Select Committee · Women and Equalities Committee

Sexism and inequalities in sport

Status: Closed Opened: 2 May 2023 Closed: 28 May 2024 12 recommendations 7 conclusions 1 report

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 and maternity, and perimenopause and …

Clear

Reports

1 report
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

4 items
4 Recommendation Third Report - Health barriers for girl… Acknowledged

Review school PE kit guidance to ensure widest choice for girls, including sports bras.

The evidence on girls’ anxieties around PE kit is overwhelming. We recommend the Department for Education and National Physical Activity Taskforce review guidance for schools on school PE kit, with the aim of ensuring all schools permit the widest possible choice for girls. That guidance should include advice to schools …

Government response. The government accepted the recommendation but provided a vague commitment, describing the general activities of the National Physical Activity Taskforce and the Board of Women's Sport, without outlining specific actions or timelines for reviewing PE kit guidance for schools to …
Government Equalities Office
10 Conclusion Third Report - Health barriers for girl… Acknowledged

Slow response to women's ACL injuries indicates systemic gender inequality in sports research.

There has been a slow and disparate response to disproportionately high rates of ACL injury in women’s football. We have no doubt that a health issue of similar magnitude affecting elite male footballers would have received a faster, more thorough, and better coordinated response. We agree with Karen Carney that …

Government response. The government accepts the conclusion, stating it intends to work with the sector on integrity challenges, has run a call for evidence on how issues are dealt with, and will set out the results and next steps 'in due course'.
Government Equalities Office
12 Conclusion Third Report - Health barriers for girl… Acknowledged

Gender inequality causes limited progress and availability of female-specific sports kit and equipment.

It is symptomatic of gender inequality and sexism in the sports sector that the first football boot in the world designed around female feet came to the market less than four years ago. Since then, limited progress has been made by the largest sports brands, who between them have produced …

Government response. The government accepts the implicit recommendation, stating that the National Physical Activity Taskforce and the Board of Women’s Sport will address issues regarding female-specific kit, and that this will form part of future discussions.
Government Equalities Office
16 Conclusion Third Report - Health barriers for girl… Acknowledged

Mandate Sport England to oversee Swim England's response to coaching issues and culture.

Public weighing and body-shaming of girls and young women is wholly unacceptable. That this should have occurred in a sports environment, in which girls already face barriers to participation, is deplorable. Swim England must restore trust in swimming’s coaching practices and culture, and Sport England must oversee the change process …

Government response. The government generally agrees with the report's aims and highlights existing commitments and targets for women's and girls' participation in sport. However, it does not specifically address the call for Sport England to oversee Swim England or provide an update …
Government Equalities Office

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
22 Nov 2023 Dame Katherine Grainger DBE · UK Sport, Dr Craig Ranson · UK Sports Institute, Emily Handyside · UK Coaching, Jeanette Bain-Burnett · Sport England View ↗
6 Sep 2023 Jo Ward · Lawn Tennis Association, Kelly Gordon · England Netball, Nick Pink · England Hockey View ↗
14 Jun 2023 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 View ↗

Correspondence

17 letters
DateDirectionTitle
24 Apr 2024 Correspondence with Frasers Group, relating to the categorisation of football b…
21 Mar 2024 Correspondence to Group CEO, Frasers Group PLC regarding barriers faced by wome…
10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from Sport England, relating to Sexism and inequalities in sport…
10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from Minister for Schools, relating to health and physiology- re…
10 Jan 2024 Sport integrity statistics received from UK Sport, December 2023
10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from UK Sports Institute, relating to Sexism and inequalities in…
13 Dec 2023 Correspondence from Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, relating to…
6 Dec 2023 Correspondence from the Youth Sport Trust relating to the Sexism and inequaliti…
29 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the Chair to the Minister for Schools, relating to Health a…
29 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the Chair to the Minister for Women's health Strategy and M…
8 Nov 2023 Correspondence from Nike, relating to football boots
8 Nov 2023 Correspondence from Sports Direct, relating to football boots
8 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the FA Director of Women's Football, The Football Associati…
25 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Chief Executive Officer Swim England, relating to the h…
25 Oct 2023 Correspondence to Chief Executive Officer Swim England, relating to the health …
7 Aug 2023 Responses from Sports Executives on design and manufacture of football boots
5 Jul 2023 To cttee Letter from the Chair to Sport Executives on the design and manufacturing of fo…