Written evidence submitted by The Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub, Loughborough University [BPS0007]
1.0 Who We Are
1.1 The Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub at Loughborough University brings together interdisciplinary expertise across sport sociology, coaching, leadership, health, and policy to address gender inequities in sport. The Hub is led by Professor Leanne Norman, an internationally leading scholar in advancing gender equity in sport workforces, whose research focuses on organisational culture, coaching workforces, and leadership in sport systems.
1.2 The Hub works in partnership with national governing bodies, charities, government agencies, and international organisations to generate evidence and applied solutions that improve the experiences of women and girls across sport systems. This includes collaboration on national policy initiatives, workforce development programmes, and system-level reviews. The Hub has led and contributed to major UK and international research programmes examining women’s participation and progression in sport, including large-scale studies of coaching workforces, organisational culture, and leadership pathways. This submission draws on this body of research.
2.0 Beyond Participation: Routes into Sport for Girls and Women – An Introduction and Summary
2.1 This submission responds directly to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into non-playing routes into sport for women and girls. It draws on recent UK and international research examining coaching systems, workforce conditions, organisational culture, and gender equality across sport. We could address each question in the call for evidence in full. However, this submission focuses on the structural, cultural, employment and governance-related barriers that shape women’s access to and progression within non-playing roles, as these represent the most significant and persistent challenges identified in the evidence.
2.2 Executive Summary
Conclusion: The evidence shows that incremental approaches have not delivered meaningful change. The Committee should prioritise system-level reform, including workforce investment, governance accountability, and organisational culture change.
3.0 Masculine cultures and barriers to progression
3.1 Our research shows that masculine cultures remain a defining feature of sport and continue to limit women’s access to non-playing roles across coaching, leadership, officiating and governance. These cultures are embedded in expectations of work and leadership, including long and unsocial working hours, constant availability, and norms that associate authority and expertise with masculinity. As a result, women are routinely positioned as outsiders within sport systems and are required to continually prove competence and legitimacy in ways that are not expected of their male counterparts. Women are routinely questioned as to their competency and capability based on their sex, and respect is just as gendered ⁵. For example, this is reinforced by recent research in English snow sport coaching, where women described being required to adopt masculine traits to be seen as credible and were routinely positioned as less capable within male-dominated environments.⁶
3.2 In the recent UK-wide study involving over 2,000 coaches led by Norman, it was found that women report lower levels of trust, support and inclusion, alongside higher exposure to negative behaviours within coaching environments.¹ Our research consistently demonstrates that these experiences are not isolated but are produced through everyday organisational practices, including informal recruitment processes, reliance on networks, and a lack of transparency in progression pathways.
3.3 Taken together, our work demonstrates that masculine cultures are not simply a matter of representation but are embedded within how sport is structured and organised. This helps to explain why progress in increasing women’s participation has not translated into greater representation across non-playing roles, and why existing interventions have had limited impact.
3.4 Our research shows that efforts to address these barriers have largely focused on targeted programmes such as mentoring, leadership initiatives and women-only development pathways. While these can improve confidence, visibility and short-term access, we find that their impact is limited where underlying organisational structures and cultures remain unchanged. This suggests that more effective action requires system-level reform, including redesigning roles and expectations, improving transparency in recruitment and progression, and embedding accountability for culture change within organisations.
4.0 Gender Bias, Discrimination, and Misogyny
4.1 Our research shows that gender bias, discrimination and misogyny remain widespread across non-playing roles in sport, including coaching, sport science, officiating, governance and media. Across these contexts, women report persistent challenges to their credibility and authority, alongside experiences of exclusion from informal networks and decision-making spaces. These dynamics are not confined to specific roles but reflect broader organisational cultures that continue to privilege men and masculinity within sport systems.
4.2 In our work with women in strength and conditioning, participants described experiences of misogynistic comments, gendered abuse and assumptions that women lack the physical expertise or authority required for high-performance roles.² Similarly, our research with coaches demonstrates that women are more likely to experience negative behaviours, including being overlooked for opportunities and subjected to greater scrutiny of their competence.¹ These findings indicate that gender bias operates both overtly and through everyday practices that shape access to and progression within sport. Similar patterns are evident in recent research with female sport coaches in England, where participants reported exclusion by male colleagues, experiences of disrespect and, in some cases, bullying and harassment within coaching environments.⁶
4.3 Evidence also shows that women’s experiences vary across sports and contexts. In some emerging or less professionalised sports, women may have greater access to entry-level roles but encounter limited progression opportunities due to weak workforce structures. In contrast, more established and professionalised sports often have clearer pathways but more entrenched cultures, where informal networks and historical norms act as barriers to inclusion. Across both contexts, our evidence indicates that organisational culture, rather than the level of participation alone, is a critical factor shaping women’s experiences.
4.4 Our work further highlights that these issues are particularly pronounced within leadership and governance, where women, especially those from racially minoritised backgrounds, report experiences of tokenism, marginalisation and limited influence in decision-making processes. ³,⁴ This demonstrates that gender bias is not experienced uniformly but intersects with other forms of inequality to shape more complex and persistent barriers.
4.5 Our research shows that efforts to address these issues have increased in recent years, including diversity and inclusion strategies, targeted recruitment initiatives and awareness programmes. However, we find that these approaches are often fragmented and focused on representation rather than the underlying conditions that produce inequality. As a result, they have had limited impact in reducing experiences of bias and discrimination at scale. More effective action requires moving beyond awareness and representation towards structural and cultural change, including greater accountability, transparency in decision-making, and sustained investment in inclusive workforce development.
5.0 Protection from Harm: Harassment, Abuse and Violence
5.1 Our research demonstrates that not enough is currently being done to protect girls and women from harm across sport systems, including in coaching, officiating and related roles. Evidence from our work shows that women frequently experience environments characterised by low psychological safety, weak reporting mechanisms and limited trust in organisational processes. This reflects a broader pattern in which safeguarding is often treated as a compliance exercise, rather than a core condition of safe and equitable work.¹
5.2 In our national research on coaching, women report significantly higher levels of bullying, harassment and negative behaviours than men, alongside a lack of confidence in how concerns would be addressed.¹ These experiences are shaped by wider organisational cultures that normalise aggression, informal working practices and unequal power relations. As a result, harm is not only experienced in extreme or isolated cases but is embedded within everyday coaching environments and interactions ⁵. This exposure increases with performance domain whereby women working in the highest levels of sport are at most risk of bullying, harassment, violence, and discrimination.
5.3 Our research in sport science and strength and conditioning further highlights the persistence of gendered harassment and abuse, including misogynistic comments, verbal abuse and discriminatory treatment. Women described being subjected to sexist remarks, public questioning of their competence and unequal pay and working conditions.² Evidence from English snow sport coaching further illustrates how such environments are experienced in practice, with women describing repeated exposure to disrespect, bullying and emotionally harmful interactions that shaped their willingness to remain and progress in coaching roles.⁶ These findings demonstrate that harmful behaviours are both interpersonal and structural, reinforcing women’s marginalisation across different areas of the sport workforce.
5.4 Our wider research also shows that organisational culture is the decisive factor shaping whether women feel safe in their roles. In more inclusive environments, such as those with clear leadership commitment, transparent processes and active support structures, women report more positive and secure experiences.³ In contrast, male-dominated and informal cultures are more likely to tolerate harmful behaviours and discourage reporting. This indicates that protection from harm is not simply about policies, but about how those policies are enacted in practice.
5.5 While there has been increased attention to safeguarding in recent years, our evidence suggests that current approaches are insufficient. Many initiatives focus on awareness, codes of conduct or individual behaviour change, without addressing the underlying conditions that enable harm. This includes insecure employment, unclear reporting structures, power imbalances and a lack of accountability within organisations.¹ As a result, women continue to bear the burden of navigating unsafe environments, rather than systems being designed to prevent harm.
5.6 Our research indicates that more effective action requires a shift towards system-level change. This includes embedding safeguarding within workforce design, strengthening independent reporting and accountability mechanisms, closing the gap between intent and policy with lived experience and trust, and ensuring that leaders are responsible for creating safe and inclusive environments. It also requires recognising the specific risks faced by women across different roles and contexts and designing targeted interventions accordingly. Without addressing these structural and cultural factors, efforts to protect girls and women from harm are unlikely to be effective or sustainable.
6.0 Employment and Contractual Barriers
6.1 Our research shows that employment and contractual conditions represent one of the most significant and persistent barriers to women’s access to and progression within non-playing roles in sport. Across coaching, sport science and related roles, work is frequently characterised by insecure contracts, low or inconsistent pay, and limited access to benefits such as maternity provision, childcare support and flexible working.¹ These conditions shape who is able to enter, remain and progress within the sport workforce. This is reflected in sport-specific contexts such as snow sport coaching, where women described limited paid opportunities, reliance on voluntary roles, and significant barriers to progression linked to the cost and accessibility of qualifications.⁶
6.2 In addition, awareness of rights and entitlements is a significant but often overlooked issue. Evidence from our national coaching research shows that many women are unaware of their maternity rights or the policies that apply within their organisation. This is compounded by the widespread use of casual, freelance and zero-hour contracts across the sector, meaning that many women are not formally classified as employees and may not be eligible for statutory protections. As a result, women are often navigating pregnancy and motherhood without clarity on their rights, or without legal protection at all, creating significant insecurity and acting as a barrier to retention.
6.3 In our national research on coaching, participants described coaching as precarious work, often reliant on short-term contracts, voluntary labour or multiple roles across organisations.¹ Women in particular reported challenges in sustaining careers due to financial instability and the incompatibility of working patterns with caring responsibilities. These findings demonstrate that employment conditions are not neutral but systematically disadvantage women. Access to opportunities is frequently mediated through informal networks and personal relationships, rather than transparent recruitment and progression processes.⁵ This reinforces existing inequalities, limiting access for women who are less connected to established networks within male-dominated environments.
6.4 Across our work, we find that mentoring and targeted development programmes can support women’s confidence and short-term progression but are insufficient where wider employment conditions remain unchanged.³ Without secure contracts, fair pay and clear progression pathways, such initiatives do not translate into sustained career opportunities.
6.5 Our evidence indicates that addressing these barriers requires coordinated action from both governing bodies and Government. This includes establishing minimum employment standards across sport, improving pay and contract security, and embedding flexible and family-friendly working practices.¹ It also requires greater transparency in recruitment and progression, alongside accountability mechanisms to ensure that organisations are actively supporting women’s careers.
6.6 Our research further suggests that public funding should be used as a lever for change, with governing bodies required to demonstrate progress in workforce diversity, employment conditions and retention. Without addressing these structural issues, efforts to improve representation will continue to be limited in impact.
7.0 Additional and intersectional barriers
7.1 Our research shows that barriers to participation in non-playing roles are not experienced equally and are compounded for some groups of women, particularly those from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds ³,⁴. Across our work, we find that these women encounter additional structural and cultural barriers that limit access, progression and influence within sport systems.⁴ In governance and leadership, women from racially minoritised backgrounds described experiences of tokenism, marginalisation and exclusion from decision-making processes.³,⁴ These experiences were often shaped by overlapping forms of discrimination, where gender and race intersect to produce more complex and persistent barriers than those experienced by white women.
7.2 Our research also shows that informal recruitment practices and reliance on existing networks can further disadvantage women from underrepresented groups, particularly where these networks are historically homogeneous.¹ As a result, access to opportunities is uneven and often dependent on proximity to established power structures within sport.
7.3 While our primary evidence base focuses on gender and race, the patterns identified in our research are consistent with wider evidence on inequality in sport, which shows that women with disabilities and other underrepresented groups face additional barriers related to access, representation and support, such as more precarious employment contracts¹. Other barriers also include limited pathways, reduced visibility and a lack of tailored provision across sport systems.
7.4 Our research indicates that current approaches to equality in sport often fail to account for these intersecting barriers. Many initiatives focus on gender in isolation, which risks overlooking the experiences of those who face multiple forms of disadvantage. As a result, progress has been uneven and has not been experienced equally across all groups of women. Therefore, the evidence suggests that more effective action requires an explicitly intersectional approach ⁴. This includes improving data collection and monitoring across multiple characteristics, designing targeted interventions that reflect different lived experiences, and ensuring that leadership and decision-making structures are more representative.³ It also requires addressing the structural conditions, such as employment practices, organisational culture and access to networks, that underpin inequality across the system.
8.0 Representation, Requirements and Enforcement
8.1 Our research shows that increasing representation of women in non-playing roles, including at Board and senior leadership level, remains necessary but is not sufficient on its own to achieve meaningful change. While representation is often used as a primary indicator of progress, our evidence demonstrates that it does not automatically translate into improved experiences, influence or retention where underlying organisational cultures and structures remain unchanged.¹,³ We find that, in the absence of clear requirements and accountability, progress in representation has been uneven and slow. Many organisations have adopted voluntary targets or diversity statements, but these are often not accompanied by changes to recruitment practices, working conditions or decision-making structures. As a result, gains in representation can be limited, fragile or performative.³
8.2 Future governmental intervention should include the introduction of stronger and more consistent requirements on sports organisations to increase representation across non-playing roles, including at Board level. However, these requirements should extend beyond numerical targets to include expectations on recruitment processes, progression pathways, retention and organisational culture.¹ In particular, our evidence indicates that requirements should include greater transparency in recruitment and promotion, the use of formalised and inclusive selection processes, and the collection and publication of workforce data across gender and other characteristics.¹ This would help to address the reliance on informal networks and reduce barriers to entry and progression.
8.3 We also suggest that requirements should be linked to the conditions of work within sport, including employment security, pay and access to flexible working. Without addressing these factors, increasing representation is unlikely to lead to sustained change. In terms of enforcement, our evidence indicates that voluntary approaches have had limited impact. More effective mechanisms would include linking public funding to demonstrable progress in gender equity, requiring regular reporting and independent monitoring, and establishing clear consequences for organisations that fail to meet agreed standards.
8.4 Taken together, our research demonstrates that increasing representation requires a shift from voluntary, target-based approaches towards a more comprehensive model of accountability. This should combine clear requirements, transparent reporting and enforcement mechanisms, alongside sustained attention to the structural and cultural conditions that shape women’s participation in non-playing roles. Providing resource for these changes is also fundamental as many sports prioritise their limited funding and other resource in other areas.
9. Progress, dissemination and coordination of good practice
9.1 There is evidence of progress towards improving representation of women in non-playing roles, particularly through targeted development initiatives, positive action programmes, and coaching interventions ⁷. These initiatives have supported increased confidence, visibility and access to opportunities for some women within specific contexts. However, this progress is often partial and does not consistently translate into sustained progression or equal representation across the system. While such initiatives can support entry and early-stage progression, they do not in isolation address the structural and cultural barriers that shape longer-term outcomes. What is needed is a shift from programme thinking, to system change.
9.2 Across our research, progression is shown to be shaped by wider system conditions, including unclear pathways, reliance on informal networks and uneven organisational practices. As a result, examples of good practice tend to remain localised, dependent on specific programmes or individuals, and difficult to sustain or scale ⁷. The challenge, therefore, is not the absence of effective initiatives, but the lack of mechanisms to embed and coordinate them across the sport system.
9.3 More effective dissemination requires a coordinated, embedded, system-level approach. This includes aligning expectations and standards across organisations, creating structures for shared learning, and ensuring that successful approaches are systematically scaled rather than confined to isolated programmes ⁷. It also requires increased resourcing and funding and collective ownership across the sport system, recognising that the conditions shaping progression sit across national governing bodies, clubs and local environments. Improving representation therefore depends on creating the conditions for effective practice to be sustained and embedded, rather than identifying isolated examples of success.
April 2026
¹ Women in Sport Women in Coaching Taskforce Report. (2026) Reimagining Sport Coaching: Designing a System that Works for Women.
² Craft, V. (Loughborough University) “(Un)doing Gender in Strength and Conditioning Coaching” (PhD thesis)
³ Leslie-Walker, A., & Chikh, Z. (2026). Exploring racialised minority women’s lived experiences of negotiating sports boardroom positions in the UK. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 18(1), 197–216. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2025.2592557 [open access]
⁴ Bamuhair, N., Giulianotti, R., & Mason, C. (2026). Saudi women and sport participation: An examination of the ‘Sport for All’ policy and its alignment with women’s experiences. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902251404952
⁵ Norman, L. and Simpson, R. (2023) Gendered microaggressions towards the “only” women coaches in high-performance sport. Sports Coaching Review, 12(3), pp. 302–322.
⁶ Monserrat-Revillo, S., Salhauge-Rasmussen, F., & Matthews, Z. (2025). Breaking the ice: an exploration into the barriers and supports experienced by female Snowsport England coaches. Sports Coaching Review, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2025.2595371
⁷ Emery, C., Sandford, R., & Cope, E. (In press). ‘An Examination of Policymakers’ and Facilitators’ Efforts to Create Physical Education Communities of Practice to Support Girls’ Football in Schools in England’. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2026.2660940.