Rising participation of women in Victorian sport sector: New research reveals progress and challenges

Rising participation of women in Victorian sport sector: New research reveals progress and challenges

New research from RMIT University shows greater overall participation from women in the Victorian sport sector workforce, but a need to improve retention and career development.

The number of women working in the Victorian sport sector has increased over seven years to 41% in 2022. However, women remain underrepresented in senior leadership roles, while continuing to represent the majority of administration roles. 

RMIT researchers used LinkedIn data to analyse trends in gender representation and workforce churn, finding the gender balance of employment improved most for on field roles (up by about 44%), and executive roles (increase of approximately 21%). 

Despite an increased representation of women employed across the sport sector, women remain underrepresented in senior leadership and experience higher turnover than men, particularly in legal, executive, and management roles.  

Professor Emma Sherry, Dean of the School of Management at RMIT, said the findings provided insight into the current state of play; the effectiveness of interventions and areas for future improvement. 

"We have seen progress in representation, which is a testament to targeted recruitment practices and strategic interventions to improve gender balance. However, our research highlights the challenges women face in retaining senior roles," said Professor Sherry.  

Key recommendations for sporting organisations include enhancing flexible work options to support women balancing professional and personal responsibilities, increasing career advancement opportunities such as mentorship programs and clear pathways to senior roles, and fostering inclusive leadership by supporting diversity across all levels of the organisation.  

"There is an urgent need to address structural and cultural hurdles women encounter in leadership positions if we want to achieve a more balanced and inclusive sports workforce in Victoria.  

"By focusing on retention and development strategies, including flexible working arrangements and career pathways, we can ensure that women not only enter the sector but thrive in impactful roles," Professor Sherry added. 

This research, "Mapping Intersectionality within Victorian Sport Sector Workforce", was funded by the Victorian Government's 2022-23 Change Our Game Research Grants Program.

Key findings:

  • Female participation in the sport sector increased from 36% in 2015 to 41% in 2022. While this represents a 14% relative increase in women across the industry, the research reveals there is still progress to be made in retention and career development. 
  • The gender balance of employment has improved most for: 
    • on field roles (an absolute increase of 10-percentage points and a relative increase of approximately 44%), which include event and sport program delivery, and sport development roles, and 
    • executive roles (an absolute increase of 7-percentage points and a relative increase of approximately 21% in female representation). 
  • Women were represented more than men in administration roles, which include membership, finance and communications roles. 
  • Women remain underrepresented in senior leadership roles, despite increased representation of women employed across the sport sector. 
  • Women experience higher turnover than men, particularly in legal, executive, and management roles. In legal roles women experienced an average churn rate of 21%, peaking at 33.3% in 2019-2020, while men in similar roles had lower churn rates averaging around 15%.   
  • In executive and management roles women faced churn rates approximately 25% higher than men, indicating potential structural or cultural challenges in retaining women in leadership positions. 
23 June 2025

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23 June 2025

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