This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #Accelerate Action for gender equality in sport and it seemed apt to highlight our partnership with Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH), our Young Women in Sports Leadership, mentoring scheme, which is now on its second cohort.
In sports within Scotland, we know there is a huge gap in female leadership at all levels. Poor self-confidence, poor self-belief, and low self-esteem are all barriers to young women reaching their goals. We see that by supporting young women to build certain skills and enhance their knowledge, we can help empower women to become the leaders they can be. We also recognise that women are less likely to pursue leadership opportunities due to these barriers, whether it involves applying for a CEO position or taking on a leadership role within their local club. This marks the beginning of fostering gender equality in leadership roles within the physical activity and sports sector.
We are working with women aged 18 to 24 through our Young Women in Sport Leadership programme to empower the next generation of leaders in physical activity and sport. Alongside an expert panel of young women, we spent two years designing and piloting the 12-month programme, which fully embeds education around leadership, mental health and wellbeing while providing support from a mentor.
The program has been specifically designed to provide young women with the opportunity to leverage the skills, expertise, and experience imparted by their mentors. The goal is to equip them with the confidence and skills necessary to pursue leadership opportunities in the future.
SW/S research from 2021 clearly identified the gap in all leadership roles in sport for women, and a new analytical report from the “All In Plus: Promoting Greater Gender Equality in Sport” joint project highlights both progress and persistent disparities in gender equality across European sport. Whilst this does not take Scottish or UK sport into account, I am sure that the findings will reflect the position that we hold here in Scotland.
Leadership: Women remain significantly underrepresented in decision-making roles. Only 12% of sports federations have a female President, and 29% have a female Vice-President or Board members. While 59% of sports organisations have taken action to increase women’s representation, disparities remain stark.
Coaching: Women make up only 23% of registered coaches, with significant variations among countries. While Malta (40%), Switzerland (39%) and Sweden (34%) have relatively higher proportions of female coaches, some jurisdictions have sports federations that employ no female coaches at all. Only half of sports organisations have taken action to recruit more women into coaching roles.
Officiating: Women account for just 32% of sports officials, with numbers particularly low in Austria (8%). Only 47% of sports organisations have implemented measures to increase female representation in officiating.
Participation: Women and girls represent only 31% of all sports federation members, with participation rates dropping significantly from youth to adulthood. Finland stands out as a leader in gender-balanced participation with 50%, while in many other jurisdictions, women’s engagement in sport remains limited.
SW/S and SAMH are delighted with the progress we have made and look forward to a future where women and girls have the opportunity to lead in all areas of sport.
Feedback from our participants has been extremely positive as this quote below clearly shows the impact this type of support can provide.
Programme Participant 2023-24
“I have learnt that resilience is about accepting growth and being proactive – I’ve built a kit bag of self-care and found this useful to refer back to when my mental health or stress levels are starting to struggle.
I’ve felt more able to pursue my sports and leadership goals with the support of my mentor and SMARTER goal setting, despite being busy and adjusting to university life. This has given me confidence in all parts of my life.
The programme expanded my network and provided me with lifelong connections and resources that continue to positively impact my journey in sports.”
Tina Hodge, one of the programme facilitators, said, “I am privileged to be part of this programme, Accelerating Change, for the next generation of young women within physical activity and sport. It is just the starting point of removing some of the barriers that women face within leadership with the hope that they will be more confident in themselves to reach their goals and see themselves within leadership roles.”
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