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September 2020 - Sport, Leisure and Tourism

78% of elite British sportswomen are conscious of their body image: A survey of British sportswomen has found that more than three-quarters (78%) are conscious of their body image. The BBC Elite British Sportswomen's Survey also found that three in 10 (30%) have been trolled on social media - up from 14% in 2015 when the survey was last conducted.

The survey, which BBC Sport says is 'the biggest women's sport survey it has ever carried out', polled 537 elite British sportswomen and looked at issues such as sexism and racism in sport, body image, financial concerns, as well as the impact of Covid-19. It was last conducted in 2015, and then before that, in 2013.

The latest research found that 65% of the British sportswomen polled have experienced sexism within their sport, however, just 10% have reported it. Racism has also been an issue for some female athletes, with a fifth (20%) reporting that they have experienced or witnessed racism within their sport . 

Menstrual cycles and starting a family

The research also found issues around support for sportswomen who would like to start a family and with menstrual cycles. More than a third of the sportswomen polled (36%) said they don't feel supported by their club or governing body to take time off to have a baby and then continue to compete, while 4% (equivalent to 22 athletes polled) said they had terminated a pregnancy because they felt that having a child would affect their ability to compete and progress their sporting career. 

Also revealed by the research was that six in 10 (60%) athletes say their period has impacted their performance, or that they have skipped training due to it. However, two-fifths (40%) said they feel uncomfortable talking to their coach about it. 

Coverage of women's sports and salaries

When asked about coverage of women's sports, the vast majority of athletes polled (85%) said that they feel the media does not do enough to promote it, however, 93% did say that they believe coverage has improved over the last five years. 

Looking to wages, the survey revealed that 86% of sportswomen earn less than the national average gross wage - £30,629 per annum, according to 2019 ONS data. When respondents were asked if sportswomen are paid enough compared with their male counterparts for the sport they compete in, 85% said 'no', compared with just 8% who said 'yes'. 

Coronavirus pandemic

In terms of Covid-19, a fifth of the British sportswomen polled (20%) are worried they may have to give up their sport because of the coronavirus pandemic. When asked how concerned they were about the impact of Covid-19 on women's sport, a third (33.5%) said they were 'concerned', while a fifth (20.3%) said they were 'extremely concerned'. More than a quarter said they were 'somewhat concerned' (28.3%), while 7.8% were 'not at all concerned', according to the survey.

See more results from the BBC Elite British Sportswomen's Survey

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