New study reveals gender bias in sports research. It is another hurdle to advance in women’s sport

Throughout history, sport has been guilty of prioritizing certain groups and excluding others. There was a pervasive notion that in order to display traditionally masculine characteristics, an athlete must be. Any person who failed to do so was, and often still is, vulnerable to harassment, marginalization, or ostracism.

In fact, femininity has historically been viewed as non-sporting. Research has found that some athletes describe a perception that being a “woman” and being an “athlete” are almost opposite identities.

For these and other reasons, women’s sport has been held back in a way that men’s sport has not. While progress is certainly being made now, our new study, published this week, finds that large gender gaps persist in exercise research.

We found that sport psychology research studies – which inform the strategies athletes use to achieve peak performance – have used predominantly male participants.

For example, in the sport psychology research we examined between 2010 and 2020, 62% of the participants were men and boys. In addition, about 22% of the sport psychology studies we examined had samples with exclusively male participants. In contrast, this figure was only 7% for women and girls.

Women may experience sport and exercise differently than men. As in other areas of medicine, an evidence base based predominantly on men’s experiences and bodies leads to inadequate, ineffective results and recommendations for women.

Some progress has been made

Progress in women’s sport is evident and continues every year. The gender-specific differences in popular and professional sports are slowly diminishing.

Participation of girls in sports continues to grow, with the number of participants in high school sports in the United States increasing by 262% between 1973 and 2018. In Australia, sport participation among women and girls grew faster than among men and boys between 2015 and 2019.

Opportunities and awareness have also improved in the professional environment, and public interest has increased significantly. For example, the 2020 Women’s Cricket World Cup saw attendance records fall, with the final being played at the MCG in front of 86,174 fans.

Many sports are now entering a complex new era of professionalization, as we see at AFLW.

Despite positive trends, critical points remain.

Read more: The Tokyo Olympics are considered the first gender-equal games, but women still have no opportunities in sports

Gender bias in research

Any growth in women’s sport must be supported by the underlying evidence base that informs it.

As mental health researchers in elite sport, we strive to make real-world impact through rigorous applied research. Our team previously examined gender-specific mental health experiences among elite athletes and found that women report more significant symptoms of mental illness and more frequent negative events, such as discrimination or financial difficulties.

Research like this is critical to informing the services and systems that support excellence. But research must present its goal, otherwise progress will be limited.

It is now well known that the field of medical and scientific research is replete with examples of how unequal gender participation has negative health implications. Because men’s experiences and bodies are viewed as the norm, an inaccurate understanding of causes, tools, and treatments has been common.

Medical and scientific research in sport is no exception.

Our results

As sport becomes increasingly competitive and high-pressure, sport psychology is critical to supporting athletes in these high-stress environments.

Due to concerns about gender bias in scientific research, we wanted to understand if the field of sport and exercise psychology is adequately representative.

We captured the gender of study participants in research published in major sport and exercise psychology journals in 2010, 2015, and 2020 to estimate gender ratios over the past decade. This included studies on topics such as: physical and mental health, personality and motivation, coaching and athlete development, leadership and mental skills.

There was a significant gender imbalance in more than 600 studies and nearly 260,000 participants.

This imbalance varied by study area. While sport psychology research focuses on performance and athletes, exercise psychology focuses more on the areas of health and participation. Our results showed that males were more likely than females to be included in sport psychology studies than in exercise psychology studies.

We also found that the studies that specifically looked at performance issues (such as coaching, mental skills, or decision-making) all included samples with fewer women and girls than studies that looked at issues such as health, well-being, or activism.

What our results mean

Our findings, along with those of others, point to a number of worrying conclusions.

Women and girls in sport are likely to be taught strategies and approaches based on research that does not adequately represent them.

In addition to many factors, topics such as coaching methods, injury management and performance psychology are crucial for athletic performance. Female athletes’ experiences may differ from men’s for some or all of these points.

Changes in policy have significantly altered gender equity in sport. But researchers and funding agencies need to follow suit and ensure that we develop the understanding and methods to adequately represent all groups we aim to serve. Only then can women’s sport really thrive.