Sports Thoughts: Female referees speak of the sexism they have faced with their sport

Last year was a turning point for women’s sports. Marked by the success of the Lionesses at the Euros, opportunities for female athletes soared. For women’s football in particular, in 2021, around 33 million people tuned in to watch domestic women’s sport. As a result, many young girls and women feel encouraged to get involved and play themselves. But what about the opportunities for female officials?

In 2020, the FA claimed that the number of female referees in English football increased by 72% in 2016. What’s more, for the first time ever, in 2022, female referees officiated at the men’s World Cup in Qatar. Those among the list of 36 referees included French referee Stéphanie Frappart, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita. Neuza Back of Brazil, Mexico’s Karen Díaz Medina and Kathryn Nesbitt from the United States were included among the 69 assistant referees.

However, the leap forward in gender equality is not an absolute success. For instance, Darlington F.C. investigated claims of misogynistic abuse directed at a female assistant referee during their game against Scarborough Athletic. In the second half, the behaviour resulted in a 35-minute delay to the game. The investigation led to one fan being banned for 12 months. So, having women in these positions in sports for the first time may feel like the solution to the problem but troubles still persist. Referees Sian Massey-Ellis and Jawahir Roble spoke of their experiences officiating in football stating that there is a “cut-off point” between criticism and sexism.

Roble said: “It does hurt sometimes, and I let them know what they said did hurt me, but I try to educate them by telling them, ‘just because I made this one mistake, you’re going to generalise it? You can’t say girls can’t referee because I’m having a bad game today.'”

It’s not just an issue within football either.

Amy Perret, Australia’s first female top-level rugby player has spoken about how she almost walked away from the sport due to the sexism she received.

She said: “They just didn’t believe that you had the rugby knowledge, I guess, or the experience… I have learned to tune that out.”

But tuning out the sexist comments will not stop it from occurring. In a survey completed in 2020, 65% of sportswomen revealed they have suffered sexism in their sport, but only 10% felt comfortable reporting it. So, more work needs to be done to encourage women to feel like they can speak out when they need to. It is understandable to want to get on with the game and not let the hateful comments ruin your performance, however nobody should have to put up with such behaviour.