Results summary of the ABC Women's Sport Survey

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

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

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

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

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