Sexism and bullying keeping women out of careers in sport, MPs told

Women are being shut out of careers in sport by entrenched sexism, discrimination and workplace bullying, MPs have been told.

Female coaches are routinely overlooked, undermined and denied opportunities despite their qualifications, experts told a parliamentary select committee on Thursday.

“These hostile environments are hideous for women trying to build a career in sports. It’s so bad that it’s unfair to put women in those environments,” said Lisa West, head of policy at Women in Sport.

The consequences extend far beyond individual careers, experts told the women and equalities committee’s first evidence session of its new inquiry, Beyond Participation: Routes into Sport for Girls and Women.

“A coaching system that sidelines women risks depriving athletes of role models, narrowing the talent pool and reinforcing the message that, even in a rapidly changing sporting landscape, the most influential positions remain a male preserve,”said Lisa Williams, the head coach of London All Stars women’s basketball team.

The committee heard that one in five female coaches reported experiencing harassment or bullying, reflecting deep-rooted biases that continue to shape who is trusted, promoted and listened to across sport.

The experts spoke of the daily sexism experienced by female coaches at the hands of anyone from parents to male colleagues. “And it’s not getting better,” said Williams. “Despite women having a very low confidence in reporting incidents – because there are no policies and no sanctions – we’ve seen an increase in reports from women about bad experiences.”

Highly qualified women are still being passed over in favour of less-experienced men, the panel heard. Hannah Dingley, girls’ head of academy at Manchester City Football Club, described her own experience of being channelled into junior roles.

Emma Hayes, former manager of Chelsea Women, said: ‘The realities are that male privilege has always been at the centre of football in this country.’ Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

“I’ve found myself only offered jobs teaching the under-9s, despite being more qualified than many of the male coaches hired for the older age groups,” she said. “The assumption was that I was too maternal, empathetic and soft to work at the top level of elite sport.”