Culture, experiences, gender and sexual harassment for sport and exercise medicine/physiotherapy practitioners working in elite Australian sport

Introduction: Women Sport and Exercise Medicine/Physiotherapy (SEMP) practitioners often work, or aspire to work, with elite (Olympic/Commonwealth Games and professional) sporting teams. However, little is known about (1) the representation of women SEMP practitioners in team positions, (2) the recruitment processes and training for SEMP practitioners and (3) culture/experiences, gender and possible sexual harassment for those working in elite sport in Australia. Methods: All titled Australian Physiotherapy Association Sport and Exercise Physiotherapists, Sport and Exercise Medicine Practitioners, and doctors and physiotherapists working in Australian elite sport were invited to participate in the project (Feb – April 2022). All participants completed a tailored online survey and a validated Gender Experiences Questionnaire (GEQ). Results:(1)Gender representation of those currently working in elite sport in Australia There was equal representation of women (117) and men (105) answering the survey who were working in elite sport settings in Australia. However, men were more often in paid positions compared to women (95% versus 88%) and paid for more weeks each year (mean 43 weeks compared to 26 weeks). Women spent 23% of their time undertaking unpaid work, compared to only 15% of men’s working time. Women SEMP practitioners were 6.86 (95%CI 3.49 to 14.01) times more likely than men to work with more women athletes.(2)Recruitment process for elite sport There were no gender differences in how elite sports roles were promoted. The vast majority of roles were not advertised with direct approach (men 59% (95%CI 48 to 68%); women 63% (95%CI 52 to 70%)) being the most common method of job ‘advertisement’ /recruitment.(3)Culture/experiences, gender and sexual harassment for those working in elite sport in Australia. Women were 4.01 (95%CI 1.88 to 8.80) times more likely than men to agree that their gender and/or sexual orientation influenced their opportunities in elite sport. Women currently working in elite sport experienced significantly more infantilisation, work/family policing and gender policing than men. Women also reported feeling less supported to discuss/ disclose these issues in their workplace (OR ranging 2.8 to 15.34). Discussion: Gender equity in SEMP position in elite sport in Australia does not translate to gender pay equality. Women SEMP practitioners were more likely to work with women athletes who are paid less, have lower public profiles and receive less media attention, than their men counterparts, which potentially impacts renumeration available for SEMP practitioners. Furthering the disadvantage, women working in elite sport worked less paid hours per week and less paid weeks per year. SEMP practitioners were appointed to positions without established procedures: i.e. most SEMP roles were not advertised, nor had formal and transparent recruitment processes. The robust assessment of gender harassment by the GEQ highlighted the significant challenges for women SEMP practitioners in the elite sport workplace. Men acknowledged that their gender positively influenced their SEMP career, whereas women experienced negative effects of gender. Impact/Application to the field: Consistent with other workplaces, women working in elite sport in Australia experience significantly more workplace gender harassment than men, it is time for affirmative action to eliminate gender bias and harassment in the SEMP workplace. Declaration: My co-authors and I acknowledge that we have no conflict of interest of relevance to the submission of this abstract.