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Three years after discovering that two thirds of women in the football industry had experienced sexism at work, Women in Football is launching a new survey to find out whether the situation has improved.

With the Lionesses' triumph at UEFA Women's EURO 2022, and the women's World Cup taking place this summer, the popularity of the women's game is rocketing – and a growing number of women and girls are aspiring to play or work in football.

WIF's new survey, which can be found at bit.ly/WIFsurvey23, calls for women to share their experiences working or volunteering in and around the game, in order to gauge whether the traditionally male-dominated football industry is becoming a fairer and more welcoming place for those women to build careers.

And with a growing female fanbase, the need is greater than ever to ensure that the workforce and leadership of football clubs reflects the make-up of the communities they purport to represent.

Women in Football CEO Yvonne Harrison said: "We're here to make sure women's voices are heard in the football industry, and to do that we need as many women as possible, from a diverse range of social and professional backgrounds, to share their experiences with us through the Women in Football survey.

"As the leading organisation supporting gender equality in the game, Women in Football will ensure that the findings of the survey are seen – by policymakers, researchers, and governing bodies, by people in a position to make change happen."

The Women in Football survey remains open until Sunday 21 May. Respondents taking part can enter a draw to win fantastic prizes which include a football signed by England legends Anita Asante and Jill Scott MBE and a free place at the 2024 Women in Football Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays.

Membership of WIF is free, via online application, and open to anyone working in or around football who supports gender equality in the game. Members have access to the organisation's regular events, networking opportunities, online resources and much more.

Check out our survey social media posts here on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. 

 

Obstacles and stereotyping

Headline findings from WIF's last survey in 2020 were:

• 66% of respondents had personally experienced some form of gender discrimination in the football workplace, but only 12% had reported it
• 82% of respondents said they ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they’ve faced obstacles in their football career
• 81% ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they’ve faced gender stereotyping in their career
• 52% had been overlooked for career progression (agree/strongly agree)
• Only 45% believed that the football sector is one where women can excel (agree/strongly agree)
• Only 14% believed that women are encouraged to forge pathways to the highest-level careers in football (agree/strongly agree)

Findings from the 2023 follow-up will be published by Women in Football in July. Members of the
media are invited to receive copies of the report – please email info@womeninfootball.co.uk to
place an advance request.

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