‘Not a place for women’: a scoping review exploring women’s experiences of sexism while working in sport

Stories surrounding women’s experiences of sexism in sport, despite their prevalence, are often disregarded as purely anecdotal. The objective of this scoping review is to explore what is known from existing qualitative peer-reviewed literature about women’s experiences of sexism while working in sport. Six databases were searched for peer-reviewed publications; 40 studies were included following screening and study identification. Descriptive results were analysed and reported. Four general dimensions were inductively developed employing qualitative content analysis, each comprised of categories and sub-categories. General dimensions included benevolent sexism, hostile sexism, managing sexism in sport, and intersectional pressures. Sexism was a significant barrier for women, and these experiences were compounded for those with intersecting marginalised identities. Hostile sexism was the most common form of sexism women reported, while benevolent sexism was more insidious and acted to reinforce patriarchal gender norms. Results reflected a dearth of research on individuals with intersecting identities and numerous additional gaps in the peer-reviewed literature. This review presents the first synthesis of qualitative research on women’s experiences of sexism in sport workplaces and highlights urgent intersectional gaps.