Parenthood or podium? It’s time Australian athletes had the support to choose both
- Written by The Conversation
When tennis legend Serena Williams retired in 2022, she stated:
If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labour of expanding our family.
Many elite athletes end their sporting careers prematurely to have children, with the physical burden of pregnancy one of many barriers.
Despite these barriers, a growing number of elite athletes are proving motherhood and elite sport are compatible and even complementary – but they need better support.
Responding to this need, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) today announced new recommendations in this space, which are the most comprehensive of their kind globally.
Just seven years out from Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, this clearer new policy could give confidence to countless Australian athletes who are determined to become parents as well as striving for the podium.
The push for more support
Women can train safely during and after pregnancy but it is often practical challenges – like a lack of contract security, ranking and categorisation protection and limited access to parenting facilities – that prevent them from continuing in their sport.
In Australia, Olympic sprint kayaker Alyce Wood, marathon runner Genevieve Gregson and water polo player Keesja Gofers have gone on to reach personal bests and career-highs after having children. These athletes have highlighted the challenges and gaps they faced along the way, despite organisational support for athlete mums improving in recent years.
Alongside others athlete mums, they are now advocating for better support systems.
This call to action has become increasingly urgent as women’s sport experiences unprecedented growth through increased visibility, investment and professionalisation.
Research driving change
Our CQUniversity research team partnered with the AIS and the Queensland Academy of Sport to develop national evidence-based recommendations to guide sporting organisations in how to support pregnant and parenting athletes.
Underpinning these recommendations was a comprehensive series of studies spanning four years.
The project began by exploring global findings to understand the barriers and enablers faced by elite athletes during preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and parenting.
Our research found elite athletes encounter more than 30 unique barriers during these critical windows, including:
- challenges planning pregnancy around sporting competitions
- the physical impacts of pregnancy and childbirth
- training considerations
- the logistics and cost of caring for an infant while travelling.
Central to these findings was sporting organisations’ lack of pregnancy and parenting policies.
A subsequent review found only 22 out of 104 (21%) national sporting organisations had at least one policy detailing support for pregnant and parenting athletes.
Listening to athletes and staff
To better understand the gaps, our research team met with more than 60 elite women athletes, support staff (like coaches and health professionals) and organisational staff across 25 sports.
We investigated the experiences and needs of elite athlete mothers and those planning children.
We discovered the vast majority were unhappy with the level of pregnancy and parenting support provided by sporting organisations.
They cited a lack of clear frameworks and women’s health education, prevailing stigma, discrimination and limited access to parenting facilities as key barriers.
As one athlete shared:
No one ever talks about it [starting a family] in my environment. It feels like a taboo topic because it’s kind of expected that it’s something you think about after sport. Like, your priority should be training and performing.
Another athlete described:
I’ve got a lot of friends who have also tried [returning after children] and have just not wanted to return because of the environment and lack of [organisational] support […] you have to go back to club level and then work your way back up to state and national level without any help or support.
This input helped shape the AIS recommendations, which are the most comprehensive of their kind globally.
They comprise of 19 policy recommendations and 89 practice recommendations (practical, actionable steps for sporting organisations to follow).
The guide is also the first to include a suite of resources including pregnancy and return-to-sport plan templates, checklists, frameworks and helpful resources to support implementation.
With the adoption of these recommendations, athletes will be able to:
- disclose pregnancy on their own terms (excluding required medical clearances and safety precautions)
- develop and regularly review a comprehensive, individualised plan guiding them through preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and parenting, in collaboration with relevant staff
- take time away from their sport during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum without facing financial or ranking/categorisation implications
- have continued access to facilities, services and relevant professionals during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum
- maintain their preferred level of engagement with the sporting organisation while taking parenting leave.
Sporting organisations adopting the recommendations should:
- implement accessible pregnancy policies
- educate athletes and staff on reproductive health
- provide essential parenting facilities like designated breastfeeding and childcare spaces.
The recommendations mark a significant step forward for women’s sport, directly addressing longstanding barriers. They will ensure women athletes receive the same basic rights and privileges standard for parents in most Australian workplaces.
