Women in sport: ‘No real progress over sport gender gap’

“No real progress” is being made to address gender inequality in sport, says a body set up to get more women into leadership roles.

Women on Boards, external carried out a study in 2014 which looked at how many governing bodies had women among their leaders.

Its first report since that study has found the number of women in some sport organisations has actually fallen.

However it admitted there had been “variable progress within individual sports and at country level”.

Women are under-represented on sport boards – and those playing sport are often underpaid when compared to men.

A BBC Sport study in 2014 found men received more prize money in 30% of sports.

Women on Boards says having more women in positions of power and helping to run sport will have a trickle down effect and help to close the gender gap.

UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl said there were other benefits to getting more women into leading roles in sport governance. She said: “When you inject female perspective into the sector, as with business, everything and everyone benefits.”

Writing in the Women in Board report, she added: “Women’s sport has come a long way in many countries. In the UK, governance of publicly funded sport organisations is relatively strong.

“We must continue to strive for more gender-balanced boards and diversity of thought in the governance of sport.”