ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey: Results summary

ABC Sport has released the results of its Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey, in partnership with Deakin University. 

It is based on the BBC's Elite British Sportswomen's Study.

Here is a summary of the findings, based on 152 responses from elite athletes spanning 47 sports (including some participating in multiple sports). 

The sports with the highest number of respondents were Aussie Rules, netball, athletics, soccer, rowing, and basketball.  

31 respondents recently retired (within last 5 years), and the rest are current athletes.

Earnings

• 39pc don’t earn any money from sport
• 36pc earn between $5,000 and $20,000 annually 
• Clubs/governing bodies/Australian Sports Commission provide the main source of income for athletes 
• 73pc don’t think athletes in their sport get paid enough compared to sportsmen 

Discrimination

• 51pc of respondents who identify has having a disability or chronic illness (39) have experienced discrimination in sport 
• 47pc of respondents who identify has having a disability or chronic illness say they aren’t adequately supported by their club, governing body, and/or team when it comes to disability/accessibility issues 
• 44pc have seen other athletes experience discrimination in their sport related to their disabilities/chronic illness 
• 32pc have been trolled on social media, and 87pc have seen other athletes in women’s sport being trolled 
• 89pc have not personally experienced racism in sport but 67pc have witnessed it

• 34pc have personally experienced sexual harassment or violence in sport, and 59pc have witnessed it 
• 35pc have personally experienced discrimination related to their sexuality and/or gender identity in sport, and 63pc have witnessed it 
• 41pc don’t think transgender women should be allowed to compete in women’s sport, 32pc think they should be allowed, and 23pc are unsure 
• 52pc think non-binary people should be allowed to compete in women’s sport, 30pc are unsure 

Health and wellbeing 

• 75pc have experienced menstrual irregularities as an athlete 
• 75pc say menstrual cycles aren’t taken into consideration for training in their sport 
• 40pc have used the Pill while an athlete, 19pc have used an IUD (e.g. Mirena), and 36pc haven’t used any hormonal contraceptives 
• 25pc have delayed pregnancy because of sport 
• 49pc believe there aren’t sufficient maternity protections or policies in place in their sport, 37pc are unsure 
• 43pc have positive/extremely positive feelings about their body image, 30pc have neutral feelings, 27pc have negative or extremely negative feelings  
• 44pc have experienced an eating disorder/disordered eating as an athlete 
• 65pc have been seriously injured or concussed when playing sport, of that group, 53pc were offered access to medical treatment and/or financial support while recovering  

Support

• 68pc don’t think there are enough women coaches in their sport 
• 49pc don’t think women in their sport have fair access to resources, facilities, and support services compared to sportsmen 
• 62pc believe their events, matches, training sessions are scheduled at fair times 
• 89pc don’t think there’s enough media coverage of women’s sport 
• 61pc rate the quality of media coverage of women’s sport in general as ‘average’ 
• 85pc don’t believe there’s enough education about women’s health for athletes and coaches/support staff in their sport