Women encounter significant challenges regarding representation, access to opportunities, and equal participation (Moya-Mata et al, 2023). It is crucial to recall Helena Dalli’s speech in March 2020, where the European Commissioner for Equality emphasised the need for women to overcome obstacles that are frequently disregarded compared to men in the same sports. Sports is a privileged arena for discussing gender issues because it is often where desirable, ideal, or standard definitions are established (Altmann & Camargo, 2021; Azzarito & Solmon, 2009; Silva et al., 2008). In recent years, women have made significant contributions to sports, including conquering new spaces, increasing visibility, advocating for changes to rules, and speaking out against inequalities and instances of harassment. They have also taken on more prominent roles in civic and political spheres within this field (Cooky & Messner, 2018; Hargreaves, 2013).

Between 2010 and 2020, women’s sports gained over 35,000 new players, while men’s sports only gained around 30,000 (Coelho, 2022). Several European and national studies emerged during this decade discussing gender issues in sports. These studies report that despite the recent increase in female sports participation, female athletes are still underrepresented on all media platforms (Sherry et al., 2016). This text discusses the under-representation of women’s sports in the media. It highlights that this under-representation occurs in various ways, including the number of news stories, airtime, and stories in which women are the protagonists (French, 2013). The limited coverage given to women’s sports significantly impacts the amount of public interest it attracts and its funding (Cruz & Nunes, 2021). Studies have shown that men still hold most leadership and decision-making positions (O’Neill & Mulready, 2015; Santos Velasco et al., 2020).

This research discusses the challenges of representation, specifically the under-representation of women in federated participation, leadership, and decision-making positions in sports. Despite possessing the necessary skills, women face numerous psychological and structural barriers that impede their participation in these roles. Furthermore, despite increased female participation, women remain a minority in many areas of sports. In line with the issue of under-representation, media coverage of women’s sports is limited compared to men’s. This harms female athletes and teams’ visibility, audience, and financial resources. Similarly, professionalisation in women’s sports is hindered by limited opportunities and pay disparities compared to men. This highlights the difficult decisions that women athletes face when deciding whether to continue with a sports career or start a family. However, it is evident from the literature that the presence of women in sports can challenge gender stereotypes and promote female empowerment. Therefore, sports venues are crucial for raising awareness and promoting social change.

This case study, conducted over nine months, aims to understand women’s participation in ten prominent sports in Portugal using a qualitative framework. We conducted collective interviews with 22 volunteer participants to address specific objectives, including athletes, coaches, referees, and sports managers. The objectives included analysing perceived changes and difficulties, identifying support and incentives, assessing media representation of each sport, and understanding challenges related to motherhood that influence women’s decisions in these sports. The results indicate that women’s participation in Portugal’s top ten individual and team sports is a complex and multifaceted issue, as will be further discussed. One of the article’s conclusions is the need for policies and support structures to reconcile sports and family life.

As part of the activities of the Observatory of Sport, Education, and Communities (ODEC) at the Centre for Educational Research and Intervention (CIIE) of the University of Porto, a series of webinars (collective interviews) were conducted on Women in Sports. These webinars served as the basis for an exploratory case study that lasted nine months, from October 2022 to June 2023. In these webinars, we started with pre-defined dimensions to understand women’s perceptions of sports. The webinars allowed to hear from various female sports agents about their experiences in different sports and positions. This study aims to investigate the characterisation of women’s participation in the ten most representative team and individual sports in Portugal, namely Basketball, Football, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming, Judo, Tennis, Roller Hockey, Handball, Volleyball, and Futsal. The specific goals of this study are: • To comprehend the changes and challenges faced in terms of access, representation, professionalisation, and models of masculinity and femininity in various sports, • To identify the support and incentives that facilitate the growth of women’s participation in different sports, • To examine the portrayal of each sport in the media, • To understand the impact of maternity on women’s decision-making in different sports. Adopting a qualitative methodology, this option aims to understand women’s participation in sports in depth based on the meanings that this reality assumes for the subjects in their natural context. As Amado (2014) and Popkewitz (1988) discussed, the approach is based on the phenomenological-interpretative paradigm. The study seeks to contribute to constructing knowledge about the challenges and advances experienced in this field. Five group interviews were conducted to discuss women’s participation in sports and their role in 10 sports in Portugal. The interviews included 10 athletes, five coaches, two female coaches, two female referees, and three sports managers. Ethical procedures were followed throughout the study. The data collected from the interviews was transcribed and analysed using content analysis (Bardin, 2016). In this process, we pre-defined categories, such as perceived changes, support and incentives, media presence, and persistent challenges. One such challenge, highlighted due to its recurrence in the participants’ speeches, was the dimension of motherhood. To enhance our analysis and discussion, we selected illustrative excerpts corresponding to the literature review and study objectives.

Analysis shows that these challenges are consistent across different sports, including issues with access, representation, professionalisation, and gender norms. Significant changes have occurred over time, particularly regarding access and representation. However, it is important not to overlook the challenges of rejecting professionalisation, particularly in sports with less visibility. Football is often cited as the sport that has contributed the most to the promotion of women in sports. The analysis of data on support and incentives to increase women’s participation in sports is sourced from municipal public bodies. Regarding the support and incentives for women’s sports, participants’ speeches highlighted the absence of such support. They denounced the absence of sponsors and sponsorships specifically for women’s sports, referring to basketball as a good practice. They also mentioned the need to bear representation costs or proactively seek sponsorship or funding for sports practice. Analysing data on media presence reveals disparities in the representation of women’s sports compared to men’s (French, 2013; Sherry et al., 2016). While some sports, such as football, receive more coverage and prominence, others are marginalised or stereotyped. Finally, the data indicates that motherhood remains a significant challenge for women in sports, impacting their career decisions, training, and participation. Senior athletes have testified that this is a taboo subject and that deciding whether to become mothers often means choosing between continuing or abandoning their sports careers. Despite significant progress in terms of access and representation, there are still notable challenges to be addressed, such as the lack of professionalisation in some sports, insufficient financial support, and unequal representation in the media, as well as motherhood being a significant factor that affects the paths of female athletes. This article highlights the need to create policies and more support structures to promote women’s inclusion and participation in sports throughout their lives.

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