It’s an incredibly exciting time for women working in sport, with more roles and opportunities than ever before, especially as women’s sport experiences unprecedented growth. Women in our survey said they felt privileged, empowered and proud to work in the sector, and this is certainly something I feel myself, having worked in sport for over 30 years. Disappointing then, that our research also shows women working in sport face huge inequalities in terms of job opportunities, development and pay, with over half of them believing they are paid less than men for the same work. Women say sport can be a challenging, tough environment where they feel frustrated and lonely. We hope that the findings and advice we share in this report will serve as a wake-up call for employers and male colleagues, and reassure women that they are not alone in their concerns. One of the responses that resonated most with me was that 82% of women questioned felt being part of a large network of women working in sport would assist in their career progression. It’s little wonder then that we’ve seen such momentous growth in the Women’s Sport Collective, a free, inclusive network that I co-founded with Kate Hannon in 2021, which now boasts over 5,500 members from around the world. We hope that the work of the Collective will in some way support women working in the sector and that by working together we can help drive change and move towards a gender equal sports industry. We’re incredibly grateful to the 863 women from across sport who took the time to complete what will be an annual survey, sharing their valuable experiences and expertise, and also generously offering advice to younger women at the start of their careers in the sports industry. Finally, a thank you to leading sports research company, Sporting Insights, who support Fearless Women and the Women’s Sport Collective, and have partnered with us for this important work.

The report aims to put the lived experiences of women working in sport into the spotlight. It looks at the experiences women had when entering the industry as well as their current perspective on gender equality in the sector and their experiences of progressing their careers in sport. The report focuses on amplifying the voices of women working in sport. An online survey was promoted via the Women’s Sport Collective and wider sports industry in October 2022. It was completed by 863 women working in sport. Analysis and reporting has been completed by Sporting Insights.

file:///Users/prosposports/Downloads/Sporting-Insights-Report_Tackling-Inequality_Voice-of-women-working-in-sport_Feb-23-ccdawa.pdf