Sexism and inequalities in sport

Women and Equalities Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 2 May 2023 Closed: 28 May 2024 Parliament page
Following earlier sessions on football, timed to coincide with the 2022 men’s World Cup, the Women and Equalities Committee is examining sexism and inequality in sport more widely. A key focus will be on how girls’ and women’s health and physiology – body image, injuries and sports-related illnesses, periods, pregnancy … Read more
12 Recommendations
7 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
17 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 25 events
17 May
2024
Report published
24 Apr
2024
Correspondence
21 Mar
2024
Correspondence
5 Mar
2024
Report published
10 Jan
2024
Correspondence
10 Jan
2024
Correspondence
10 Jan
2024
Correspondence
10 Jan
2024
Correspondence
13 Dec
2023
Correspondence
6 Dec
2023
Correspondence
29 Nov
2023
Correspondence
29 Nov
2023
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
22 Nov 2023
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Women and Equalities Committee
Dame Katherine Grainger DBE · UK Sport Dr Craig Ranson · UK Sports Institute Emily Handyside · UK Coaching Jeanette Bain-Burnett · Sport England
6 Sep 2023
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Women and Equalities Committee
Jo Ward · Lawn Tennis Association Kelly Gordon · England Netball Nick Pink · England Hockey
14 Jun 2023
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Women and Equalities Committee
Baz Moffat · The Well HQ Dr Louise Newson · The Menopause Charity Eboni Usoro-Brown Janet Birkmyre Kate Seary · Kyniska Advocacy Lisa West · Women in Sport Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne Shaunagh Brown
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - Health barriers for girls and women in sport HC 130 5 Mar 2024 19 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
5 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Accepted
Third Report - Health barriers for…
Existing programmes fail to address girls' health barriers or reverse declining PE enjoyment.
Girls face a number of distinctive health and physiology-related barriers to participation in, and enjoyment of, sport and physical activity, from early years to post-puberty. Existing programmes and interventions from the Government and other bodies, while welcome, do not yet … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepted the recommendation, committing to reviewing and releasing updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, and conducting further work including a call for evidence to review PE delivery, but did not commit to setting specific age-group targets.
Government Equalities Office
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6 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Health barriers for…
Require Minister for Women officials to attend National Physical Activity Taskforce to address girls' distinct needs.
Given the very distinctive issues for girls, and to ensure their needs are not overlooked, we recommend the Minister for Women and Equality Hub officials attend the National Physical Activity Taskforce, alongside organisations with data and expertise in this area, … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it has already established the National Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT) and the Board of Women’s Sport, and regularly meets with relevant organisations to address women's and girls' activity barriers.
Government Equalities Office
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14 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Health barriers for…
Inconsistent knowledge and support for sportswomen's health needs among coaches and teams.
The level of knowledge and support for sportswomen’s health needs varies greatly between individual coaches and coaching teams. There are also wide variations in the adequacy of support across different sports. The national governing bodies we heard from were each … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, detailing that Sport England is establishing a Women in Coaching Taskforce to address barriers, developing a "This Girl Can" inspired training course for instructors, and undertaking a £100,000 action learning project to improve support for sportswomen's health.
Government Equalities Office
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15 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Health barriers for…
Convene a working group to develop strategy for educating coaches in female health.
We recommend that UK Sport, Sport England, UK Coaching, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and the national governing bodies Health barriers for girls and women in sport 41 come together to convene a female … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, detailing Sport England's work with Women in Sport to facilitate a Women in Coaching Taskforce, develop a 'This Girl Can' training course, and implement a £100,000 action learning project focused on female health education for coaches and sports leaders.
Government Equalities Office
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17 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Health barriers for…
Require DCMS to publish detailed insights, next steps, and timetable for integrity in sport.
Issues of bullying, harassment, abuse, and discrimination are not limited to swimming, with issues emerging across several sports in recent years. We welcome the DCMS’s call for evidence on integrity in sport, which closed three months ago, and expect to … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it will publish insights from the integrity call for evidence and outline next steps, while noting the Sport Integrity service is increasingly used and its performance is being monitored by UK Sport.
Government Equalities Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 19 of 12 classified
Accepted 5
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 4
Deferred 7
Total 12 recs + 7 conclusions
Correspondence 17 letters
24 Apr 2024 Correspondence with Frasers Group, relating to the categorisation of football boots and the impact this has on women and girls, dated March/April 2024
Parliament page
21 Mar 2024 Correspondence to Group CEO, Frasers Group PLC regarding barriers faced by women and girls in sport , dated 20 March 2024
Parliament page
10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from Sport England, relating to Sexism and inequalities in sport, dated 14 December 2023
Parliament page
10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from UK Sports Institute, relating to Sexism and inequalities in sport, dated December 2023
Parliament page
10 Jan 2024 Sport integrity statistics received from UK Sport, December 2023
Parliament page
10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from Minister for Schools, relating to health and physiology- related barriers for girls and women in sport, dated 19 December 2023
Parliament page
13 Dec 2023 Correspondence from Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, relating to the Independent Review of women's football, dated 4 December 2023
Parliament page
6 Dec 2023 Correspondence from the Youth Sport Trust relating to the Sexism and inequalities in sport inquiry, dated 29 November
Parliament page
29 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the Chair to the Minister for Women's health Strategy and Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, relating to Health and Physiology-related barriers for girls and women in sport and exercise, dated 22 November 2023
Parliament page
29 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the Chair to the Minister for Schools, relating to Health and physiology-related barriers for girls and women in sport and exercise, dated 22 November 2023
Parliament page
8 Nov 2023 Correspondence from Nike, relating to football boots
Parliament page
8 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the FA Director of Women's Football, The Football Association, relating to women's football
Parliament page
8 Nov 2023 Correspondence from Sports Direct, relating to football boots
Parliament page
25 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Chief Executive Officer Swim England, relating to the health and wellbeing of female swimmers
Parliament page
25 Oct 2023 Correspondence to Chief Executive Officer Swim England, relating to the health and wellbeing of female swimmers to
Parliament page
7 Aug 2023 Responses from Sports Executives on design and manufacture of football boots
Parliament page
5 Jul 2023 To committee Letter from the Chair to Sport Executives on the design and manufacturing of football boots
Parliament page