Female coaches 'twice as likely to be bullied', study finds
As many as 2,000 coaches and senior leaders in sport were surveyed for the study
- Published
Women who coach sports in the UK are experiencing bullying and harassment at far higher rates than men, according to a new study.
The survey of 2,000 coaches conducted by the charity Women in Sport and Leeds Beckett University found 30% of women surveyed said they had experienced bullying in coaching environments, compared with 15% of men.
Women also reported higher levels of harassment, with 21% saying they had experienced it compared with 12% of men, while they also faced more aggression or violence, affecting 22% of women compared with 19% of men surveyed.
The report said "sports coaching in the UK is a hostile environment for women", many of who "choose to walk away" from "a system that offers less security, less support and greater risks".
The study found the perpetrators of harassment of women coaches are mostly fellow coaches, while aggression and intimidation most often came from parents.
It adds that bullying becomes more severe the higher women progress, as 26% of women reported bullying at grassroots level, followed by 38% in talent pathways and 46% in high‑performance settings, where women are heavily outnumbered.
The research also found:
Men are almost twice as likely as women to hold permanent full‑time coaching roles, while women are more often unpaid, on zero‑hours contracts or working without formal agreements.
Only 12% of women say they receive regular feedback, despite 41% of workforce leaders saying feedback is routinely given.
Women are 18% less likely than men to feel their opinions are heard and respected, with the gap widening in talent pathway and high‑performance settings.
Women are more likely to avoid perpetrators than report them, despite 95% of organisations claiming zero‑tolerance policies, because of low trust in current reporting systems.
'A clear wake-up call'
"What we are seeing is a convergence of misogyny - women are not yet accepted as equal in sport and nor are they accepted in leadership roles," said Women in Sport CEO Stephanie Hilborne.
"If sport wants a coaching workforce fit for the future, it must put clear anti-misogyny policies in place, backed by training, to tackle harmful behaviours and the structures and cultures that allow inequality to persist."
Sport England chair Chris Boardman added: "It is a clear wake-up call.
"From safety fears when exercising, to online abuse and bullying in coaching, too many women and girls still face barriers across sport at every level."
Women in Sport said the findings show the need for long‑term cultural change across the coaching system to ensure women can work safely and confidently.
The charity recommended the introduction of anti‑misogyny policies across all levels of sport, backed by proper training, to tackle harmful behaviour and outdated attitudes.
It called for gender‑impact reporting and gender budgeting to help identify and close gaps in pay, expenses and investment in coach development, as well as ensuring gender-balanced leadership, with transparent annual reporting on the make-up of senior leadership.
It also wants independent and trusted reporting mechanisms to be established so that coaches can report harm safely and with confidence.
