms of power by engaging in problematization, public truth telling/parrhesia, self-transformation, and by creating alternative discourses about gender and football. They constructed their fellow women coaches as being more knowledgeable and more experienced than men coaches in women's football.
• Exploring the Influence of the Community-Based Sports Club Environment on the Support and Development of Volunteer Women Coaches in Ireland, Irene Hogan, Richard Bowles, Niamh Kitching, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Volume 4, (March 2022). In Ireland, the majority of coaches at non-elite level are volunteers and within the female-only team sport of women's Gaelic football, most qualified coaches are women. Yet, little is known on the club specific experiences of volunteer women coaches in non-elite sport. To address this gap, 11 women coaches, from three Gaelic Football clubs, were interviewed to explore the influence of the community-based club environment on their support and development in the role. The participants were actively coaching and part of a Community of Practice (CoP) focusing on developing their club's coaching structures. A creative non-fiction approach combined the key themes from the 11 interviews into three coach profiles of a novice coach, experienced coach, and a player-coach. Retention and recruitment, support structures within the club, and club culture and norms were the key themes identified. This study recommends that clubs employ support structures that support and develop volunteer women coaches and address any behavior in the club that negatively impacts on their role.
• “I'm a Referee, Not a Female Referee”: The Experiences of Women Involved in Football as Coaches and Referees, Scarlett Drury, Annette Stride, Hayley Fitzgerald, et al., Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Volume 3, (January 2022). This paper departs from a concern with playing the game and responds to calls for more research to explore the experiences of women involved in football in non-playing roles. More specifically, it focuses on women coaches and referees, and addresses the following question: how do women in positions of power in football negotiate their place in what remains a distinctly male-dominated profession? In addressing this question, we take a theoretical position located at the nexus between radical and post-structural feminism, acknowledging the significance of structural power relations and individual agency in shaping daily lived social realities. Data were generated from interviews with 14 women coaches and 10 women referees. These interviews explored the structure and culture of the game and its impact on women's experiences of men's and women's competitive and grassroots football. Through a rigorous process of thematic analysis, three themes were identified: gendered entry into football careers; reinforcement of women's difference on the football field; and coping strategies for remaining in the game. Centralising the women's voices in this research highlights the insidious and persistent nature of gendered microaggressions, the sexism of football culture, and the ways in which these women negotiate this masculine terrain in their pursuit of being coaches and referees.
• Female Sports Officials and Mental Health: The Overlooked Problem, Jacob Tingle, Brittany Jacobs, Lynn Ridinger, et al., Journal of Sport Management, Volume 36(4), pp.383–393, (2022). Referees work in high-pressure environments; thus, the need to understand, destigmatize, and normalize the conversation around mental health within the referee community and the larger sporting system is important. Because the prevalence of stress-related issues is greater for women, this study focused on female referees’ well-being, interviewing 20 female U.S. basketball referees via a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Participants represented various geographical regions in the United States and officiated at levels ranging from high school to professional. Findings revealed Gendered Aggressions negatively impacted the referees, mental health issues are Stigmatized, and more Resources and Support are needed. Results also indicated that officiating can be Cathartic. Suggestions for addressing the referee shortage and improving the officiating experience are included.
• “No Tits in the Pits!”: An Exploratory Analysis of the Experiences of Female Decision Makers in Motorsports in the United States [thesis], Alexia Pedo Lopes, Univesity of South Carolina, (2022). This study explored the lived experiences of sixteen women who have decision-making roles in motorsports in the United States. Findings illuminated that challenges at the societal and individual levels were the most prominent in participants’ careers. Societal level factors (e.g., gender stereotypes and lack-of-fit between women and motorsports) emerged as the strongest challenges in the beginning of participants’ careers; whereas individual level factors (e.g., work-life balance and impostor phenomenon) characterize difficulties they still navigate today. Participants’ coping mechanisms to navigate and overcome challenges were described as informal, which are mainly concentrated at the interpersonal and individual levels, and are particular to motorsports (e.g., close-knit community in racing and the overachiever personality of those working in motorsports).
• Using the ecological-intersectional model to explore the experiences and perceptions of volunteer women ladies Gaelic football coaches in Ireland, Irene Hogan, Richard Bowles, Niamh Kitching, Sports Coaching Review, Volume 11(3), pp.253-275, (2022). Volunteer women coaches in non-elite sport are underrepresented in coaching literature. To address this gap, 14 women were interviewed to explore their lived experiences as volunteer coaches within a female-only team sport of ladies Gaelic football at non-elite level in Ireland. The participants met the following inclusion criteria (i) over eighteen, (ii) with at least five-years coaching experience and (iii) a coach education qualification. The Ecological-Intersectional Model informed the design and analysis phases. The findings show how support within the home is essential for their coaching involvement. The relationships with fellow coaches and athletes are integral to a positive experience and all coaches indicated a player-centred coaching philosophy. However, there are still some negative perceptions of women in coaching at societal level such as conscious and unconscious gender bias. The findings highlight the need for club-based support structures to attract, support, develop and retain volunteer women coaches at non-elite level.
• Gender inclusive sporting environments: the proportion of women in non-player roles over recent years, R Eime, M Charity, B. C Foley, et al., BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 13, (May 2021). This study involved secondary analysis of the AusPlay survey, a national population survey, funded by Sport Australia. This study utilised data from people aged 15-years or older about their involvement in non-playing roles in sport, and their demographic data. In this study of 61,578 Australians there was a higher proportion of men in non-player roles in sport compared to women, across each of the three years (2018: men 55 %, women 46 %). Involvement of women in coaching increased significantly from 38 % to 2016 to 44 % in 2018 (p < 0.001). The proportion of women involved in administration roles significantly decreased from a peak of 51 % in 2017 to 46 % in 2018. Aligned with strategic policy and investment strategies, there are gradual increased representation of women in non-playing sport, coaching roles. Women are still underrepresented in terms of coaches, officials and administrators, but are more likely to be managers. It is recommended that there is continued mentoring, identification and emphasising of female role models, and further strategies to increase female presence in non-playing roles.
• Gendered pathways to elite coaching reflecting the accumulation of capitals, Mari Kristin Sisjord, Kari Fasting, Trond Svela Sand. Sport, Education and Society, Volume 26(5), pp.554-566, (2021). The study explores Norwegian female and male elite-coaches’ pathways to coaching positions with respect to qualifications and recruitment procedures. Qualifications are understood as being both individual athletic performance level (physical and symbolic capital) and coaching education (cultural capital). Qualitative interviews were completed with 24 female and 12 male elite-level coaches. The findings revealed that relatively more women than men had previously been elite-level athletes. The majority of the participants had coaching education from the sports organisations, while a few had coaching education from their university studies. Relative to gender, two men had no coaching education and several women had completed a programme developed by the sport organisations – with the aim of increasing women's participation in elite-level coaching. Recruitment of coaches seemed to happen through informal channels, which indicates the benefits of social capital acquired through acquaintances and social networks. This indicates symbolic capital in terms of individual athletic achievement. The use of Bourdieu’s analytic concept of capital and the ‘labyrinth’ metaphor facilitated identification and understanding of the longer pathways and challenges women must negotiate on their way to elite-level coaching positions when compared to men. The article closes with the implications of the findings, with particular attention to coaching education and the recruitment/employment procedures of coaches.
• Gender Relations, Gender Equity, and Community Sports Spaces, Ruth Jeanes, Ramòn Spaaij, Karen Farquharson, et al., Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Volume 45(6), (October 2020). This study employs a spatial analysis to critically examine gender relations within an Australian football and netball community sports club that has sought to address gender inequity and promote the participation of women across the club. Notable changes included increased female representation in the club’s decision-making structures, growing numbers of female members, and the establishment of a women’s and girls’ football section. Using an in-depth case study that combined interviews and observations over a 6-month period, we investigated the impact these changes have had on transforming gender relations and in challenging perceptions of the club as a privileged space for its male members. The study utilized spatial and feminist theory to illustrate that, despite the club’s efforts to change gender relations, men who are able to embody dominant forms of masculinity (i.e., high ability and able-bodied) continue to be privileged within the club environment. The article highlights the importance of spatial analysis in illuminating the ways in which various micro-level practices preserve dominant gender relations within community sports. The findings reinforce that although a greater number of women and girls are participating in community sport, this alone is not significantly reshaping gender relations. Policies seeking to promote gender equity in sport need to enforce changes in club environments in addition to focusing on increasing women’s participation.
• Understanding underrepresentation of female high-performance coaches in Swedish Sport [thesis], Matthew McNutt, Malmo Universitet, (August 2020). Historically, women like other marginalized and discriminated groups, have been compared to the manly model of sport as ‘others’ and often it is their feminine characteristics that are focused upon. In the coaching profession, women have yet to break through and be seen as equals to their male counterparts. Even as the number of women taking part in sports is increasing and equity between men’s and women’s sports is growing, there still remains areas within sport where women continue to struggle to gain more influence and power. High-performance coaching is an area where growth has been slow for women to gain a more equitable foothold. Men continue to dominate the role as the coach and continue to dominate even more so at the highperformance level of coaching. The aim of this qualitative study is to examine and explore the experiences of high-performance coaches in three Swedish sporting organizations and contribute to an understanding to what factors surround the underrepresentation of high-performance female coaches in sports organizations that are relatively gender equal in participants and leaders. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 5 individual high-performance coaches (3 female; 2 male) across swimming, skiing and triathlon. The results show a continuation of a flexible masculine hegemony in the role of a coach, but also changing attitudes and norms towards women as high-performance coaches. It also questions the organization and structure of the coaching role taking into consideration recommendations for changes in the work of a coach to make the profession more sustainable for both men and women.
• How the Perceived Effectiveness of a Female Coach is influenced by their Apparent Masculinity / Femininity, Paula Murray, Rhiannon Lord, Ross Lorimer, The Sport Journal, (April 2020). This study has implications for coaching practice and coach effectiveness, as the perceived masculinity/femininity of a coach has an effect on how their behaviors are perceived by others. In particular a more masculine female coach may be perceived as more competent than a more feminine coach. The results also demonstrate that coaches are perceived more favorably when their perceived masculinity/femininity is in contrast to the sex of their athletes. Coaches need to be aware of how their perceived masculinity/femininity may potentially affect athletes’ perceptions of them or how others view their effectiveness (e.g., parents). Additionally, those in official roles that involved interpreting the value of a coach’s behaviours, such as coach educators and managers, need to be aware of their potential biases in making judgements about the effectiveness of coaches.
• “She is the Best Female Coach”: Female Swimming Coaches’ Experiences of Sexism, Jessica L. Siegele, Robin Hardin, Elizabeth A. Taylor, et al., Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, Volume 13(1), pp.93-118, (2020). Numerous barriers have been identified through previous research on the factors that inhibit upward career mobility for female coaches. Semi-structured interviews were used to examine the career experiences of 21 current or former female swimming coaches at the NCAA Division I level. The theme of sexism in coaching was pervasive and identified in five different categories: (a) misidentification, (b) differential treatment, (c) isolation, (d) tokenism, and (e) motherhood. The sexism that female coaches experience hinders upward career mobility which can lead to career dissatisfaction and early exits from the field, contributing to the underrepresentation of women in the profession.
• Challenges experienced by women high performance coaches and it´s association with sustainability in the profession, Göran Kenttä, Marte Bentzen, Kristen Dieffenbach, et al., International Sport Coaching Journal, Volume 7(2), pp.200-208, (2020). The purpose of this study was to explore challenges experienced by women HP coaches and their perceived associations with sustainability and mental health. Thirty-seven female HP coaches participated by answering a semistructured, open-ended questionnaire. All responses were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, which resulted in two general dimensions: challenges of working as women HP coaches and sustainability and well-being as women HP coaches. Overall, results indicate that challenges reported might be common not only for all HP coaches, but also highlight gender-specific elements. Consequently, coach retention and sustainability would benefit from more attention on well-being and mental health among HP coaches.
• Does performance justify the under-representation of women coaches? Evidence from professional women’s soccer, Carlos Gomez-Gonzalez, Helmut Dietl, Cornel Nesseler, Sport Management Review , Volume 22(5), pp.640-651, (November 2019). In this paper, the authors empirically analyze the influence of the gender of the coach on team performance in women’s soccer leagues. Moreover, the authors examine the role of the initial experience of coaches (as professional players) as an attribute that converges with gender diversity and influences performance. The sample includes the top divisions in France, Germany and Norway from 2004 to 2017. The results from the regression model show that the gender of the coach is not a significant determinant of team performance (points per game). In addition, the initial experience of coaches does not alter the results. Therefore, managerial decisions of clubs with regard to the employment of coaches should not rely on gender.
• Are Women Coached by Women More Likely to Become Sport Coaches? Head Coach Gender and Female Collegiate Athletes’ Entry into the Coaching Profession, Matea Wasend, Nicole LaVoi, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, Volume 27(2), pp.85-93, (2019). Some research suggests that female athletes who are coached by women are more likely to become coaches. In the present study, existing research is extended by examining the relationship between collegiate female basketball players’ post-playing career behavior and the gender of their collegiate head coach. Two research questions are addressed: (1) Are female collegiate Division-I basketball players who are coached by female head coaches more likely to enter the coaching profession than athletes who are coached by men? And; (2) If female basketball players do enter coaching, are those who were coached by women more likely to persist in coaching? Collegiate head coach gender did not emerge as a significant predictor of athletes’ likelihood to enter coaching, but logistic regression indicated that athletes who did enter coaching were 4.1-times more likely to stay in coaching if they had a female head coach. This study extends the scarce and outdated body of research on the potential salience of same-sex coaching role models for female athletes and provides baseline data on collegiate athletes’ entry rate into coaching, lending support to advocacy aimed at reversing the current stagnation of women in the sport coaching profession.
• Elite Women Coaches in Global Football: Executive Summary, De Haan, D., Normal, L., Knoppers, A. presented at the Equality Summit on 5 July in Lyon, an initiative of Equal Playing Field, Athletes for Hope and Football Women International, (2019). Women football coaches exist in a system where they lack power, often do not feel supported or valued, and leads them to experience many negative occupational, social and psychological outcomes. The women who have navigated this system to the highest level of coaching are resilient, highly competent exemplars from which much can be learned. This research summary reveals the experiences of female football coaches through interviews and provides recommendations to improve the structures and experiences for women coaches globally.
• Gendered Leadership Expectations in Sport: Constructing Differences in Coaches, Vicki D. Schull and Lisa A. Kihl, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, Volume 27(1), pp.1-11, (2019). The purpose of this study is to examine the gendered nature of sport leadership by analysing female college athletes’ perceptions of leadership associated with sport coaching. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 female college athletes participating in NCAA Division I team sports to understand their perceptions of leadership associated with coaching and to examine the gendered nature of their leadership constructions. Findings indicated two gendered leadership attributes were associated with coaching (i.e. human capital and empathy) in the context of women’s college sport. While both men and women were cited as ideal leaders based on their human capital and ability to express empathy, these leadership attributes were evaluated and applied differently to male and female coaches. The gendered nature of human capital and empathy contributed to the further privileging of men and certain forms of dominant masculinities over women and forms of femininities within notions of sport leadership and coaching. This study contributes to the gender and sport literature and offers practical implications focused on individual and interpersonal strategies.
• Towards a process for advancing women in coaching through mentorship, Jenessa Banwell, Ashley Stirling, Gretchen Kerr, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume 14(6), pp.703-713, (2019). This study used a multi-methods methodology to explore female coaches’ experiences in, and outcomes of, a female coach mentorship program. Survey data and individual in-depth semi-structured interviews with participating mentor (n = 7) and mentee coaches (n = 8) from the program were conducted. Survey data were analyzed descriptively and the interview data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Findings revealed two primary forms of mentoring support provided through the mentorship program that facilitated personal and professional outcomes for participating mentor and mentee coaches, as well as various quality attributes of the mentorship process. Based upon these findings, a mentorship model for advancing women in coaching is proposed.
• The influence of gender on perceptions of coaches’ relationships with their athletes: A novel video-based methodology, Paula Murray, Rhiannon Lord, Ross Lorimer, The Sport Journal, (August 2018). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of coach and athlete gender on perceptions of a coach through the use of a novel video-based method. Forty-one participants (16 males, 25 females, Mage=32.76 SD= ± 11.57) watched four videos depicting a coach and an athlete having a conversation about the athlete’s de-selection from a squad. Each video featuring different gender combinations of the coach and athlete. Participants rated the coach on perceived relationship quality and perceived empathy. Analysis showed a main effect for coach gender with female coaches being rated higher than male coaches for relationship quality and empathy, and a main effect for athlete gender with all coaches perceived as displaying a greater level of affective empathy when paired with a female athlete. Coaches need to be aware that their actions may be interpreted differently based on their gender and that of the athletes they are working with. This could potentially impact on coach effectiveness and the outcomes of their behaviours.
• Are Men Better Leaders? An Investigation of Head Coaches’ Gender and Individual Players’ Performance in Amateur and Professional Women’s Basketball, Lindsey Darvin, Ann Pegoraro, David Berri, Sex Roles, Volume 78, pp.455-466, (2018). Male-dominated industries such as sport contain stereotypical and subjective notions of leadership ability. These gender stereotypes often manifest themselves within varying levels of leadership, but specific to the sport industry, they are the most visible within the head coach role. Men hold the majority of head coach positions within the professional and amateur levels of sport, and these hiring practices can be based on gender-role stereotypes. In an attempt to challenge stereotypical gender-based leadership preferences, leadership ability and performance should be objectively examined. Therefore, in the present investigation we aimed to examine the presence of gender stereotypes in the sport industry by determining whether the gender of a head coach for two women’s basketball leagues, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), impacted individual player performance. Data were collected for 1522 players for 19 WNBA seasons (1997–2015) and 4000 players for three seasons of NCAA Women’s Basketball (2013–2016). Results indicated that head coach gender does not appear to impact individual player performance in the WNBA or in the NCAA thereby providing objective evidence to challenge the traditional gender stereotypes found within the sports industry.
• ‘Why am I putting myself through this?’ Women football coaches’ experiences of the Football Association's coach education process, Lewis C, Roberts S and Andrews H, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 23(1), pp.28-39, (2018). Despite an increase in the provision of coach education, most of the research has avoided female coach populations. In this study, ten women football (soccer) coaches were interviewed. Analysis of the interviews revealed high levels of gender discrimination and inappropriate cultural practice. The women's experiences are discussed relative to notions of social acceptance, symbolic language and power. The women coaches provided a number of recommendations for the provision of future coach education.
• Coaching and motherhood, Jennifer Burening, Marlene Dixon, Christianne Eason, Chapter 6 in Women in Sport Coaching, Nicole LaVoi (ed), Routledge, (2017). As emphasised throughout the chapter, we recommend a multi-level approach to understanding and researching the experiences of coaching mothers. In coaching, a premium is placed on performance and coaches work to attain performance measures, sometimes at the cost of their own health and well-being. Establishing a culture that utilises a broaden-and-build approach can increase the health and wellbeing of women coaches, which in turn leads to increased job satisfaction and lower intention to turnover. Women are leaving the coaching profession, or failing to advance their careers at the same level as men. Aspiring women coaches need to see that working as a coach can be a feasible and sustainable career pat at all life stages.
• Female assistant coaches: Planting seeds and growing roots, Janelle Wells, Chapter 9 in 'Women in Sports Coaching;, Nicole LaVoi (ed.), Routledge, (2016). This chapter discusses the interviews with the successful women coaches and focuses on why and how women choose a coaching career and the barriers and challenges they face within the profession. In the United Kingdom, Scotland's strong and effective female sport leadership is enacting several initiatives that may point the way forward. Japan's leadership is fighting an uphill battle again centuries of entrenched tradition, but remains positive and determined. In Germany, the position of sport as an integral feature of culture and society suggests, somewhat erroneously, that the country is a stronghold for women coaches. Kristiina Danskanen is the General Secretary of the Coaching Association of Finland. She develops coaching education and promotes coaching to the media and the public at large. Fiona Wernham is Sport Scotland's head of coaching and volunteering where she leads and influences staff, investment, UK relationships, and strategic direction in partnership with a range of national, regional, and local organizations.
• The Experience of Former Women Officials and the Impact on the Sporting Community, Jacob Tingle, Stacy Warner, Melanie Sartore-Baldwin, Sex Roles, Volume 71(1-2), pp.7-20, (2014). In an effort to explore the shortage of female sport officials, the authors examined the experience of eight former female basketball officials from five geographically diverse states in the US who voluntarily left the role. Specifically, the authors asked former female basketball officials to describe their workplace experiences. Utilising a phenomenological approach and workplace incivility framework, the results indicated that the felt social inequity for female officials detracted from the participants experiencing a sense of community in the workplace, which ultimately led to their discontinuation in the role. Results indicate four key factors that created this uncivil work environment. An examination of the data revealed four major themes. Specifically, the female basketball officials reported experiencing: lack of mutual respect from male counterparts; perceived inequity of policies; lack of role modeling and mentoring for, and from female officials; and experiencing more gendered abuse, than did their male counterparts. The combination of these four factors exacerbated the female officials’ inability to connect to the officiating community and led to their withdrawal from the role. The results further indicate that women officials likely threatened the hegemonic characteristics of a sport setting. Although females have made great strides in terms of sport participation, the practical implications of this research suggest that understanding females in workplace roles, such as officiating, is vital if social equity is to be achieved in the sporting community.

• 'Women Coach Internship Programme CGF Tool Kit for International Federations', Appendix C in Women in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation, Leadership, and Media Coverage, Women's Sport Foundation, pp.79-83, (April 2022). For the 2018 Gold Coast Games, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) created and delivered the first Women’s Coach Internship Programme (WCIP). Twenty intern coaches from 11 sports and 12 countries were fully integrated with their National Federation’s (NF) Commonwealth Games coaching staff. The intern coaches were selected by the CGF from nominations put forth by Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) and their National Federations (NFs). By all accounts, the WCIP was a great success. The women received hands-on international experience and, critically, were provided with an opportunity to display their talents in a Games environment in partnership with their team’s head coaches. Since the end of the 2018 Games, 95% of the intern coaches have received other national and international coaching opportunities (see Appendix). This Tool Kit is modelled on the WCIP at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The WCIP was managed by Ann-Louise Morgan, the CGF’s Director of Sport, with the support of Sheilagh Croxon as WCIP professional development co-ordinator and Sheila Robertson as the communications coordinator.
• Recruiting and retaining women coaches, coachAFL, (2022). The introduction of the AFL Women’s (AFLW) competition in 2017 lead to a boom in Women and Girls participating in football across the country. Women who umpire, coach and administer our sport are still under-represented at all levels of the game. This is particularly evident in our elite competitions. The AFL is committed to Gender Equality at all levels of the game. The purpose of this guide is to support clubs in; Promoting coaching opportunities to women and girls; Providing ongoing coaching development opportunities; Recruiting the right people to support their teams.
• Women Coaching Rugby Toolkit, World Rugby, (May 2020). The toolkit is made up of a number of sections covering the most crucial areas of coach education, development and deployment. Though aimed at increasing the number of women rugby coaches, a lot of the information and tactics outlined in the toolkit can equally be applied to generic coach and workforce development.
• Women's Football Development Guide: A guide for community football clubs to develop women’s football and increase the number of females participating in the game at all levels, Football Federation Australia , (2017). This resource will provide community football clubs with practical strategies and ‘how to guides’ on the recruitment and continued involvement of female players, coaches, administrators and referees. Information relating to Female Coaches is from pages 50-73; Female referees from pages 94-111.
• Female Coach Mentorship program, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity and the Coaching Association of Canada, (2017). The Female Coach Mentorship Model is the outcome of a two-year pilot project aimed at developing a sustainable model of mentorship for female coaches who are interested in enhancing their skill set and optimising their potential. The project resulted in the development of three guides: a mentee guide, a mentor guide and a sport administrator guide.

• 'You can't be what you can't see' - Work needed for visibility, intersectionality in football coaching, SBS Sport, (24 November 2021). An expert panel took on issues of visibility, intersectionality, and structural / unconscious bias in football coaching during today's Facebook live discussion as part of Indigenous Football Week - generating some fantastic insights into the lived experiences of women in football leadership roles.
• Lack of female WNBL coaches 'reinforcing notion that coaching is for men', says pioneer Mills, SBS Sport, (1 April 2021). Australian coach Liz Mills discussed the depletion of female coaches at the top levels of Australian basketball during the latest episode of SBS series – TAB Courtside 1v1. Sydney-born Mills, the only current female head coach of a men’s national basketball team, is concerned by the lack of female leaders in elite Australian backetball coaching, and points out that it hasn't always been this dire in the past.

• Women players benefit most in Cricket Australia’s new $634m pay deal, Guardian sport/Australian Associated Press, (3 April 2023). CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association on Monday revealed details of a new five-year memorandum of understanding that will see professional women players share $133m – an increase from $80m in the previous agreement – and benefit from a 66% increase in payments. Under the new deal, minimum and average CA women’s contracts will increase by 25%, while the number of contracts will increase from 15 to 18. Domestic players who do not play for Australia, who play both WNCL (50 over) and WBBL (T20) formats, can earn on average $151,019 annually, inclusive of match fees. This makes them on average the highest-paid female players of team sports in Australia, with its nearest competitor being Super Netball where the minimum salary is $43,000 with no additional match payments. The AFLW minimum wage sits at close to $40,000, while NRLW is $30,000 and A-League Women’s is $25,000.
• Prize money for 2023 Women's World Cup to be raised to $US150 million as part of FIFA's three-step gender equality plan, ABC News, (17 March 2023). FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the $US150 million prize in his closing remarks to the 73rd FIFA Congress on Thursday. The figure, however, was still considerably lower than the $US440 million ($663 million) total prize money awarded at the men's World Cup in Qatar last year. "Our mission will be able to have equality in payments for 2026 men's and 2027 women's World Cups," he said. Step one, he said, would be equal conditions and services, such as accommodation and flights, for all men and women playing at a World Cup. "This will be a reality already for the Cup in 2023, same conditions as for the World Cup '22 will be for the players and coaching staff in the Women's World Cup in '23," he said.
• Rugby Australia, Super Rugby Clubs and Players finalise new CBA, Rugby Australia, (16 March 2023). The sixth CBA for Australian Rugby includes important first steps in the professionalisation of the Women’s game. The new steps for the women’s game will see an additional two million dollars invested into Women’s XVs, with a new centralised contracting structure for Buildcorp Wallaroos Players and minimum payments for all Buildcorp Super W Players. For the Wallaroos, a list of up to 35 Players will be contracted across three tiers, with the potential to earn between $30,000 and $52,000 in RA payments for Wallaroos and Super W participation combined in 2023. A parenting and pregnancy guideline has been agreed in principle – contracted Wallaroos Players will receive their full contract amount for the year while on maternity leave. All Buildcorp Super W Players will receive an RA-funded minimum payment of $4,000 in addition to club payments for the five-rounds-plus-Finals Super W season. The additional funding from RA will also cover new investment into the High-Performance programs at Super W clubs to enhance the coaching, strength and conditioning, medical and performance environments.
• Insight Rich list: Australia’s best-paid female athletes revealed, Minjee Lee, Ash Barty top the list [paywall], News Corp/Herald Sun, (2 March 2023). Australia’s top female athletes are, finally, making some real money. Which cash brackets do our top stars fall into? See the numbers here.
• What women in sport really get paid, and which sports are leading the way [paywall], Emma Greenwood, Jamie Pandaram, Daily Telegraph, (1 March 2023). There continues to be a significant gap between men’s and women’s wages in sport, but change is coming with some sports leading the way. See where women can earn a living wage.
• Insight Sport equal pay edition: We need a fix not a bandaid [op-ed], Minister for Sport Anika Wells, news.com.au, (28 February 2023). New Zealand is way ahead of Australia when it comes to a good strategy around the sustainability of women’s sport. Why is there a reluctance to take it seriously?
• How much do Australian sportswomen get paid? Danielle Warby, (18 February 2023). It’s impossible to give exact amounts of salaries for female athletes, different sports have different pay arrangements. Some athletes may have personal sponsorships or endorsements on top of these figures. Women in sport tend to be paid more at the international level than the club level, which is different to how men in sport are paid. So, this means all wages are approximate. Earnings are in Australian dollars unless I’ve said otherwise.
• AFLW players get 94% pay rise in new CBA, Ed Dixon, Sports Promedia, (20 May 2022). AFLW aiming to be full-time professional league by 2026. The Australian Football League (AFL) and its players association (AFLPA) have struck a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the upcoming season, which will see average salaries for women’s players increase 94 per cent. The increased pay deal for the AFL Women’s (AFLW) competition means the average salary for all 540 players across 18 clubs will rise from AUS$23,904 (US$16,893) to AUS$46,280 (US$32,706).
• New equal-pay women's basketball league unveiled, hailed as 'game-changer', Marc Hinton, stuff.co.nz, (30 March 2022). Basketball New Zealand on Wednesday unveiled its new women’s league, which it has dubbed Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. Tauihi is the Te Reo Māori word for “to soar”, and organisers are highly optimistic it can live up to its moniker, with salaries governed by the league and established “on a par” with their men’s equivalent.
• The Fiona Worts feel-good Maccas story highlights the unseen barriers facing A-League Women players, Samantha Lewis, ABC News, (15 February 2022). On Sunday afternoon, Adelaide United striker Fiona Worts equalled the A-League Women's all-time record for most goals scored by a single player in a match, netting five in the Reds' 8-2 thumping of Brisbane Roar. But the English-born forward, who has been crucial in much of the club's success, wasn't able to celebrate any of it. Instead, a few hours after the full-time whistle, Worts was on a plane back to Adelaide from Brisbane, preparing for her morning shift at McDonald's the next day. This is not an uncommon story among A-League Women footballers and, indeed, most women athletes around Australia.
• Women in sport are winning the fight for equal pay – slowly, Beth Clarkson, Alex Culvin, Ali Bowes, The Conversation, (30 November 2021). The Welsh national football association has pledged to introduce equal pay for their men’s and women’s teams by 2026. The news comes following a documentary featuring the most capped Welsh player Jess Fishlock, who called the lack of pay parity “unacceptable”. These recent cases are indicative of real change in how some national governing bodies view women’s sport, long considered “less than” the men’s versions and chronically underfunded. And, as these bodies are social institutions – their decisions and financial support influence how society views sport – this is good news for women’s sport more broadly. However, for many players and athletes, progress is slow and challenges remain.
• Second NCAA gender equity report shows more money spent on male athletes than female ones on average, Associated Press/ESPN, (27 October 2021). The NCAA spends more on average on male athletes than female ones, particularly when it comes to the "mere handful of championships'' viewed as revenue sources, according to a new report. The law firm hired by the NCAA to investigate equity issues released its 153-page report Tuesday night, which includes a series of recommendations to improve the gap among all sports tournaments. It's the second report from the firm, following its Aug. 3 one that recommended how to equalize men's and women's basketball tournaments.
• Gender pay gap in sports, sportanddev.org, (17 September 2021). As we celebrate International Equal Pay Day on 18 September, we take a closer look at the factors responsible for the existence of gender pay gap in sports including questions about revenue generation, differential performance, representation issues, and who is leading the way.
• PFA and APL announce ground-breaking CBA to drive Professional Leagues, PFA, (9 September 2021). Under the five-year agreement struck between Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), genuine equity in high performance standards in the A-League and W-League have been enshrined to create a “world-class workplace” for all the nation’s players. 32% increase in the W-League Salary Cap Floor over the course of the agreement, with capacity to increase through annual reviews.
• Suncorp Super Netball lands landmark pay deal, Netball Australia, (4 September 2021). In a two-year deal that benefits the athletes, the average potential maximum salary of contracted players will increase from $75,167 to $91,500. The average minimum player salary of contracted players will also rise, by 15 per cent, from $64,167 to $74,000. From the 2022 season, the minimum salary of all athletes will grow by 17 per cent, up to $43,000 from $36,667. The deal also provides further funding for training partners, with their honorarium increasing from $3,500 to $5,000 per year.
• Long-awaited NCAA gender equity review recommends combined Final Four for men's, women's basketball at same site, Associated Press/ESPN, (4 August 2021). The NCAA has fallen short of upholding its commitment to gender equity by prioritizing its cash cow Division I men's basketball tournament "over everything else," according a scathing review released Tuesday assessing how the association conducts its championship events. A law firm hired by the NCAA to investigate equity issues released a 113-page report that includes a series of recommendations, including holding the men's and women's Final Fours at the same site and offering financial incentives to schools to improve their women's basketball programs. But it ripped the NCAA for falling into an entrenched approach to the women's game, preventing its growth and leading to an embarrassing lack of equality with the men.
• Prize money: Cricket makes progress towards gender parity, biggest gap in football, Katie Falkingham, Sonia Oxley, Anna Thompson, BBC Sport, (March 2021). Since the last edition of the BBC prize money in sport study in 2017, sports including hockey, cliff diving, surfing and wrestling have achieved parity at at least one major competition. Of the 48 sports surveyed, 37 offered prize money - of which only three did not offer parity at any of its major championships or events. The biggest gaps in prize money for male and female athletes are in football, golf and basketball.
• Female cyclists discouraged by lack of recognition as men in the same race awarded prize money, Chloe Hart, ABC News, (25 February 2021). Alana Leabeater identified several cycling events where women don't get podiums or prize money. She says it is discouraging and also creates an unwelcoming environment for women. Stef Hanson says there's a huge difference when it comes to equality for female triathletes compared to cyclists.
• Basketball Australia and WNBL players agree to first ever CBA, Basketball Australia, (17 November 2020). The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) has taken a major step towards professionalism after the players, clubs and Basketball Australia signed off on a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the first time in the league’s 41-year history. The agreement includes:
  • Standardised minimum wage rises for rostered and development players over the next three years [minimum wage will rise to $13,500 per contract period in the 2021-22 season, and $15,000 per contract period in 2022-23].
  • Improved health care standards, including private health insurance and physiotherapy services when travelling;
  • Embedded culture and community player education and engagement; and
  • Other basic conditions including advanced scheduling, improved travel conditions, apparel, and professional services.
• California Just Made It Illegal to Pay Women Less Than Men In Sporting Events on State Lands, Dylan Heyden, The Inertia, (12 September 2019). California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a landmark bill that will now make it illegal for sports organisations to pay male and female competitors differently at any sporting event held on state lands. AB 467, also called the 'Equal Pay for Equal Play' measure, initially drew inspiration from the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing and their fight for equal pay for women big wave surfers at Maverick’s.
• England and Brazil confirm equal pay for men’s and women’s football teams, Geoff Berkely, Inside the Games, (5 September 2020). England and Brazil will pay their international women's football teams the same as the men, the two national governing bodies have said.
• Primetime professionals… still a man’s game? Chelsea Litchfield, Jacquelyn Osborne, Broad Agenda, (15 October 2019). Today on BroadAgenda, Dr Chelsea Litchfield and Dr Jaquelyn Osborne examine pay increases and media exposure in these sports and argue that there is much more that could be done in the space of women’s elite, professional sport.

• Developing Sport for Women and Girls, Emma Sherry, Katie Rowe, Routledge, (2020). Provides critical analysis of contemporary sport development, from high performance pathways to engaging diverse communities to the use of sport to empower women and girls. Chapters include: Gender, Sport and Livelihoods, High-Performance Athletes, Athlete Protection and Duty of Care, Professional Women’s Sport Leagues, and more.
• Routledge Handbook of the Business of Women's Sport, Nancy Lough, Andrea Geurin (eds.), Routledge, (2019). Featuring international perspectives, with authors from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, and in-depth profiles of real leaders within different sectors of women's sport in the global sport industry, this book offers an integrated understanding of the ways traditional media and social media impact both the understanding and advancement of women’s sport properties, businesses, teams, and athletes. Case studies show how societal issues such as gender, power, and framing impact the business of women’s sports and those who work in women’s sport.

• No boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity, Australian Women in Sport Advisory Group, (2019). Our vision is that there are no boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity. Our goal is to achieve this by 2025, but what does it look like, and how will we know when we have made it? Here we set out what we are striving for, actions to take and measures of success. Key members of the sport sector, governments and industry are onboard.

• Forging A New Path To Success For Women In Professional Team Sports: Research For Evidence-based Action, Victoria University and Griffith University, (2024). Through a series of studies, this research highlights the debates, dilemmas and potential actions for women's professional teams to be inclusive, sustainable and successful. Funded by an ARC Discovery grant, the researchers worked with various professional sport governing bodies to uncover innovative management strategies, structures and practices for women's professional sports workplaces. In practice, this meant: Empowering women athletes in professional team sports by listening to their experiences. Documenting the factors that indicate success and sustainability in women's professional team sports. Gaining insights into the management of national women's team sport leagues. Sharing their discoveries and analysis through a range of dissemination methods.
• Insights and Impact Report: Edition 2, AFL Players Association, (June 2023). This report represents annual insights derived from data collected from AFLPA members.
  • 36% of AFL women's (AFLW) players believe that the AFLW program is now “completely integrated” into their club, which is more than double the percentage result from Season 6 (17%). 61% of players from the expansion clubs (clubs that more recently joined the AFLW competition) reported that the AFLW program was completely integrated, compared to 27% of players from the non-expansion clubs.
  • 54% of AFLW players reported that their club CEO viewed the AFLW program with extremely high levels of respect - up from 30% in Season 6. 75% of players from expansion clubs reported extremely high respect from their CEOs compared to 46% from existing club CEOs.
  • Player feedback and industry reviews shared with the AFLPA suggest that the current resources and staffing for the AFLW program do not adequately support the game’s sustainable growth.
  • AFLW players provided anecdotal feedback to the AFLPA indicating that some venues and facilities provided for training and match day were below a suitable standard. Subsequently, the AFLPA conducted a review using the AFL’s Venue Guidelines. Out of 33 venues, 9 were rated between ‘very poor’ and ‘average’ for surface and/or facilities quality. Only 12 were rated between ‘good’ and ‘very good’, yet half of those 12 only hosted one match, so players rarely got to experience them. Venues are more likely to have a good quality surface than sufficient facilities.
  • Along with pay disparity, the AFLPA is pushing for equalisation of other working conditions and benefits between AFL and AFLW players in the ongoing CBA negotiations.
  • The AFLPA voting members gave their approval to the board equalisation effort, leading to a notable amendment to the AFLPA constitution. This marked a historic moment for the organisation as it introduced mandatory equal minimum positions for both AFL mens' (AFLM) and AFLW members on an ongoing basis. Three additional AFLW members were appointed to the board at the 2022 AGM.
  • Mental health, social media, and gender/sexuality inclusivity were perceived as the most significant societal issues facing Australian footballers in 2021.
• Pathway to Gender Equality in Sport 2021–2022 Progress Report, Champions of Change - Sport, (June 2023). Despite consistent effort across the industry over several years, and an increase in the overall number of women working in the industry, we continue to see gender segregation in the areas of administrative leadership and high-performance leadership. Our key areas of focus moving forward will be addressing the disparity in the number of women in leadership (namely executive, CEO, Board and coaching roles). We continue to invest in leadership training and development opportunities for women through various programs. However, there is a need to investigate and address the systemic barriers that continue to facilitate gender segregation in sporting workplaces. Some key highlights and future priorities from 2022 for organisations in the Champions of Change Sport Group include:
  • 43.8% achieved gender balance in playing opportunities across men’s and women’s competitions (up from 37.5% in 2021).
  • 62.5% report gender balance in funded development pathways to reach the elite level (the same as in 2021.
  • 100% have achieved gender balance in access to extended resources, e.g., doctors, physios and equipment, for elite women athletes (up from 87.5% in 2021).
  • 93.8% achieved equal travel/accommodation policy across genders (up from 81.2% in 2021).
  • 93.8% report pay equity/prize equity ambitions have been communicated internally and externally in the last 12 months (p from 87.5% in 2021).
  • 87.5% report gender pay gap data for elite athletes have been defined, measured and published (up from 75.0% in 2021).
  • 43.8% report gender balance in allocated budget dedicated to building women’s sport at the elite level (up from 25.0% in 2021).
  • 12.5% have achieved pay equity (base pay and total remuneration) between men and women athletes at the elite level (up from 6.2% in 2021).
• State of Play Survey 2022-23, Change our Game, Victorian Government, (June 2023). Between October and November 2022, more than 670 Victorians answered questions on a range of topics relating to gender equality in sport, including values and behaviour in community sport, elite sport, sports media and coverage, leadership opportunities and perceptions, and experiences working and volunteering in sport. The State of Play Survey revealed that overall, while there are some positive attitudes towards women and girls in sport and their right to equal opportunities and access, change is still required in terms of underlying attitudes and behaviours. Consistently throughout the survey, men were less likely than women to perceive gender inequality in various aspects of sport. In relation to professionalisation some of the key insights were:
  • Men were twice as likely as women to believe male elite athletes are more skillful than female elite athletes.
  • 1 in 3 elite athletes felt women and men had equal sponsorship opportunities.
• Holding up a mirror to cricket The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), (June 2023). In November 2020, the ECB announced its intention to establish a Commission “to assist the ECB Board in assessing the evidence of inequalities and discrimination of all forms within cricket, and the actions needed to tackle these issues.” The ICEC was then established in March 2021. The problems we identify are not, sadly, unique to cricket. In many instances they are indicative of equally deeply rooted societal problems and so whilst our headline finding is necessarily blunt, we consider the fact that the ECB proactively initiated this process and opened itself up to independent scrutiny is both positive and brave. Our evidence shows that women continue to be treated as subordinate to men within, and at all levels of, cricket. This is evident both from the lived experience of professional and recreational women cricketers and from the structural barriers that women continue to face.
  • It has been 278 years since the first recorded women’s cricket match, 133 years since the first group of women cricketers toured the UK, and 97 years since the foundation of the Women’s Cricket Association, yet England Women have never played a Test at Lord’s.
  • The average salary for England Women is 20.6% of the average salary for England Men.
  • We found 569 people who had played professional level domestic cricket in England and Wales in 2021, 161 women and 408 men. All domestic male players had professional contracts, but just 52 of the female players at the same level did (the remainder either received match by match fees or were not paid at all).
  • The ECB has now funded 80 professional domestic female players which represents 100% growth in the volume of professional domestic women’s contracts funded by the ECB in three years (with contracts funded by WRTs adding to that number).
  • In 2021 for every £1 the ECB spent on England women’s teams it spent £5 on the men’s teams and that in overall remuneration England men received 13 times the amount paid to England women.
  • There are also “significant levels” of inequity in the availability of kit and in the number of grounds and facilities for women and girls.
  • Women and women’s teams are frequently demeaned, stereotyped and treated as second-class. There is evidence of “a widespread culture of sexism and misogyny, and unacceptable behaviour towards women in both the recreational and professional game”. A "laddish drinking culture", “predatory behaviour” and “disturbing examples of the conduct and attitude of men towards women, often fuelled by alcohol”.
  • Key recommendations to improve equity for women: Overhaul of women’s pay structure to ensure equal pay at domestic level by 2020 and at international level by 2030; Match fees for England men and women to be made equal immediately; As part of governance structure overhaul, women’s game should have equal representation to the men’s game including direct representation on par with first-class counties, not indirectly through the FCCs; Articles of Association amended with specific obligation to promote and develop women’s and girl’s cricket.
• The Business Case for Women’s Football, UEFA, (August 2022). Ground-breaking UEFA report outlines the incredible potential of women’s club and league game in Europe, with commercial value set to reach €686 million by 2033. A record-breaking UEFA Women's EURO 2022 showcased the popularity and potential of international women's football, but the game has also made huge strides at club level, with the successful launch of a new format for the UEFA Women's Champions League with centralised marketing and TV coverage and ever-increasing professionalisation across domestic leagues. In order to maintain this momentum, investors now have a unique opportunity to contribute towards the further development of the game. The Business Case for Women's Football provides justification for that investment to all interested stakeholders. Delivering on commitments outlined in Time for Action, UEFA’s women’s football strategy, this new report, which is based on an unprecedented range of research and data, provides comprehensive reasoning for increasing investment in women’s football and a clear methodology and explanation of its findings.
• Women in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation, Leadership, and Media Coverage, Women's Sport Foundation, (April 2022). This study is the seventh report in the series that follows the progress of women in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Some of the major findings documented by this study included:
  • Women account for close to 49% of the overall athletes in the Olympic Games. Many larger nations brought delegations with more than 50% female athletes.
  • While not equal, the Olympic programme has narrowed the gap in terms of number of medal events for female and male athletes.
  • Despite the celebration of gender equality and previously intransigent nations who had refused to include female athletes in their delegations, four countries did not include women in their Olympic delegations.
  • The wealth gap continues to widen: In both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there is a distinct difference between wealthy nations and less financed nations. Wealthy nations were more likely to have athlete delegations that were gender equal.
• Disrupt Hers: Driving a new model for women's sport, Tucker Centre for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, (March 2022). For decades, scholars and advocates of women’s sport have called for a change in how women’s sport is marketed, sponsored, endorsed, promoted, covered, invested in, capitalized upon, and broadcast. Women’s sport has deserved equal resources, yet has not been provided adequate investment, which is then used as a false narrative depicting women’s sport as not as lucrative, successful, and popular as men’s sport—a classic chicken-egg circular argument. Due to a multitude of factors, unprecedented disruption is occurring in women’s sport, specifically among women athletes. Read about these disruptions and recommendations for accelerating systems change for women’s sport.
• Closing the Visibility Gap, Women's Sport Trust, (April 2021). The most comprehensive study ever produced into the commercial drivers of women’s sport in the UK. The research found that the sports industry has underinvested in making female athletes visible in ways that resonate with fans; in creating meaningful interactions for partners; and in building prestige for women’s sport overall which is limiting rights-owners’ ability to capitalise on commercialising growing interest.
  • two-thirds of UK sport fans currently follow some form of women’s sport, and half have attended an event featuring women’s athletes.
  • Across sports played separately by men and women, the average gap between the percentage of known men’s and women’s ticket purchasers is 23% according to Two Circles benchmarks, which suggests sporting stakeholders are failing to fully capture available data on women’s sports fans.
• Gender equality and inclusion report 2021, International Olympic Committee, (2021). This report describes the progress we have made in advancing gender equality and inclusion since the release of Olympic Agenda 2020 and particularly in the last Olympiad. It reviews the implementation of the IOC Gender Equality Review Project, issued in March 2018, and presents the new IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion objectives for 2021-2024 across the three spheres of responsibility of the IOC and five focus areas.
  • 48% of athletes were women at Tokyo 2020, compared with 45% at Rio 2016.
  • 91% of NOC delegations had a woman flag bearer at the opening ceremony (either as a joint or individual flagbearer), compared to 38% at Rio 2016.
  • 28 out of 33 sports had an equal number of medal events for women and men.
  • 32% of international technical officials were women, compared to 29% at Rio 2016.
  • 13% of coaches were women, compared to 11% at Rio 2016.
  • 20% of Chef de Mission roles were held by women, compared to 11% at Rio 2016.
• NCAA External Gender Equity Review, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, (2021). The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) retained the law firm of Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP (“KHF”) to conduct a comprehensive and thorough external review of gender equity issues in connection with the NCAA, focusing on NCAA championships. The initial focus of this review was on women’s and men’s basketball and the gender equity issues that arose out of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in March 2021. KHF completed Phase I of its review and, on August 2, 2021, delivered to the NCAA Board of Governors a comprehensive written report, which includes its findings and recommendations. The second phase of KHF’s review involved an examination of the remaining 84 NCAA championships. KHF has now completed Phase II of its review and delivered its second report to the NCAA Board of Governors. Both reports are available to read on the website.
• 2020 Raising Our Game Report, FIFPRO, (2020). Provides an overview of the global women’s football industry, placing the rights and conditions of players at the centre. The report builds on the 2017 FIFPRO Women’s Global Employment Report and takes account of the most recent industry developments affecting the working environment of professional footballers worldwide. This report gives the players' perspective along with key stakeholders on the most recent growth patterns and trends, best practices, policies and regulations relevant to the sustainability of the professional football industry.
• Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women, Women's Sports Foundation, (January 2020). In this report, we examine the state of girls’ and women’s sport in the United States through a broad lens, looking at the triumphs, the challenges and the tremendous opportunities that are yet to be realised. One area of focus is workplace bias and wage gaps in sport. The report highlights that despite the assumption that increased female participation in sport would lead to more women working in, and leading, sports organisations this has not occurred. Women are impacted at various levels of their career, often leading them to select a different career path or field altogether, rather than persist within sport. Much work remains before fair access at all levels of sport is achieved. Key insights in the report included:
  • At the professional athlete level, women's competitions often have not only fewer teams, but also a more limited number of allowed players. The 30 NBA teams can each have up to 15 players, while the 12 WNBA teams are limited to 12 roster spots. The six National Pro Fastpitch Softball teams are limited to 26 players for a total of 156 players, while the 30 Major League Baseball regular-season rosters are limited to 25 for a total of 750 players.
• Gender equality in sport: Getting closer every day, Ivana Katsarova; graphics: Samy Chahr, European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing, (March 2019). Briefing paper covers background and research relating to gender equality and sport. Specific focus areas include: women's (long) road to the Olympics; women in sports-related decision-making; women as coaches; gender pay inequalities; gender-related stereotypes in media representation; popularity and coverage of women's sports events in the EU; and European parliament views on gender equality in sport.
• Pathway to Pay Equality: Elite women athletes, Male Champions of Change Sport, (February 2019). The pathway to pay equality involves many dimensions, and sports may find that achieving pay equality takes several years. However, success within any single part of the ecosystem makes success in the other parts more likely. the report identifies three distinct stages (pre-professional, a fair and reasonable wage, standalone pay) and a strategic focus, practical goals and actions for each.
• Prime Time: the case for commercial investment in women's sport, The Commission on the Future of Women's Sport [UK], (2015). According to UK sports fans, women’s sport is exciting, skilful, internationally successful and growing faster than men’s. Some of the best of women’s sport is already attracting sizeable audiences and wide media interest, and there is clear demand from sports fans for more. Yet it attracts just a tiny percentage of sponsorship and broadcast expenditure—hundreds, if not thousands of times less than men’s sport. New, independent research and analysis provides strong evidence to suggest women’s sport is being overlooked and under-valued. There is a compelling case for increased investment in a market that’s different to men’s sport; and yet one that offers unique commercial and social potential. Taking a new approach to a different market and working creatively in partnership with rights holders, sponsors, broadcasters and government may lead to a significant return.
• Women’s Sport: say yes to success, Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, (2014). This is the third major report from the WSFF examining the levels of commercial investment afforded to women’s sport in the UK. As well as updating these figures, we also include for the first time, the results of a media audit providing a detailed breakdown of the coverage different media types give to women’s sport. Commercial investment in sport and the media coverage it receives are inextricably linked—brands are looking for profile and media outlets need exciting competitions and events in packed sporting arenas to make for spectacular viewing and reporting. To improve one the other must also be addressed, hence this new combined analysis. This report reveals that despite some positive developments in a handful of sports, women’s sport in the UK still accounts for only 0.4% of the commercial investment going into all sports and for only 7% of total sports coverage in the media.

• Under-representation of women is alive and well in sport and exercise medicine: what it looks like and what we can do about it, Anderson N, Robinson DG, Verhagen E, et al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Volume 9(2), (May 2023). Despite constituting approximately 50% of the population, women specifically are under-represented in sport and exercise medicine (SEM) and they often experience a negative bias. Our authorship group has recognised this issue based on evidence from recent studies, personal experiences and the experiences of the wider SEM community. We understand that this is a complex issue. Through this editorial, we aim to briefly highlight the issue of insufficient representation of women in SEM, discuss some of the impacts of this inadequate inclusion and other negative aspects experienced and suggest steps that we can all take to address female under-representation to improve the field of SEM
• Women in Sports and Exercise Medicine: where are we now? Hayes V, O Donovan J, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 57(9), pp.498-499, (April 2023). Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) has grown as a specialty in terms of recognition and role clarity over the last few decades, but has its profile for diversity and inclusion kept pace? In Australia, fewer women than men apply to train in SEM and these numbers have plateaued. In 2019, 23% of fellows and 30% of registrars were women.2 According to the 2020 Physician Specialty Data Report, only 29.4% of sports medicine physicians in the USA3 (residents and fellows) are women and only 12.9% of sports medicine orthopaedic surgeons are women. In Ireland, according to data received by the authors from the Irish Medical Council, currently under 14% of SEM specialists are women.
• Women’s professional sport leagues: a systematic review and future directions for research, Alana Thomson, Michelle Hayes, Clare Hanlon, et al., Sport Management Review, Volume 26(1), pp.48-71, (2023). This paper presents a systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) of 57 academic peer-reviewed journal articles researching women’s professional sport leagues and published between 2000 and 2019. Based on our findings, we highlight four key research directions, including the need for (1) diversity in inquiry and reflexivity by researchers, (2) innovative and enabling theories and conceptual frameworks, (3) transdisciplinary research approaches and (4) sustainable business models for women’s professional sport. We emphasise that to advance our theoretical understandings and sport management practices in women’s professional sport, academics must commit to exploring women’s sport in new and different ways, to achieve new and different knowledge and outcomes.
• Studying professional and recreational female footballers: A bibliometric exercise, Donald Kirkendall, Peter Krustrup, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, Volume 32(S1), pp.12-26, (April 2022). A bibliometric analysis of the published research presents a high-level overview of trends in soccer research. Overall, studies about women accounted for around 20% of all soccer research and about 15% of studies on professional players. There were a number of topics where studies on females account for less than 10%–15% of the research on all professionals, and opens opportunities for future study.
• A balancing act: women players in a new semi-Professional team sport league, Tracy Taylor, Hunter Fujak, Clare Hanlon, et al., European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 22(4), pp.527-547, (2022). Players (N=46) contracted for the 2019 National Rugby League Women’s Premiership (Australia and New Zealand) completed an on-line questionnaire about the new league at the end of the first playing season. Additionally, players, coaches, and managers/executives (N = 22) were interviewed about this newly constituted career pathway and the ‘professionalisation’ of the women’s game. In the first season adoption of existing, traditionally male-based, organisational norms and practices acted to legitimise the new women’s competition, but also placed considerable stress on players. Most of the players had two or more employment commitments simultaneously yet had limited job security. Policies and practices with the greatest positive impact for the women players included: child-care provision, development of an inclusive team and club culture, and providing coaching, training and support specifically tailored to meet women’s needs.
• When women surf the world’s biggest waves: breaking gender barriers, Anne Schmitt, Anaïs Bohuon, Sport in Society, Volume 25(6), pp.1924-1939, (2022). This article analyses the struggle for the inclusion of women in competitive big-wave surfing through interviews with professional big-wave surfers Bianca Valenti, Keala Kennelly, Andrea Moller and Paige Alms. These women co-founded the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing (CEWS), which advocated for inclusion and equal pay in competition for women in big-wave surfing. The survey highlights the resistance to their integration in this male dominated sport. Their bodies in movement, true tools of performance essential to establish their legitimacy are constantly being questioned, as they challenge the gendered hierarchical boundaries and essentialist (fundamental) arguments that contribute to keep them out of and/or alongside big-wave competition. Moreover, the performance of men and woman had been becoming increasingly similar in tow-in surfing, until winter 2019–2020 when the biggest wave of the year was surfed by a woman, proving women’s legitimacy in this male-dominated sport.
• Financial well-being of sportswomen, Emmanuel Mogaji, Foluké Abigail Badejo, Simone Charles, et al., International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, Volume 13(2), pp.299-319, (2021). The study presents the results of the thematic analysis of interviews with 27 UK sportswomen to understand their experience of financial well-being, which is the ability to sustain current and anticipated desired living standards and financial freedom. Our analysis identified sportswomen’s subjective financial well-being, the personal and contextual factors influencing their perceptions of well-being and the consequences of their financial well–being on quality of life and general well–being. This study yields implications for a range of stakeholders, including governing bodies, policymakers, sports media, team and talent managers and financial institutions, and highlights the need to advance gender equity policies and practices that can positively impact on sportswomen’s financial well-being.
• Wage Inequality of Women in Professional Tennis of the Leading International Tournaments: Gender Equality vs Market Discrimination? Isabel Cepeda, Journal of International Women's Studies, Volume 22(5), (2021). The methodology consisted of searching for, and collecting data on various aspects of professional tennis, with special emphasis on: a) the prizes money received by male and female professional tennis players who compete in the most important tournaments of the main international tennis organizations; and b) the income generated by professional tennis players for the companies organizing these tournaments. The essay applies economic theory to identify equilibrium wages in this industry. The article contributes to the literature in three ways: first, it provides the collection of data on gender discrimination in professional tennis; second, it shows that the inequality of awards between men and women responds to differences in labor productivity; and third, it puts forward measures for the equalization of awards between men and women without business damage. The results are relevant since sports inspires social changes and can contribute to gender equity in other branches of activity.
• Tall Poppies: Bullying behaviors faced by Australian high-performance school-age athletes, O’Neill M, Calder A and Allen B, Journal of School Violence, Volume 13(2), pp.210-227, (2014). Tall poppies are successful individuals bullied by those who are less successful in order to 'normalise' them. Nineteen current or previous national or international high-performance school-age athletes were interviewed (12 females and seven males). Findings indicated all 12 females were bullied at school and this had a detrimental impact on their school life and wellbeing. In contrast, no male athletes reported being bullied. The authors recommend that parents and teachers should be aware of tall poppy syndrome behaviours, and schools should promote an anti-bullying culture that includes resilience training for talented individuals.

• Why do women get paid less in prize money? BBC News, (20 June 2017). Olympic cycling champion Joanna Rowsell Shand looks at why there is still a gap in the amount men and women receive in prize money.
• Play Fair, Fast and Female, Canada, (2015). This documentary film questions the assumption that women’s fight for full rights in the world of sports is over. The film explores five decades of activism and legal challenges that women fought to ensure they would have equal access and rights to compete in sports on elite and community levels.

• No demand? WINS Research proves strong audience for women's sports content, Beatrice Go, ABC News, (3 April 2023). In 2022, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation International Development's (ABCID) Women in News and Sport (WINS) program, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Team Up program, carried out research on audience interest and engagement with women's sport. The research was conducted in the Philippine market, which has a history of producing successful female athletes on the international sports scene. Through a survey of 87 respondents, assumptions made by the media when it comes to women's sports content were contested by the majority:
  • Women's sports content is likely to empower women only. (76% disagreed)
  • The gender of a sportsperson matters when consuming sports content. (68% disagreed)
  • Men are more likely to follow basketball and boxing content, while women are more likely to follow volleyball and gymnastics. (61% disagreed)
  • The survey also revealed that 84% of the respondents agree that women's sports content can change public perceptions of women, reinforcing the media's strong role in the push for gender equality.
• Fox Sports biggest names reveal the sexism and hurdles they endured to succeed in sports media [paywall], Jamie Pandaram, Herald Sun, (8 March 2023). They’re the faces you see on sports television every day, but do you know the hurdles they were forced to jump? Inside the stories of these fiercely driven women leading the way at Fox Sports.
• New research shows British public support athletes speaking out and driving social change, UK Sport, (8 March 2023). The research also reveals that half (48%) of young Britons see female athletes as role models, together with huge demand for increased media coverage of women’s sport. More than half (53%) of adults under the age of 55 say that there is not enough coverage of women’s sport and 60% of all adults are in favour of sports coverage combining men’s and women’s sport. Almost a third of UK families now follow a specific sport after being inspired by a female athlete.
• Sugar and spice, fire and ice: the changing dynamics of women’s cricket and social media, Mrinal Asija, Siren, (22 November 2022). Explores the way fans, athletes and Cricket Australia have all used social media to grow the women’s game. Content creators for sports teams have realised that athletes no longer need to remain an enigma to be revered. Putting out content that brings players’ personalities, their quirks, their hidden talents into the spotlight can make fans relate with them and adore them even more.
• We need to talk about female representation in ski resort and sports media down under, SnowsBest, (16 June 2022). A long form feature exploring the media representation of women in Australia and New Zealand's snow industry, produced by Rachael Oakes-Ash in partnership with Cardrona and Treble Cone. The resorts did a self-audit to discover that only 29 per cent of their skiing and snowboarding content featured women in any way. Just 15 per cent of that small proportion featured women actively skiing or snowboarding, and they were usually in clips featuring mostly men. All this despite their consumer market being more than 45 per cent women.
• Signals versus noise: Gender equity in Canadian sport, SIRCuit, (22 April 2022). Ongoing research has demonstrated the majority (over 90%) of Canada’s sport’s media coverage is focused solely on men’s sport, and that women and girls have lower sport participation rates than men. We’re currently conducting longitudinal research tracking print and online sport media coverage in Canada. While the data has yet to be published, preliminary findings show 92.6% of content is solely related to men’s sport coverage. However, concurrent research demonstrates that Canadians want to watch women’s sport content. But, they can’t find a place to watch it, despite 61% of girls (aged 13 to 18), 54% of women and 45% of men, wanting more women’s sport content available on television and online platforms.
• Women’s sport is on the way up – but more needs to be done to secure its future, Keith Parry, Beth Clarkson, Rafaelle Nicholson, The Conversation, (4 December 2021). While the future of women’s sport looks bright, inequalities remain. We propose changes that are needed for the success of women’s sport to be sustained: The sports media workforce needs greater diversity. Although we focus on gender here, sports media is dominated by white men.The marketing and presentation of women’s sport need to be on a par with men’s sport. While men’s sport has greater investment in these areas it will continue to be seen as superior to women’s sport. There needs to be unity in how sports clubs communicate with fans about their men’s and women’s teams. Women’s sport needs consistent prime time scheduling (as seen with women’s football in England this season), rather than during the day when the majority of fans are at work and cannot attend. Coverage of women’s sport needs to be on free-to-air television – if it is not, awareness of it will drop.
• World Athletics publishes Online Abuse Study covering Tokyo Olympic Games, World Athletics, (25 November 2021). World Athletics today publishes findings of a study conducted during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to identify and address targeted, abusive messages sent to athletes via social media. The study revealed disturbing levels of abuse of athletes, including sexist, racist, transphobic and homophobic posts, and unfounded doping accusations. It also unequivocally highlights the greater levels of abuse female athletes receive in comparison to their male counterparts. Female athletes received 87% of all abuse. 63% of identified abuse was directed at just two athletes – both black and female – while the two most common categories of abuse were of a sexist (29%) and/or racist (26%) nature, accounting for 55% of all identified abuse.
• A fascinating experiment in how sexism, and racism, affects the way we watch sport, Liam Mannix, Sydney Morning Herald, (9 November 2021). Article summarises several studies including looking at how unconscious gender stereotypes affect the way we perceive sport:
  • Gregory and his team split a group of 105 soccer fans into two groups: 47 viewed the original broadcast, 58 viewed the stick figures. In the first test, the viewers watched two games – an American women’s league game and a English men's match. Of the viewers who watched the live games, 57 per cent said the men’s game was higher quality. For the viewers who watched the render (stick figure version), the results switched: 59 per cent said the women’s game was better quality.
  • A study of 25 years of women’s sports coverage in America found the tone of the coverage had shifted from “overtly denigrating” to “respectful”. Male coverage was fast-paced, funny, action-packed and highly produced. Women’s coverage had fewer camera angles, fewer graphics and lower sound quality. Replay footage was less often spectacular slow-motion replays and more often players hugging each other. Remarkably, production values fell as women’s sport became less sexualised. Women’s commentary is more matter-of-fact, lacking the speed and excitement of male commentary. “Gender-bland sexism”, the researchers termed it.
  • A team of Australian researchers studied the way the Big Bash League games were presented. The men’s games were advertised as a “battle of the rivals”, the women’s games a “cheap and enjoyable family day out”. At the ground there were fewer open food outlets and fewer replays on screens. The decision to charge for the men’s match and make the women’s match free, they argued, may contribute to a perception of it being of lower quality and value (the WBBL now charges for entry).
• Fighting for a better shot: framing women in sport, Felicity Smith, Siren, (19 October 2021). Deakin intern Felicity Smith takes a closer look at the gendered framing of women’s sport after Austrian rock climber Johanna Färber was shot inappropriately, again. The way athletes are framed in the media sets up how the viewer will engage with them and can drive long standing perceptions of the value of women. A study of the camera angles used to show the women’s volleyball at the 2004 summer Olympics found significantly more tight shots of the players chests and buttocks. It was argued by the researcher that this technique gave viewers more memory of the players’ bodies, rather than their athleticism.
• New research reveals women's sport will reach £1BN revenue if female athletes and teams are made more visible, Women in Sport, (20 April 2021). Revenue generated by women’s sport[1] in the UK is set to grow to £1bn a year by 2030 – up from £350m a year currently – making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the sports industry. The key to unlocking this impressive growth will be the increased visibility of female athletes and teams. Closing the Visibility Gap’ is the most comprehensive study ever produced into the commercial drivers of women’s sport.
• News media keeps pressing the mute button on women's sports, University of Southern California, EurekAlert, (24 March 2023). The survey of men's and women's sports news coverage has been conducted every five years since 1989. In the latest study, researchers found that 95% of total television coverage as well as the ESPN sports highlights show SportsCenter focused on men's sports in 2019. They saw a similar lopsidedness in social media posts and in online sports newsletters coverage, which were included in the report for the first time since researchers began gathering data three decades ago.
• These women are changing the sound of sport — and they offer lessons that stretch far beyond the commentary box, Amanda Smith and Sophie Kesteven, ABC Radio National, (31 October 2020). These three ground-breaking commentators have found their voice in what has traditionally been a man's world — and their experiences offer lessons that can help us in all fields of life.
• Graphic designer shows what sports pages look like with men removed, Written by Brandie Weikle. Interview produced by Menaka Raman-Wilms, CBC Radio, (15 September 2020). Katherine Burgess cut men from the New York Times sports section front to show how little remains.
• W-League grows TV viewership as Australia and NZ awarded hosting rights for 2023 Women’s World Cup, Roy Morgan, (21 July 2020). New research from Roy Morgan shows the W-League’s TV viewership is growing even as other Soccer competitions experienced viewership declines. A record high 879,000 Australians watch the W-League on TV, up 265,000 (+43%) on a year ago.
• TV viewership of the AFL Women’s competition increases while others decline, Roy Morgan, (23 June 2020). The latest data from Roy Morgan shows over 7.4 million Australians aged 14+ (36%) watch AFL matches on TV including AFL pre-season games, AFL Home and Away games, AFL Finals, the AFL Women’s competition or the show-piece AFL Grand Final.
• IOC Young Reporters: Spreading the word for gender equality, International Olympic Committee, (7 May 2020). Approximately 80 per cent of accredited journalists and photographers at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 were male, underlining the gender imbalance that currently exists in the sports media. At each YOG, an equal number of budding male and female sports reporters from around the world have come together to receive training and mentoring from seasoned Olympic media professionals, with class- and field-based tuition giving participants all the tools required to work in today’s modern newsrooms. And the unique experience has proven to be incredibly valuable for the graduates of the programme, with many going on to pursue promising careers in sports journalism.
• By the numbers, Siren: a women in sport collective, (14 April 2020). In Siren #02 we revealed that for Sunday, January 26 only 11.86% of sports coverage was dedicated to women’s sport. If we removed stories about Ash Barty, who of course deserved all the coverage she received during the Australian Open, the number dropped down to 6.19%. We continued to publish these numbers in each newsletter since. Only twice in two months did we reach more than 25%. Past and future editions of 'by the numbers' are available in the Research section of the Siren website.
• Imaging the female athlete, Lucas Aykroyd, Global Sport Matters, (25 October 2019). Women have historically been underrepresented as sports media members, and another way to help redress the balance is to have more women photographing women’s sports.
• Facts and figures on gender (in)equalities and differences, Fact Sheet #1 of the Toolkit: How to make an impact on gender equality in sport All you need to know, European Union and the Council of Europe, (September 2019). This factsheet is composed of five sections presenting facts and figures relating to gender inequalities and differences in participation (from grassroots to elite sport), coaching, leadership and the media and to the prevalence of gender-based violence in sports.
• Stop saying no one watches women’s sport, Sarah Leberman and Rachel Froggatt, op-ed, Women in Sport Aotearoa/stuff.co.nz, (15 August 2019). Interest in women's sport in New Zealand and around the globe has grown so fast in recent years that this idea is seriously out-of-date. We need to start busting the myth and challenging those still spouting it.
• AFL attracts world’s highest percentage of female supporters to live sports, [paywall], Peter Rolfe, Herald Sun, (9 June 2019). Global research of footy fans found that 41 per cent of AFL fans at games were female, compared to 38 per cent of NRL fans, 25 per cent of English Premier League fans and 35 per cent of NFL supporters.
• Netball Drives Super Engagement, Steve Whately, Nielsen Sports, (April 2019). Over one-in-five Australian adults (21%) are fans or consumers of Netball. The table below highlights that compared to the other major women’s codes, SSN fans are far more engaged, particularly when it comes to watching games on TV and attending games. These metrics are crucial for driving direct and indirect revenue for a sport.
• Research reveals over half of Australians follow women's sport, Mike Hytner, The Guardian, (16 February 2019). Interest has risen by almost 50% thanks to an increase in TV coverage and more positive portrayals in the media.
• New study uncovers the top performing sponsorships in Australian sport, Josh Loh, Marketing Mag, (28 November 2018). True North Research has revealed a preview of its upcoming study comparing the impact of sport sponsorships and how brands should evaluate them. Of the 62 national and league teams evaluated those that delivered the most positive reactions for sponsors – taking into account sentiment, consideration, and usage – were all women's teams, primarily from the netball league. The most recognised sponsors of sporting teams were still for men's teams.
• Here’s proof we absolutely do want to watch women’s sport, Angela Priestley, Women's Agenda, (10 October 2018). Provides an overview of some recent record-breaking game attendance and viewing audience statistics that demonstrate an increased interest in women's sport in Australia.
• Women’s sport: less talk more action, Professor Toni Bruce, University of Auckland, (9 March 2018). Article talks about broader issues relating to gender equity and sport in New Zealand but also highlights research showing that New Zealand news media still generally ignores women’s sport, dishing out on average a paltry 10 percent to female athletes. Even though the media pay a lot of attention to New Zealand female Olympians, if we look at coverage of all Olympic athletes, sportsmen still end up with twice the overall coverage, mostly because the media doesn’t pay attention to sportswomen from other countries. Recent NZOC research found that female Olympians were 20 percent more likely to be spoken for by their coach, nine times more likely to be pictured with a male spouse or partner, 67 percent less likely to be the lead story, and 39 percent more likely to be referred to as girls, especially by male journalists.
• Kids across Australia need more female sport role models, Commonwealth Bank, (21 January 2018). While interest in women’s sport in Australia is soaring, two thirds of Australians (68 per cent) believe our kids should have more exposure to female sporting role models, new CommBank research reveals.
• The rise of women's sports: identifying and maximizing the opportunity, Neilsen Sports, (2018). This research project highlights untapped potential and new commercial opportunities for rights holders, brands and media.
• Aesthetics or athletics? Cambridge University Press, (1 August 2016). As athletes around the world descend on Rio for the 2016 Olympics Games, the pinnacle of the global sporting calendar, a new study of English language reveals wide discrepancies in how the media and fans alike talk about men and women in sport.

• Content is queen: digital lessons from women's sport, SportsPro Podcast, (23 October 2019). To mark the launch of 'Content is Queen: Digital Lessons from Women's Sport' - a new whitepaper from SportsPro and Imagen - editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by an expert panel to discuss how new media and best practice are helping to grow audiences across a range of female disciplines. Alexandra Willis, the head of communications, content and digital at the AELTC, International Netball Federation chief executive Clare Briegal and Imagen's Kerry Freeman discuss the importance of a comprehensive approach to content distribution, what goes into a careful and data-led strategy, and what excites them about the future in women's sport.

• Developing Sport for Women and Girls, Emma Sherry, Katie Rowe, Routledge, (2020). Provides critical analysis of contemporary sport development, from high performance pathways to engaging diverse communities to the use of sport to empower women and girls. Each chapter explores various contexts of sport development and sport for development theory with a specific focus on women and girls. Specific chapter on Developing Sport for Women and Girls: Media Influence.

• FIBA Portrayal Guidelines: Gender equal and inclusive representation in basketball, FIBA, (March 2023). As leaders and communicators within the sports movement, we can set the tone as to how women and girls in sports, and players – globally – can and should be depicted, described, talked about, represented, and portrayed, across all forms of media and communication channels. The Portrayal Guidelines clearly outline the appropriate terminology and language that must be utilized, how balanced portrayal practices can be achieved within the context of all media output, as well as a raft of helpful general principles.
• Guidelines for Women & Girls in Sport, Getty Images, (2022). Backed by Getty Images VisualGPS insights, we have put together these practical guidelines to help creatives, editors, art directors, marketers to create and select visual content for unbiased, inclusive visual storytelling on women and girls in sport.
• Portrayal guidelines: gender-equal, fair and inclusive representation in sport (2021 edition), International Olympic Committee, (July 2021). This is the second edition of the Portrayal Guidelines created for the Olympic Movement stakeholders, in line with the IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives for the 2021-2024 period. These call for the implementation of “gender-equal and fair portrayal practices in all forms of communication” across the IOC, at the Olympic Games and throughout the Olympic Movement – whose members are, in turn, encouraged to adopt and adapt these Guidelines according to cultural contexts. This edition updates the 2018 Portrayal Guidelines, which were created as one of the recommendations of the IOC Gender Equality Review Project.
• Women in sport and recreation communication and marketing strategies, Change Our Game developed in conjunction with Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and Victorian State Government, (2019). The Change Our Game Women in Sport and Recreation Communication and Marketing Guidelines have been developed in conjunction with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) to assist community sport and recreation organisations looking to develop inclusive communication and marketing practices. These guidelines focus on four key areas: Smart strategies for marketing to women; Smart strategies for selecting imagery; Smart strategies for using social media; Smart strategies to using inclusive language and terminology.
• Toolkit: How to make an impact on gender equality in sport All you need to know: Communication, European Union and the Council of Europe, (September 2019). How can sports organisations and the media work towards gender-sensitive communication? Break the cycle of the invisibility of women’s sports and sportswomen in the media and in communication material. Portray women and men in an appropriate way without perpetuating gender stereotypes. Deconstruct and fight against gender stereotypes in the world of sport.
• Changing the visual landscape of women's sport, Women's Sport Trust, Insight to Action series, (October 2016). Our panel and audience made compelling arguments for how the sports, media and branding sectors can make changes in the representation of women’s sport. Suggestions include: 1. Focus on ability, not appearance; 2. Beware of 'cliches'; 3. Sex doesn't sell sport; 4. Present the full diversity and breadth of women and sports; 5. Respond to demand; 6. Everyone needs to take responsibility; and, 7. Women photographers matter.
• Tips for sports journalists, Our Watch, (accessed 18 April 2023). The media has a role to play in preventing violence against women and holding perpetrators of men’s violence against women accountable. Sports media can reinforce the attitudes and beliefs that drive violence against women, or it can challenge these attitudes and beliefs. The following tips are for sports journalists wanting to improve their reporting on men’s violence against women, and the attitudes and beliefs that reinforce that violence.

• It's Time: media campaign, Sport NZ, (September 2022). Sport NZ research shows that there’s a gap in support for our female elite athletes when compared to male athletes. A gap in knowledge, how much we read, watch, attend and generally support our women on the world stage. That’s why Sport NZ has launched the “It’s Time” campaign and is working with sports to showcase what’s great about women’s sport and how you can get in on the action.
• Golf Australia's Vision 2025: The future of women and girls in golf, Golf Australia, (February 2019). On 13 February 2019, Golf Australia launched a new strategy aiming at addressing a fundamental imbalance in Australian golf where women currently make up just 20% of all members. The four main pillars of Vision 2025 are: culture and leadership; grassroots; high performance coaching; and marketing and postitioning.
• No boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity, Australian Women in Sport Advisory Group, (2019). Our vision is that there are no boundaries for women and girls in sport and physical activity. Our goal is to achieve this by 2025. But what does it look like and how will we know when we have made it? Here we set out what we are striving for, actions to take and measures of success. Key members of the sport sector, governments and industry are onboard.
• Women and Girls in sport and active recreation: Government strategy, Sport New Zealand, (October 2018). This strategy aims to create an equitable and inclusive sport and recreation culture for Aotearoa New Zealand, and a system that empowers and supports all women and girls – as active participants, athletes and leaders. One key area of focus is 'Value and Visibility' acknowledging that "Opportunities for females in sport and active recreation are not always fair and equal. Females and their achievements are less visible, and they are frequently stereotyped in the media. Increasing the visibility of females as athletes, participants, coaches and leaders, not only provides role models for the future but demonstrates that society values their contribution.

• Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting Program, Victorian Government, (accessed 5 March 2024). This program aims to support women who are interested in careers in sports media with the knowledge, skills and industry contacts to progress their career in the industry. The 2023-24 program offers a Foundation Program designed for individuals either looking to start, or are in the early stages of, a sports media career.

• Pathway to Gender Equality in Sport 2021–2022 Progress Report, Champions of Change - Sport, (June 2023). Despite consistent effort across the industry over several years, and an increase in the overall number of women working in the industry, we continue to see gender segregation in the areas of administrative leadership and high-performance leadership. Our key areas of focus moving forward will be addressing the disparity in the number of women in leadership (namely executive, CEO, Board and coaching roles). We continue to invest in leadership training and development opportunities for women through various programs. However, there is a need to investigate and address the systemic barriers that continue to facilitate gender segregation in sporting workplaces. Some key highlights and future priorities from 2022 for organisations in the Champions of Change Sport Group include:
  • 68.8% report year-on-year increase in fan engagement across their women’s sport products (up from 56.2% in 2021)
  • 50% report gender balance in promotional/marketing spend for their women athletes or women’s competition (up from 25.0% in 2021).
• State of Play Survey 2022-23, Change our Game, Victorian Government, (June 2023). Between October and November 2022, more than 670 Victorians answered questions on a range of topics relating to gender equality in sport, including values and behaviour in community sport, elite sport, sports media and coverage, leadership opportunities and perceptions, and experiences working and volunteering in sport. The State of Play Survey revealed that overall, while there are some positive attitudes towards women and girls in sport and their right to equal opportunities and access, change is still required in terms of underlying attitudes and behaviours. Consistently throughout the survey, men were less likely than women to perceive gender inequality in various aspects of sport. In relation to media some of the key insights were:
  • 97% of women and 83% of men who watched sport wanted more women commentators - 91% of respondents overall.
  • People want commentators who are: insightful (100%); knowledgeable (99%); entertaining (83%). These attributes rated far higher than playing sport at the highest level (40%).
  • 53% of respondents reported that they had noticed an increase in the coverage of women’s sports over the last five years.
• Motivations for attending the FA Women's Super League (WSL) games, Okicic, Milica, Working Paper, Birkbeck Sport Business Centre, London, UK, (2023). This report presents the findings from research that looked at the motivations for supports attending the WSL. Drawing on survey research from 306 supporters the analysis showed that six motivational factors explained a significant proportion of variance in attendance of the WSL matches. These were: an interest in football; interest in the team; vicarious achievement; entertainment value; an interest in a player; and role model. Analysis also revealed that there is a difference in gender, age and attendance frequency when it comes to certain motivational factors. The sample was dominantly female (61.8%), with the mean age of all respondents 31 years of age, 29 years being the mean age of female respondents, while 35 years is the mean age of male respondents. A large majority stated that football is their favourite sport (93.1%) and that they have been following it for more than 3 years (92.5%). Around half of respondents (51.3%) play football, and most of them have been playing it recreationally (96.2%) for longer than 3 years (87.2%). Sixty-six percent of respondents (65.7%) attended more than 5 Women’s Super League (WSL) games, approximately up to 5 games per season (50.0%). The respondents usually go to the WSL games with their family (31.7%), friends (28.4%) or alone (26.5%). A majority were not members of a WSL club (63.7%). Many respondents showed interest in women’s football (85.6%), however not even half of the respondents claim to know the structure of the WSL, its clubs and players (45.8%).
• Media Coverage of Women’s Sport, Sport NZ, (accessed 4 April 2023). Sport NZ and Isentia are into the third year of a major study of gender balance in sports news coverage and the journalists doing that reporting. This includes analysis of individual media companies, how gender balance differs by sport, team and event, and a detailed exploration of athlete portrayal. The first report was published in April 2021 and covers 14 months from July 2019 to December 2020 (excluding March to June 2020, where the study was paused due to COVID-19). The most recent report was Sports Media and Gender: 1 January to 31 December 2021isentia/Sport New Zealand, (July 2022). This publication compares data from our first two annual reports.
  • The proportion of women’s sport in all sports news coverage increased to 21% in 2021.
  • The top three sports (rugby, cricket and football) account for around 60% of all coverage. However, only a small proportion of this is coverage of women’s sport, with the three averaging only 11%.
  • While the proportion of female sources has increased in media items (14.5% in 2020 to 17.6% in 2021), the rate of growth is much slower than for overall gender balance of coverage.
  • A gender imbalance also occurs in what sources are saying. We observed that sources were three times more likely to comment on the personal life of a female athlete than they were a male athlete.
  • Females are far more likely to be visible in presenting roles - and more so in 2021 - however, reporter bylines reflect the vast majority of those working in sports journalism. Female reporter bylines are down in 2021, from 11.3% to 10.3% of all sports bylines.
  • Media remain more likely to discuss the personal life of female athletes, while topics relating to poor conduct are more common among male athletes. A focus on personal life came through strongest for women in tennis and netball, while for men it appeared most in rugby and cricket.
  • It is common in studies of gender balance to see themes such as ‘quiet achiever’, ‘hard worker’ and ‘punching above weight’ coming through more strongly in coverage of women’s sport, and this can be seen again in 2021, as in 2020 and across our case studies.
  • We continue to see minimal differences in images of women in sport when compared with men. As in 2020, little or no evidence can be seen of problematic or sexualised imagery of any athlete, and images were focused on the act of sport, and the emotion of the results for all athletes.
• Media Consumer Survey 2022: Australian media and entertainment consumption insights​, Deloitte, (October 2022). The eleventh edition of Deloitte’s annual Media Consumer Survey drills down into how Australians across five generations consume media and entertainment, particularly through digital channels. Australia’s demand for entertainment seems to be defying the current economic challenges with the average household now shelling out for 3.1 digital media subscriptions, up from 2.3 last year. And that’s leaving them lighter in the wallet, with spending up to $62 per month – a jump from $55 in 2021. Some of the key findings and insights of the survey of more than 2,000 consumers include:
  • The top digital entertainment activity overall is watching live free-to-air TV, followed by watching subscription video on demand (SVOD) TV and movies,
  • 30% have a sport subscription, and 49% pay at least $20 per month.
  • Women’s sport continues its meteoric rise, with the majority of viewers being male.
• Women in the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation, Leadership, and Media Coverage, Women's Sport Foundation, (April 2022). This study is the seventh report in the series that follows the progress of women in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Some of the major findings documented by this study included:
  • Women account for close to 49% of the overall athletes in the Olympic Games. Many larger nations brought delegations with more than 50% female athletes.
  • While not equal, the Olympic programme has narrowed the gap in terms of number of medal events for female and male athletes.
  • While significant strides have been made to increase the number of women in leadership positions, particularly within the IOC structure, women continue to be underrepresented within IFs, NOCs, IPC, and the IOC.
  • Continuing the trend from recent Olympic and Paralympic Games, online overage of both Olympic and Paralympic female athletes exceeded the coverage of male athletes in both articles and photographs.
  • Almost 70% of the articles about female athletes were “task” related. Similarly, 89.5% of articles about female Paralympians were “task” related.
• 2021 Women for Media Report: ‘Take the Next Steps’, Dr Jenna Price, Dr Blair Williams, Women's Leadership Institute Australia, (November 2021). Our fifth and most comprehensive report combines quantitative and qualitative analysis of close to 60,000 articles, plus in-depth interviews with leading figures in the media landscape. Sport was identified as one of the most male-dominated areas of the media, some specific statistics included:
  • 89% of sports stories included a male subject in comparison to 31% featuring a woman subject. 84% of quotes in sports articles were from men, and women were only quoted in 31% of the most prominent sport stories.
  • Male journalists wrote 76% of front page or top homepage stories in sport and 87% of sport stories in total. This was an improvement on the 2019 report, which found that women journalists contributed only 12% of sports stories.
  • Men’s opinions are published far more often than women’s opinions. In sport women wrote only 21% of opinion bylines.
  • The pandemic resulted in a slight reduction in coverage of women in sport as the media reverted back to its traditional male-dominated content.
• Closing the Visibility Gap, Women's Sport Trust, (April 2021). The most comprehensive study ever produced into the commercial drivers of women’s sport in the UK. The research found that the sports industry has underinvested in making female athletes visible in ways that resonate with fans; in creating meaningful interactions for partners; and in building prestige for women’s sport overall which is limiting rights-owners’ ability to capitalise on commercialising growing interest.
  • two-thirds of UK sport fans currently follow some form of women’s sport, and half have attended an event featuring women’s athletes.
  • More than 80% of UK women’s sport fans feel major events and TV broadcasts have been important factors behind following women’s sport. But currently over a third (36%) of women’s sport only use digital channels to broadcast their sport.
  • On the main social media channels of some of the highest-profile UK National Governing Bodies less than 30% of the most prominent images feature female athletes, a discrepancy that is even more marked for professional clubs in football, cricket and rugby.
  • Only 25% of UK sports fans who follow women’s sport do so actively.
  • Images of athletes in action are 12% more likely to prompt someone to find out more about the sport than images of athletes in a personal or entertainment setting.
  • Of major sports in the UK, netball and tennis are the only two that have more than 50% of female players who also classify themselves as fans.
  • Across sports played separately by men and women, the average gap between the percentage of known men’s and women’s ticket purchasers is 23% according to Two Circles benchmarks, which suggests sporting stakeholders are failing to fully capture available data on women’s sports fans.
• Exploring sports gender equality in the media, Ipsos MORI for the International Tennis Federation, (April 2021). This research was conducted and delivered by Ipsos MORI, utilising their in-house social media monitoring tool, Synthesio, by collecting online mentions relating to the 100 top-ranked male and female athletes across each of tennis, golf and football. The research analysed Global English as well as content from France, Spain and China. The absolute volume of online conversations is consistently and much higher for male tennis players than for female tennis players. On a like-for-like basis, female athletes are less likely to have their on-court performance discussed than men and more likely to have their off-court lives discussed. The conversation and coverage of men’s tennis is more focused on the sport, with a strong combative narrative and a sense of history, elite competition and achievement. This may contribute to a situation where on-court performance plays a bigger role in defining male tennis players than it does female tennis players. Conversely, the conversation around women’s tennis is less intense and relatively more focused on life off court, from health and age to family, framing tennis as a one facet. Where do these differences come from? Looking at relative differences in content by channel reveals how the mainstream media is driving these differences. There is not enough reporting of women’s tennis and a need to improve SEO. We have a collective responsibility to promote the sport and report on it in a consistent and unbiased way. The opportunity is therefore to drive more engagement in the women’s game by rooting a narrative more firmly in on-court action.
• Buried treasures and missed opportunities in Victorian sports reporting: Big data analysis of gender portrayal in print media in Victoria, Australia from 2014-2019, Dr Jeni Klugman and Professor Iris Bohnet, VicHealth, (May 2020). This study is the first ever, large-scale analysis of the extent and nature of the portrayal of women and men in Victorian sports print media. It provides important evidence to both inform the debate and to highlight challenges and opportunities. Content analysis revealed comparable and unbiased portrayal of men and women in sports reporting. For example, references to appearance, the use of gendered language and other measurable gender biases are infrequent in sports articles about both men and women. 2. Opportunities to read articles about women in sport are scarce and do not match the levels of female participation in sports, or the demand for articles about female sports. The vast majority of newspaper sports articles centre on men. 3. Female journalists are more likely to write about women in sport, but only account for 12 per cent of sports articles. The share of women writing sports articles fell from 18 per cent to 12 per cent over the five-year study period.
• Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women, Women's Sports Foundation, (January 2020). In this report, we examine the state of girls’ and women’s sport in the United States. One area of focus is media coverage and the report highlights that there has been a decline in coverage of women's sports in America from 1989-2014. They also report other similar trends to other research including the differences in the way in which female athletes are represented or discussed versus their male compatriots. A study of 75 newspapers and websites gave every organisation an 'F' for gender hiring practices. On average over 70% of editors, assistant editors, columnists, reporters, and copy editors/designers were male (predominantly white). Without balanced media coverage and representation the report suggests that women's sport, and female participation, will continue to lag behind men's.
• Snapshot analysis: social media commentary of sportswomen and men, PLAN International, (April 2019). The snapshot analysis of social media commentary found that more than a quarter of all comments towards sportswomen were sexist, sexualised, belittled women’s sports or were otherwise negative in nature. The analysis looked at a selection of social media commentary on Facebook posts shared by major sports news broadcasters in Australia in the past 12 months, and found:
  • Sportswomen face three times as many negative comments as men, at 27% compared to 9%
  • Social media abuse of sportswomen is overwhelmingly sexist – 23% of all negative comments towards sportswomen were sexist in nature, referring to traditional gender stereotypes, while 20% belittled women’s sports, their athletic abilities and skills.
  • Sexualised comments are only aimed at sportswomen – 14% of all negative comments towards sportswomen were sexualised, compared to 0% for male athletes.
  • Whilst the majority of negative comments towards men focused on cheating or drugs, some sportsmen were also subjected to sexist abuse towards men: 15% of negative comments towards men referred to traditional gender stereotypes, which deem that they must not display weakness or emotion.
• Gender equality in sport: Getting closer every day, Ivana Katsarova; graphics: Samy Chahr, European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing, (March 2019). Briefing paper covers background and research relating to gender equality and sport. Specific focus areas include: Women's (long) road to the Olympics; Women in sports-related decision-making; Women as coaches; Gender pay inequalities; Gender-related stereotypes in media representation; Popularity and coverage of women's sports events in the EU; European parliament views on gender equality in sport.
• Content is Queen: digital lessons from women's sport, Imagen, (2019). Incorporating the views of over 300 sports professionals, we’ve teamed up with SportsPro to explore the relationship between content distribution, new digital channels, and the rise of women's sports.
• An evaluation of participation levels and media representation of girls and women in sport and physical activity in Scotland, Dr Yvonne Laird, Jillian Manner, Audrey Buelo, et.al., The Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy, University of Edinburgh for the Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Advisory Board , (2019). Physical activity levels and sport participation are consistently lower for women and girls in Scotland compared with men and boys. The authors of this report conducted a rapid evidence review and content analysis of online news media and social media (Instagram and Twitter). This included a search of five online news outlets on two separate dates (BBC News, the Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Sun, and the Mirror). They identified a total of 1095 articles on the sport homepages of the five media outlets, of which 11% (119 out of 1095) were related to women, 22% of the articles relating to women included content perceived to sexualise women and 65% were related to women's sport performance.
• 2019 Women for Media Report: You can't be what you can't see, Jenna Price with Anne Maree Payne, Women's Leadership Institute Australia, (2019). The research provides a snapshot of Australia’s 15 most influential news sites on four consecutive Thursdays in October 2018. Key findings relating to sports stories include: 6 per cent of stories (18 stories) were sport-related. Female journalists authored only 12 per cent of the sports stories featured in our data set. 95 per cent of the direct sources and 89 per cent of the indirect sources for these stories were male. Two women photographers account for the relatively high proportion of female photo credits: a series of “crowd shots” taken by a female journalist who authored one sports-related story, and photos of AFL players taken by one female sports photographer from The Herald Sun. The one sports-related photograph of a female subject was of the family member of an Invictus games competitor, not of an actual sportswoman.
• Where are all the Women? Shining a light on the visibility of women’s sport in the media, European Union, (October 2018). The objective of the project was to identify how well the media represents women’s sport across the five countries and from this evidence base, challenge the current situation with journalists, broadcasters, and the sector as a whole, to understand how best to drive change. The coverage of women’s sport has a long way to go to achieve its fair share of media attention. This is true in terms of the low proportion compared to men’s sport, the limited variety of women’s sports covered, and lack of a consistent presence. There are examples of time periods when women’s sport is barely visible, sports channels where no women’s sport is in evidence, and countries where it fails to achieve more than 2% of the reporting time.
• Improving the media coverage of our sportswomen, Chantal Brunner, Megan Compain, Sarah Cowley Ross, et.al., New Zealand Women's Sport Leadership Academy, (2018). The purpose of this report is to examine the visibility, or otherwise, of female athletes in the media; set out the case for change; and recommend strategies to improve the visibility of sportswomen in traditional and digital media. Ten percent of the overall sports media coverage is not good enough. We recommend three actions to increase this - empower, collaborate, and champion.
• The case for change, Sport New Zealand, (2018). Provides an overview of research illustrating the 'case for change' for women and girls in sport. Focus areas are: Leadership, Participation, and Value and Visibility.
  • Female athletes were 20% more likely to be spoken for by their coach at the Rio Olympics and nine times more likely to be pictured with a male spouse or partner.
  • Online news coverage of the Rio Olympics from a major NZ media site dedicated 28.2% of its Olympic coverage solely to women, and 43.5% solely to men.
• The Rise in Women's Sports, Nielsen, (2018). For rights holders, brands and the media, the rapid change in women's sports represents a chance to develop a new commercial proposition and engage fans in a different way. Across the eight markets, 84% of general sports fans have an interest in women’s sports (they stated they had an interest in both male and female sports, or just in women’s sports). Of those, 51% are male. This confirms that women are interested in watching women’s sports and that women’s sports represents a major opportunity to engage male fans. 66% of the population are interested in at least one women's sport.
• Intergenerational Review of Australian Sport, Boston Consulting Group for the Australian Sports Commission, (2017). The recent round of rights negotiations have resulted in the big commercial sports receiving more than $4 billion for multi-year TV-rights deals – a 60 to 150% increase since the last round of rights negotiations. The success of the big commercial sports significantly increases their financial strength, given the extra flow-on benefits on sponsorship and exposure to future fans and participants. By contrast, most other sports are experiencing flat or declining TV exposure and rights deals, with the media coverage of women’s sport, for example, falling from 11% of total sports coverage to 8.7% over the past decade.
• WINS: Women in Sport, Dinsdale S, White K, de Vries A and Mendelsohn J, Accenture, co-sponsored by Cricket Australia and Australian Rugby Union, (2017). The current gap in the development and value of women’s sport is often cited as a “chicken and egg” problem; media exposure and sponsorship drive popularity and value yet obtaining media coverage and sponsorship demands popularity. This report helps to illuminate some of the key issues and actions in breaking this conundrum. The views expressed in this report are based upon interviews with prominent individuals in women’s sport across several codes, as well as available research.
• Her Life Depends On It III: Sport, Physical Activity, and the Health and Well-Being of American Girls and Women, Staurowsky, E. J., DeSousa, M. J., Miller, K. E., et al., Women’s Sports Foundation, (May 2015). A comprehensive report that reviews existing and emerging research on the links between participation in sport and physical activity and the health and wellbeing of American girls and women. As with the previous editions in 2004 and 2009, this study also confirms that physical activity and sport provides the critical foundation, in no small part, that allows girls and women to lead healthy, strong, and fulfilled lives. The report’s contents reflect the review of 1,500 studies, nearly 400 covered since the previous edition. While the report’s focus continues to be on U.S. girls and women, selected research findings that offer perspective regarding girls and women worldwide is also referenced in order to provide some perspective and context. The research compiled in this updated report strongly suggests that sport and physical activity provide conditions that help to ensure girls’ health and wellbeing (physical, social, psychological, and academic). In this report, we also highlight the emerging areas of research that focus on protecting the health of female athletes and offer insights into the steps that need to be taken to ensure their health and safety. Some important selected findings identified include:
  • As a general trend, females across the board, regardless of age, race, or social class, are shortchanged in realizing the benefits of participation in physically challenging activities. However, females from lower economic backgrounds, females of color and females with disabilities suffer even greater negative health consequences as a result of less engagement in physical activity and less access to sport and physical fitness programs.
  • Historically, women’s sport has received little media coverage. As a consequence, the stories that are passed on about famous athletes across the spectrum (from local heroes to international stars) have been dominated by stories of men (legendary coaches and athletes, teams and events). Thus, the representation of women athletes in the present is decontextualized, offered up with less media infrastructure than that which exists for men athletes. Thus, women’s sport is confronted with the reality of having to reassert its position, to stake its claim within each new generation.
• Final Report of the Government’s Women and Sport Advisory Board, United Kingdom, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Women and Sport Advisory Board, (March 2015). The aim of this final report is to present a final overview of the Board’s work and highlight some of the progress that has been made in women’s sport since summer 2013. The Board has also provided some suggestions for future action around women’s sport, based on their own extensive experience and insights in this area. Overall media coverage of women’s sport sits at around 7% with broadcasters overall at 10% and the print press at 2%. Given the emergence of new media platforms, and the different types of sports coverage, we do not believe a blanket target is useful in this context. Figures from the National Council for the Training of Journalists show that while 54% of journalism students are women, just 11% of sports journalism students are women. While we are hopeful that the market will start to shift to recognise the true value of women’s sport, there is still huge disparity between the levels of investment going into women’s sport (0.4%) compared to men’s sport (85.5%).
• Prime Time: the case for commercial investment in women's sport, The Commission on the Future of Women's Sport [UK], (2015). According to UK sports fans, women’s sport is exciting, skilful, internationally successful and growing faster than men’s. Some of the best of women’s sport is already attracting sizeable audiences and wide media interest, and there is clear demand from sports fans for more. Yet it attracts just a tiny percentage of sponsorship and broadcast expenditure: hundreds, if not thousands of times less than men’s sport. New, independent research and analysis provides strong evidence to suggest that women’s sport is being overlooked and under-valued. There is a compelling case for increased investment in a market that’s different to men’s sport; and yet one that offers unique commercial and social potential. By taking a new approach to a different market and working creatively in partnership, rights holders, sponsors, broadcasters and government stand to realise a significant return.
• Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media January 2008 to July 2009, Lumby C, Caple H and Greenwood K, University of New South Wales Journalism and Media Research Centre and Media Monitors, joint research for the Australian Sports Commission, (published 2010, last updated January 2014). The promotion of women in sport has been identified by the Australian Government as a key focus area for the future development of sport in Australia. This report presents a number of key findings concerning the gender bias in sports media coverage.
• Women and Sport: insights into the growing rise and importance of female fans and female athletes. Repucom, (2014). The rapid rise in the importance, influence, and value of female fans has been one of the most distinctive shifts in the sports marketing landscape in the last 50 years. This has been driven by some major societal and cultural changes around the world, and the increasing participation of women in sport. Fans are at the centre of the sports marketing equation and one of the primary reasons why sponsors invest in sport; female fans are considered of particularly high value to some sponsors given their influence over purchasing decisions. Using data derived from a large number of interviews around the world, this report looks at several commercial and societal implications of the growing female fan population, as well as factors influencing women's participation in sport. Key findings regarding fan interest in sport and participation in sport by women.
  • The gap between men’s and women’s interest in sport has narrowed over the last 50 years. Among women under 50 years-of-age, 48% were interested or very interested in sport, compared to 69% of men under 50. In addition, 36% of women over 50 years-of-age were interested or very interested in sport.
  • Overall, in six key television markets (USA, India, Brazil, France, Germany and Australia), 69% of men and 43% of women were interested in watching sport on TV.
  • Women who participated in sports at school were three times more likely to be interested in sports throughout their life. About 52% of the Australian women surveyed said they did not participate in sports at school.
• Women in sport broadcasting analysis, final report, Paterson J and Matzelle R, Australian Sports Commission (with expertise by REPUCOM), (April 2014). This research helps to establish the proportion of media exposure dedicated to women’s sport in Australia in both traditional and new media platforms. It analyses emerging trends since the publication, Toward a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media, was released in 2010. A secondary analysis provides insight into the relationship between sports broadcast exposure and the popularity of sports. A number of key insights are presented and recommendations are made.
• Women’s Sport: say yes to success, Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, (2014). This is the third major report from the WSFF examining the levels of commercial investment afforded to women’s sport in the UK. As well as updating these figures, we also include for the first time, the results of a media audit providing a detailed breakdown of the coverage different media types give to women’s sport. Commercial investment in sport and the media coverage it receives are inextricably linked; brands are looking for profile and media outlets need exciting competitions and events in packed sporting arenas to make for spectacular viewing and reporting. To improve one the other must also be addressed, hence this new combined analysis. This report reveals that despite some positive developments in a handful of sports, women’s sport in the UK still accounts for only 0.4% of the commercial investment going into all sports and for only 7% of total sports coverage in the media.
• International Sports Press Surveys 2005 and 2011, Play the Game, (2011). Working with different partners in 2005 and 2011, Play the Game has investigated how print media all over the world cover issues of sport. The two surveys were both - at their time - the largest quantitative surveys of sports content ever undertaken in printed media. Sports articles are dominated by men - perhaps because newspapers continue to focus on traditional approaches to sports coverage. Of the articles written about individuals - typically athletes - 85 percent are about men. Female athletes are the main characters in only nine percent of the articles. It has not been possible to determine the gender of the individuals in six percent of the cases.The same inequality is repeated when looking at the gender of the journalists writing the articles. Out of more than 11,000 sports articles with a byline, 92 percent were written by a man.
• About time! Women in sport and recreation in Australia, The Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee, (September 2006). On 29 March 2006, the Senate asked the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee to conduct an inquiry into women in sport and recreation in Australia. Chapter 6 of the report covers "Women's Sport and the Media'.
• An Illusory Image, a report on the media coverage and portrayal of women's sport in Australia 1996, Phillips M, Australian Sports Commission, (1997). A 1996 survey took a snapshot of media coverage of women’s sport from newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations during a two-week period, establishing a measurement of coverage and additional information about the portrayal of women’s sport in the media. The results showed that media coverage of women in sport is treated very differently from that of men.

• Female fans and social media: micro-communities and the formation of social capital, Alex Fenton, Leah Gillooly, Cristina Mihaela Vasilica, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 23(2), pp.370-390, (2023). The study contributes novel evidence to the fields of social media, social capital and football fandom, revealing that the male hegemony of football fandom is reinforced through social media. This leads to modified online behaviour by female fans, whereby micro-communities are formed in which they discuss football. The splintering of the online fan community into these micro-communities represents a form of cyberbalkanization and has implications for female fans’ ability to build bridging social capital on social media. The findings raise questions of how professional sports clubs can engage female audiences and champion inclusive cultures of fandom.
• ‘You feel a need to inspire and be active on these sites otherwise...people won’t remember your name’: Elite female athletes and the need to maintain ‘appropriate distance’ in navigating online gendered space, Molly Pocock, Michael Skey, New Media & Society, (27 January 2022). Drawing on interviews with UK-based elite sportswomen, the findings not only show how distance is carefully managed to protect themselves from negative comments and over-exposure online, but also the significance of building connections with young female followers. Indeed, the athletes prize their status as ‘role models’ and seek to provide ongoing support and a sense of community in what is often an antagonistic online space.
• The (un)level playing field: sport media during COVID-19, Kasey Symons, Tim Breitbarth, Nives Zubcevic-Basic, et al., European Sport Management Quarterly, volume 22(1), pp.55-71, (2022). The creation of sport media content is guided by the need to cover live, seasonal events, which typically results in the greater coverage of men’s sport than women’s. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, live sport was halted. This paper presents the findings of a study into the media coverage of women in sport during the pandemic. The findings show a slight reduction in the coverage of women in sport at the start of the COVID-19 crisis in Australia and that low levels of coverage persisted throughout. This indicates that in the absence of live sport, media institutions reflexively revert to traditional ritualized, routinized practices to create sport media content, and women in sport stories are excluded regardless of the presence of play.
• Media Framing of Women’s Football During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Keith Parry, Beth Clarkson, Ali Bowes, et al., Communication & Sport, (8 December 2021). Through a database search of British-based news coverage of women’s football, 100 news articles were identified in the first 6 months after the start of the pandemic. A thematic analysis was conducted, and five dominant frames were detected in the context of COVID-19: 1) financial precariousness of women’s football; 2) the commercial prioritisation of men’s football; 3) practical consideration of the sport (e.g., alterations to national and international competitions); 4) debating the future of women’s football and 5) concern for players (e.g., welfare, uncertain working conditions). These frames depart from the past trivialisation and sexualisation of women’s sport, demonstrate the increased visibility of women’s football, and shift the narrative towards the elite stratum of the game. Most of this reporting was by women journalists, while men were shown to write less than women about women’s football. This research advocates continued diversification of the sports journalism workforce to dissolve the hegemonic masculine culture that still largely dominates the industry.
• Analysis from a gender perspective of the Olympic Games on Twitter, Alba Adá-Lameiras, Yolanda Rodríguez-Castro, European Sport Management Quarterly, (13 April 2021). Audiences have adopted and integrated the consumption of mega-sports events, such as the Olympic Games, through social platforms like Twitter. It is the objective of this research to identify, ‘what’ is being said (text) and ‘how’ female athletes are presented (image) on Twitter during Rio2016 Olympic Games across a selection of Spanish media accounts. The sample consisted of 6,856 tweets, of which 1,343 were about women posted on the Twitter to positive information (47.46%), such as the achievements of the athletes, although one third of the tweets allude to negative content that highlights the female athletes’ failures. As for the photographs analyzed, it was found that 9% of the images of female athletes still revealed a clear sexual connotation, reinforcing gender stereotypes. Implications: The emergence of new technologies, such as Twitter, free from time and space constraints that are used to justify the low coverage of women's sport in traditional media (TV, radio, and press), do not allow the reversal of the marginal presence of female athletes in the media coverage during sports mega-events such as the Olympic Games.
• One and Done: The Long Eclipse of Women’s Televised Sports, 1989–2019, Cheryl Cooky, LaToya Council, Maria Mears, et al., Communication & Sport, Volume 9(3), (March 2021). The study reveals little change in the quantitative apportionment of coverage of women’s and men’s sports over the past 30 years. Men’s sports—especially the “Big Three” of basketball, football and baseball—still receive the lion’s share of the coverage, whether in-season or out of season. When a women’s sports story does appear, it is usually a case of “one and done,” a single women’s sports story obscured by a cluster of men’s stories that precede it, follow it, and are longer in length. Social media posts and online sports newsletters’ coverage, though a bit more diverse in some ways, mostly reflected these same patterned gender asymmetries. Gender-bland sexism continued as the dominant pattern in 2019 TV news and highlights’ stories on women’s sports. Three themes of this “gender-bland” coverage include: 1) nationalism, 2) asymmetrical gender marking coupled with local parochialism, and 3) community service/ charitable contributions.
• Biological and Socio-Cultural Factors Have the Potential to Influence the Health and Performance of Elite Female Athletes: A Cross Sectional Survey of 219 Elite Female Athletes in Aotearoa New Zealand, Alison Heather, Holly Thorpe, Megan Ogilvie, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Volume 3, (February 2021). Additional to health reporting issues, the study reports that appearance-related pressures, communication challenges and social media remain major barriers facing elite female athletes. Seventy-three percent believed elite sport participation was associated with pressure to have a specific physical appearance, and that such pressures may be damaging to their overall health. Fifty-four percent believed there was pressure to conform to heteronormative notions of feminine appearance with sources of pressure identified from social media (80%), themselves (77%), general public (54%), and other media (53%). Appearance-related pressures to look a certain way (54%) were more frequently reported than other performance-related pressures (44%). The sources of performance-related pressure were themselves (80%), social media (59%) or their coach (53%).
• Walking the Walk: Gender-bland Sexism, the Fan Experience and Perceptions of Value in Professional Women's Cricket, Keith Parry, Jessica Richards, Jo Batey, et al., in ;The Professionalisation of Women’s Sport' (Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender), Bowes, A., Culvin, A. (Ed.), Emerald Publishing, pp.211-277, (2021). Through a case study of Australian Women's Big Bash cricket team the ‘Sydney Sixers’, this chapter explores how women's cricket was experienced on match-day by fans, as well as perceptions of the value and quality of attending women's professional cricket. We first undertook participant observation at matches to understand how women's cricket was delivered, experienced and engaged with by fans. These observations informed a survey which was distributed to club members. Our findings suggest that there continue to be noticeable differences in the presentation of women's matches when compared to their male equivalents, providing evidence for the presence of gender-bland sexism in areas other than sports media.
• Representations of gender in media coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Toni Bruce, Olympic Analysis, (2021). Overall, like the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 gets a tick of approval but there are still some areas where gender infuses media coverage in inequitable ways. I look forward to a time when sportswomen are valued and visible, whether they win or not. Some key insights include:
  • Sportswomen dominated coverage, featuring in 65% of photographs promoting Paralympics stories. Men were the focus of less than 30% of photographs, and a small percentage highlighted mixed gender groups.
  • 53% of images of New Zealand athletes highlighted those who won medals. Sportswomen dominated because they won 10 of New Zealand’s 12 medals.
  • To gain media attention sportswomen need to win. I previously identified this pattern in Olympic and everyday media coverage, but it seems especially relevant for Paralympic sportswomen. In Tokyo 2020, 87% of female images featured medallists, but a medal focus was only evident in 20% of images of men.
  • Commentators’ discomfort with the word woman. Many were comfortable using ‘man’ to describe male athletes, but the use of ‘woman’ proved more challenging, leading to statements like “the lady in the middle has won the gold”.
  • The expression of emotions was highly gendered. Tears were almost expected of winning sportswomen—“and the tears tell a story” or “Sophie Pascoe breaks down in tears”. In contrast, male tears needed to be justified, as in the male commentator who explained “the tears are flowing—quite rightly so—a bronze medal and a lifetime best”.
• Sexualized and Athletic: Viewers’ Attitudes toward Sexualized Performance Images of Female Athletes, Elizabeth Daniels, Amanda Hood, Nicole LaVoi, et al., Sex Roles, Volume 84, pp.112-124, (2021). Using an experimental methodology, the present study investigated college students’ attitudes toward media images of female athletes. We are particularly focused on how viewers perceive media images of female athletes that have both an appearance and athleticism focus, such as those found in ESPN’s The Body Issue. U.S. college students (n = 563) viewed one of four types of images of the same athletes including: (a) sexualized athletes, (b) sexualized performance athletes (in which both athleticism and sexualization are present), (c) sport performance athletes (in which athletes are depicted playing their sport), or (d) non-sexualized athletes. They then rated the athletes’ competence, esteem, and sexual appeal. Overall, sexualized performance athletes were rated more positively than sexualized athletes, but less positively than sport performance athletes. These results have implications for advocacy efforts calling for more media coverage in which women are depicted as athletes rather than as sexual objects.
• Jocks versus jockettes: An analysis of the visual portrayal of male and female cover models on sports magazines, Ben Wasike. Journalism, Volume 21(10), pp.1432-1449, (October 2020). There are known gender-based disparities in sports news coverage. However, few have examined how these disparities manifest in sports news visuals such as sports magazine covers. Therefore, this study examined pertinent dynamics among all covers published to date for both Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. The study examined sexualization, camera angle, and nonverbal communication cues and their interplay with gender. Women appearing on the covers were likelier than men to be portrayed in a sexualized manner, in terms of skin exposure and suggestive poses. Men were likelier to be portrayed in active poses, and the cover lines emphasized gender over athletic achievement for women. The results also indicate that women were more likely to be portrayed smiling, as well as being portrayed in more positive camera angle shots. The author discusses the ramifications of gendered portrayal regarding sports magazines.
• Elite Women Athletes and Feminist Narrative in Sport, Colleen English, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, Volume 14(4), pp.537-550, (2020). This essay focuses on the marginalization of women athletes, in particular elite women athletes, in the narrative of sport. The most common athletic narratives serve to exclude women and remind female athletes of their secondary status. First, I establish the role of narrative and storytelling in sport. Secondly, I argue that gendered narratives pose a problem for women athletes—including both narratives intended to empower female athletes and narratives intended to compare male and female athletes.
• Making gains: Hypermuscularity and objectification of male and female Olympic athletes in Sports Illustrated across 60 years, MacKenzie Dafferner, Jenna Campagna, Rachel Rodgers, Body Image, Volume 29, pp.156-160, (June 2019). The aims of this study were therefore to examine gender differences in levels of muscularity and gendered and objectified portrayals of summer Olympic athletes (N = 78) depicted on the covers of Sports Illustrated over the last 60 years. Findings from this content analysis suggested that while female athletes are achieving greater media representation, significant gender differences still exist, with female athletes more likely to be depicted in sexually objectified ways. Findings also revealed that athletic bodies portrayed in the media have progressively become more muscular. Further efforts to close the gender gaps in depictions of athletes in the media are warranted.
• Social media and women’s sport: What have we learned so far, Ann Pegoraro, Katie Lebel, Alanna Harman, Chapter 35 in 'Routledge Handbook of the Business of Women's Sport', Nancy Lough, Andrea Geurin (eds.), Routledge, (2019). The purpose is to provide a comprehensive look at the issues faced by women in sport, athletes, and journalists on social media. We begin by providing a brief background on the media inequities faced by sportswomen. A thematic analysis of audience comments is offered to illustrate the types of engagement various digital presentations motivate among audiences. A sub-case analysis is then presented to explore the phenomenon of fan-generated content relative to women athletes. Finally, we look at the experience of women sport journalists in the digital space. In total, this chapter seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the impact of digital platforms on women’s sport, while generating insight into whether social media have helped or hindered women in sport.
• Sporting Women and Social Media: Sexualization, Misogyny, and Gender-Based Violence in Online Spaces, Emma Kavanagh, Chelsea Litchfield, Jaquelyn Osborne, International Journal of Sport Communication, Volume 12(4), pp.552-572, (2019). This study investigated gender-based violence targeting high-profile women in virtual environments through the case of women’s tennis. 2 popular social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) were analyzed to examine social commentary and fan interaction surrounding the top-5-seeded female tennis players during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Athletes were exposed to violent interactions in a number of ways. Four themes were identified through data analysis: threats of physical violence, sexualization that focused on the female physical appearance, sexualization that expressed desire and/or proposed physical or sexual contact, and sexualization that was vile, explicit, and threateningly violent in a sexual or misogynistic manner. Findings demonstrate how social media provides a space for unregulated gender-based cyberhate targeting high-profile women in their workplace in a way that traditional sport media does not.
• A New Age for Media Coverage of Women’s Sport? An Analysis of English Media Coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Kate Petty, Stacey Pope, Sociology, Volume 53(3), (October 2018). This article examines English print media coverage of the England national women’s football (soccer) team during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It draws on a content analysis of five English national newspapers from 24 May to 14 August 2015. A wide body of research has demonstrated that women’s sport continues to be greatly underrepresented in the media but our findings are important as they demonstrate that during this tournament, women’s football received a significant amount of print media coverage and that this coverage was largely positive. We argue that we have entered a new age of media coverage of women’s sport in the UK, with a shift towards greater gender equality.
• Sacrificing Dignity for Publicity: Content Analysis of Female and Male Athletes on “Sports Illustrated” and “ESPN the Magazine” Covers from 2012-2016, Cynthia Frisby, Advances in Journalism and Communication, Volume 5(2), (June 2017). Despite females’ increased participation in sport since the enactment of Title IX and calls for greater media coverage of female athletes, women appeared on just 10 percent of the covers compared to male athletes. Data show that the percentage of female athletes on the sports magazines covers did not change significantly over the span of five years and were comparable to levels reported by other researchers. Beyond the limited appearance on sport magazine covers, female athletes were shown in sexually objectifying poses, seductive eye gazes, scantily clad clothing, and sexy/inviting body poses while male athletes are often seen in their team uniforms depicted in active, game playing athletic motions associated or related to his sport. It is concluded that male athletes are still portrayed in ways which support hegemonic ideas of masculinity.
• “From Fizzle to Sizzle!” Televised Sports News and the Production of Gender-Bland Sexism, Michela Musto, Cheryl Cooky, Michael Messner, Gender & Society, Volume 31(5), (2017). As the gender order has shifted to incorporate girls’ and women’s movement into the masculine realm of sports, coverage of women’s sports has shifted away from overtly denigrating coverage in 1989 to ostensibly respectful but lackluster coverage in 2014. To theorize this shift, we introduce the concept of “gender-bland sexism,” a contemporary gender framework that superficially extends the principles of merit to women in sports. Televised news and highlight shows frame women in uninspired ways, making women’s athletic accomplishments appear lackluster compared to those of men’s. Because this “bland” language normalizes a hierarchy between men’s and women’s sports while simultaneously avoiding charges of overt sexism, this article contributes to gender theory by illuminating how women can be marginalized in male-dominated, male-controlled settings via individualized merit-based assessments of talent.
• Female athletes, women's sport, and the sport media commercial complex: Have we really “come a long way, baby”? Fink J, Sport Management Review, Volume 18(3), pp.331-342, (2015). The 2012 London Olympic Games were heralded as the ‘Year of the Woman’ as every delegation sent a female athlete to compete. However, female athletes and women's sport still receive disparate treatment by the sport media commercial complex, compared to male athletes and men's sport. This review documents the qualitative and quantitative differences and discusses the negative impact this differential coverage has on consumer perceptions of women's sport and female athletes.
• “It’s Dude Time!” A quarter century of excluding women’s sports in televised news and highlight shows, Cooky C, Messner M, Musto M, Communication and Sport, Volume 3(3), pp.261-287, (2015). This study, a 5-year update to a 25-year longitudinal study, indicates that the quantity of coverage of women’s sports in televised sports news and highlights shows remains dismally low. The study reveals some qualitative changes over time, including a decline in the once-common tendency to present women as sexualised objects of humour replaced by a tendency to view women athletes in their roles as mothers. The analysis highlights a stark contrast between the exciting, amplified delivery of stories about men’s sports, and the often dull, matter-of-fact delivery of women’s sports stories. This article also provides three broadcast policy recommendations that would move TV sports news and highlights shows toward greater gender equity and fairness. First, present a roughly equitable quantity of coverage of women’s sports. Second, present women’s sports stories in ways roughly equivalent in quality with the typical presentation of men’s sports. This refers to both the technical quality (deploying ample game footage, graphics, music, and interviews to accompany a story) and to the quality of the sports reporter’s verbal presentation. Third, broadcasters should hire and retain on-camera sports commentators who are capable and willing to present women’s sport in the same light as men’s sport.
• “I’ve never really thought about it”: the process of news construction and perception of underrepresentation of women’s sport media coverage by editors-in-chief in mainstream Polish media, Natalia Organista, Zuzanna Mazur, Sport in Society, (22 June 2020). In recent decades, a lot of work has been dedicated to gender bias in sports media coverage. However, there have been far fewer studies on gatekeeping processes in sports media. Using 11 in-depth interviews, this study analyses the information selection process to see if and how section processes influence sports media coverage on women’s sport in the Polish media. The study showed that for the participants the superiority of men’s sport was a given and editors did not feel obliged to promote women’s sport, despite being involved in the promotion of other disciplines or coverage in the media. Furthermore, the way of producing information in the Polish sports media depends on the personal beliefs of editors-in-chief. The ideology of the superiority of male sports adopted by the participants makes coverage on women’s sports biased, despite the journalists’ conviction about the objectivity of media coverage.
• Shame, pain and fame: sportswomen losing in Australia’s mainstream media reporting, Adele Pavlidis, Laura Rodriguez Castro, Millicent Kennelly, Sport in Society, (24 June 2020). This article adds to a growing body of literature that engages with failure as a way of knowing and understanding the social. Through a focus on images of sportswomen’s loss or failure in three Australian newspapers during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games we analyzed affective-discourses and patterns in images and accompanying headlines, captions and stories to explore the place of loss in the narrative of mainstream sport reporting. Through this focus on loss we hoped to find points of disruption that might generate new conceptions of women in sport. What we found was that stories of loss in mainstream newspaper coverage reproduced transphobic, racist, nationalistic, ageist and sexist discourses. We conclude by calling for research that explores how athletes self-present their losses in digital platforms subjectively rather than being reported ‘on’.
• Twitter, Team GB and the Australian Olympic Team: representations of gender in social media spaces, Chelsea Litchfield, Emma Kavanagh, Sport in Society, Volume 22(7), pp.1148-1164, (2018). Unlike traditional forms of sports media, online sports media offers the potential for diverse representations of athletes. The current study examined gender in social media coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games using a third wave feminist lens. The analysis focused on the Twitter pages of ‘Team GB’ and the ‘Australian Olympic team’ and the sports stories and images posted during the Rio Olympic Games. Despite a number of traditional differences in the ways that male and females were represented being present, such as the presence of ‘active’ images of male athletes accompanying sports stories and the presence of infantalization in the language used to represent female performers, this analysis demonstrated significant strides forward in terms of the quantity of coverage received by women in online spaces. It further highlights virtual platforms as dynamic spaces for the representation of women athletes.

• Women & Girls in Sport: Closing the Visibility Gap with authentic representation, Getty Images, (accessed 18 April 2023). We believe media companies, brands and sports rights holders can change the perceptions of women sport by changing the visuals they use. To help lead change, we have put together practical Women & Girls in Sport Guidelines to help creatives, editors, art directors, marketers to create and select visual content for unbiased, inclusive visual storytelling.
  • Getty Images Visual GPS research shows that 68% of fans now believe sports organisations and brands should do more to promote women in sport.
  • Sports fans' top visual preferences are seeing women and girls of all age groups, body types and abilities engaging in sport.
  • According to Getty Images VisualGPS, 7 in 10 fans would like to see female athletes portrayed in a way that focuses on their skill and athleticism rather than their beauty, glamour or sex appeal.
• Menopause: Empowering Better Representation, Getty Images, (accessed 18 April 2023). We are thrilled to partner with Women in Sport to create a gallery of inspiring and relatable visuals that showcase the endless possibilities that sport can bring to women in mid‑life who have experienced or are experiencing perimenopause or menopause through an authentic and respectful lens. The benefit for brands is clear: nearly 7 in 10 women prefer to buy from brands that represent people like themselves.

• All In Film, Danny Warley, Cardrona Alpine Resort/YouTube, (9 June 2022). Cardrona and Treble Cone are proud to present All In - a short documentary about women's experiences in the snow sports industry. This film is a starting point. It's where we begin the conversation. It's not all that needs to be done so we'll keep asking questions, learning, and making change. We're committed to equitable gender representation in all our marketing media, and we're starting with our women. Take a watch and let us know what you think! We're All In, are you?
• Global analysis of gender-based disparities in media coverage of elite sport, WomenSport Internationa, YouTube, (12 April 2022). The purpose of this presentation is to propose a scientific, accurate, detailed global analysis of the gender-based disparities in the media coverage of elite sport.
• Social Media and the Sports Woman, High Performance Sport New Zealand, YouTube, (9 November 2021). Covers the background, risks, pressures, research and digital pruning for female athletes using social media.
• Sports Media Coverage of Elite Female Athletes with Disabilities, WomenSport International, YouTube, (26 September 2021). Athletes with disability are invisible in routine media coverage. Significantly less coverage of the Paralympic Games than the Olympic Games.
• Portrayal: removing gender bias and achieving gender balance, International Federation Gender Equality Webinar Series - Session 5, International Olympic Committee, (23 September 2020). Opening session highlighted best practices when portraying an individual, team or organisation across communications output, media operations and broadcasting. Portrayal covers the language, images, prominence and positioning used in messaging and reporting, and participants learnt about the critical points, when action should be taken to create fair and equal depictions. Barbara Slater, BBC Sport Director and a member of the IOC Women in Sport Commission, addressed the topic together with Katrina Adams, Vice-President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Chair of the ITF Gender Equality in Tennis Committee. They discussed the initiatives that have contributed to more gender-equal portrayal and coverage in sport, as well as what should be done in the future.