Data shows 89% of women in football industry experience discrimination | OneFootball

The number of women experiencing discrimination in the football industry is continuing to rise, according to new data. The latest survey conducted by the group Women in Football found that 89% of women working in the game have experienced discrimination in the workplace, up from 82% in 2023 and 66% four years ago.

Despite this continued increase, 85% of the women who responded to the survey were optimistic about the future of the industry and said they believe opportunities for women in the game will improve.

However, of those who reported an incident of discrimination at work, over 60% say no action was taken, while 16% of those people felt they were not even listened to when they made their complaint.

“Everyone knows that gender discrimination happens in football, but the problem isn’t just that it happens,” said Women in Football’s chief executive, Yvonne Harrison. “There’s an even bigger problem around how football deals with it. When gender discrimination happens, many women don’t feel they can report it, and when they do report it, too often no action is taken. Women deserve better.

“We know there is willingness in the football industry to work for gender equality and we appreciate the contribution of our male allies in achieving it. For real progress to be achieved at this point, the message of our survey is clear: listen to women, and act on what they tell you.”

In another part of the survey, asked if they felt women can excel within the football sector, only 68% of the women who responded said they agreed or strongly agreed with that statement.

The group’s director, Lungi Macebo, said: “Racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination usually do not exist in isolation. The ongoing fight for gender equality in football is inseparable from the wider battle for a fairer society, and the results of the Women in Football survey show that organisations need to approach equality, diversity and inclusion in an intersectional way.”

The survey received responses from 1,118 people in total, of whom 89% were women, 10% were men and 1% non-binary. Worldwide, the group Women in Football has more than 9,000 members, but this survey was not restricted to members only and 28% of the responses from the survey came from non-members. The survey was analysed by a research agency based in Germany, Iris Sport.

Header image: [Photograph: Lynne Cameron]