Driving Gender Equality Through Sport: Our Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

Why gender equality in sport matters

Sport has immense power to challenge inequalities and create opportunities. Yet it is also an environment where inequalities are deeply entrenched. Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions, coaching roles, and decision-making spaces. Structural barriers - from gendered expectations to biased recruitment and promotion practices - continue to shape who gets to belong, succeed, and lead.

When women and girls are excluded, sport loses out on talent, creativity, and innovation. Addressing this inequality is not only a matter of fairness but also central to creating stronger, more inclusive sporting systems that benefit everyone.

How our research is driving change

The CSJSS is internationally recognised for its work on gender equity in sport workforces. Our research provides the evidence base that helps governing bodies, professional clubs, and international federations understand the barriers women face - and, crucially, how to dismantle them.

Some examples of our work include:

• Women in Coaching: We are leading national insight programmes with organisations such as Women in Sport, UK Sport, and The FA, exploring the lived experiences of women coaches and identifying the structural changes needed to create equitable pathways
• Global partnerships: Through collaborations with organisations such as World Rugby, World Triathlon, and the Australian Sports Commission, our research is shaping international policy on women's access to leadership and professional opportunities
• Creating inclusive cultures: Our Belonging Framework is helping sports bodies recognise the conditions that enable women to feel valued, supported, and able to thrive in high-performance environments
• Early intervention and empowerment: Alongside our focus on professional pathways and leadership, we are also committed to understanding how sport can support girls' development, wellbeing, and confidence from an early age. For example, our evaluation of the M2: Where Movement and Mindfulness Meet programme shows how targeted interventions at primary school level can build confidence, belonging, and positive attitudes towards physical activity among girls

Delivered in schools across Leeds and Lincolnshire, the eight-session programme combined movement with mindfulness to help girls feel stronger, more connected, and more resilient. The research found not only improved fitness and enjoyment of sport, but also wider spillover effects - greater classroom confidence, new friendships, and even leadership roles as 'active leaders' supporting younger children.

• Impact on policy and practice: Findings from our research have informed national taskforces, evaluation projects, and organisational strategies designed to increase the recruitment, development, and retention of women in sport.

Linking local impact to global goals

By tackling gender inequalities in sport, we are contributing directly to SDG 5 and indirectly to other SDGs, including:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing: When women and girls are supported to participate and lead in sport, the benefits extend to communities' physical and mental health
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: ensuring women have fair and equitable access to sport workforces contributes to inclusive economic opportunities
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: research that challenges systemic barriers in sport helps build fairer societies more broadly

Looking ahead

Achieving gender equality in and through sport requires persistence, partnership, and innovation. At Leeds Beckett, we are proud that our research is not only highlighting inequalities but actively shaping the solutions to address them.

The SDGs remind us that change is a collective responsibility. Through the work of the CSJSS, we are demonstrating how universities can be powerful partners in building a more equitable future - on and off the field.