By Ilaria Biancacci
I dream of the day I can open the sports section of a newspaper and read the review of a women’s football match without seeing comments on appearance, beauty, or gossip—but instead a professional account of the action on the pitch, the sharpness of the goals, the cleverness of the build-ups, the quality of the assists.
I dream of the day when women’s sports will occupy their rightful space in mainstream media, free from bias and stereotypes—a space illuminated by victories, achievements, major partnerships, sold-out stadiums and courts. A day when female athletes are not judged by the curves of their bodies, the length of their uniforms, or the color of their nails, but by their extraordinary performances. If we can do that for men’s sports, why not for women’s?
I dream of the day when girls will not feel excluded from PE or drop out of sports because their teachers and coaches fail to acknowledge and support them through body transformation, puberty, and all the turbulence of growing up. The day when a woman is free to wear a uniform that helps her perform—without being pressured to conform to standards set by the male gaze.
The day in which more women lead sports companies, media outlets, sponsorship deals.
The day we can turn on the TV and find a women’s game in a prime-time slot. The day we walk through the streets and see our sports heroines on advertisements, posters, store windows. The day we speak of sports—all sports, regardless of gender—giving space to diverse stories and experiences. The day when women in sports are paid the same as their male counterparts, training just as hard, achieving just as much.
The day when pregnancy or the desire to become a mother will not derail a female athlete’s career; when clubs and associations will support motherhood rather than penalize it. The day when girls will feel inspired to take up sport because they saw someone who looked like them scoring goals, winning gold, setting world records.
The day when sports clubs and associations guarantee safe physical and mental training spaces for women and girls. The day when I can enter the weight area of my local gym without feeling the judgmental eyes or feeling I don’t belong.
I dream of that day. And I believe we are inching toward it, day after day. But because, as much as there is progress, the data shows gender equality in sports — in access, pay, leadership, media coverage — is far from achieved.
According to the research commissioned by AXA UK as part of its ‘Keep on Kicking‘ campaign, only 7% of women over 18 in the UK play team sports regularly, the numbers drop sharply as women move into their 30s, 40s, 50s. Key reasons shared by a poll of 3000 women, include childcare demands, menstruation and menopause issue, lack of accessible teams and social anxiety. Data are alarming when we look at the rest of the world. According to a UNESCO report, 49% of girls drop out of sports during adolescence—about six times higher than the rate for boys. Key reasons include lack of women role models, safety concerns, negative body image, and low confidence.
Leadership remains skewed: according to data from the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity in the sport and physical activity sector just 18% of companies are run by women, and 28% of directors in that sector are female.
According to a recent study “Gender-based equality in sport and women’s presence in sport and sports leadership structures matrix 1.0 nation reports: a protocol for national and global annual report”, women now hold about 21% of leadership positions, showing improvement but still far below parity.
The World Athletics Council achieved gender equality in 2023, becoming the first Olympic sport to do so (50% female representation, up from 22% in 2016). All World Athletics bodies – including commissions, committees and taskforces – also now benefit from a minimum of 40% female representation (up from 15% in 2016). However, this has not yet been matched in leadership positions throughout the World Athletics membership.
Discrimination is unfortunately still widespread across many British sports institutions, and not only. In the latest report published by Women in Football, 89% of women working in football said they had experienced discrimination, ranging from sexist remarks and exclusion from decision-making to pay inequities and outright harassment. In 2025, a new reporting system for sexism and misogyny at football matches was introduced in the UK, coordinated by Kick It Out, Football’s anti-discrimination charity, and Her Game Too, award-winning campaign tackling sexism in sport, including football, rugby, cricket and ice hockey, in response to rising reports of abuse by female supporters.
And this isn’t unique to the UK. Globally, studies paint a similar picture.
A 2023 FIFA Women in Football report revealed that while women’s participation is growing, only 1 in 5 women working in football worldwide feel they have the same career opportunities as men.
In Australia, a 2024 survey of elite athletes found that 65% of female players reported gender discrimination in their careers, with issues ranging from unequal pay to lack of maternity protections.
Across international federations, female leaders frequently report being tokenised—invited onto boards for diversity optics but excluded from real influence. Harassment and abuse are also systemic.
While companies in broader business are making strides, sectors directly related to sport still show large power gaps especially in top executive and decision-making roles. Many sport goods companies still have few female CEOs and sporting bodies often have mostly male leadership. Yet research consistently shows that companies with more women in leadership achieve higher levels of innovation, stronger reputations, and better ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance. According to the World Economic Forum (2024), fostering a diverse and inclusive culture is also key to long-term talent retention, as women are more likely to remain with employers that actively support their career development and progression.
Equal leadership in sport is not only the responsibility of International Federations and National Governing Bodies; it extends to the entire business ecosystem of sport — from the boardroom to the bench. As explored in our feature “Beyond the Spotlight: The Hidden Struggle of Women Coaches in the Rise of Women’s Sport”, the underrepresentation of women coaches highlights how systemic barriers persist even as women’s sport continues to grow.
We made some steps forward and these helped drastically to create a momentum for women in sports, a wave of awareness and possibilities that can only bring more progress and inspiration. This year, the UK government announced it would spend up to £400m on improving grassroots facilities, with an emphasis on making those spaces more inclusive.
Early in March, Deloitte published an article stating that global revenues in women’s elite sports are expected to surpass US$2.35 billion in 2025, up from US$1.28 billion in 2022. Updated figures and projections were calculated based on three main categories of revenue: matchday, broadcast, and commercial. Commercial revenues, which included sponsorships, partnerships, merchandising sales, and pre-season tour income, surpassed US$1 billion for the first time in 2024, making up 55 per cent of women’s sport revenues. Basketball (44%) is forecast to overtake football (35%) as the highest revenue-generating sport. Achieving that kind of investment isn’t just about visibility — it’s about building sustainable systems. “Owning the Game: How Mercury/13 Is Rewriting Investment in Women’s Football” shows what’s possible when clubs receive long-term financial backing, proper facilities, and commercial autonomy to deliver professional environments for women athletes.
But investment and progress can only go so far without the power of storytelling. Because what the audience sees, reads, and hears shapes what — and who — is valued.
Today 20% of sports media coverage globally is dedicated to women’s sports. A big increase from 2022 and the “4%” figure, but by no means this is the endgame. Women’s sport has so much more to bring to the table.
Behind every victory, there’s a story the world hasn’t heard yet. This is why we created this series: to uncover those stories, to amplify the voices that have been ignored, and to show the world that women’s sport is not a side story—it is the story.
The question isn’t whether equality will come. The question is: how fast can we make it happen?
This article is part of the new series “Level the Playing Field: The Untold Stories of Women in Sport.” Each Monday, we publish a new story highlighting the women reshaping the world of sport — on and off the field. To read more inspiring stories of everyday women making a real difference in the world, be sure to check out the latest edition of Wempower magazine, or listen to our podcast.
