Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor revealed an outrageous question she has been forced to answer that other clubs would "never ask" a man. Despite steering the Blues to a historic domestic treble last season, the Frenchwoman says people still question whether she can balance being a mother of four with leading one of the biggest clubs in women's football.
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Survey paints grim picture for women in football
A damning new Women in Football report has exposed the scale of discrimination across the sport. The findings, released on Wednesday, showed that 78% of women working in football have faced discrimination, while nearly two-thirds admitted to experiencing sexist ‘banter’ or degrading jokes in the workplace. Perhaps even more alarming, 56% of those who reported gender-based discrimination said no action was ever taken.
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Bombastor hit out at sexist double standards
For Bompastor, none of it comes as a shock. "Guess what was almost the first question everyone is asking me when I want to become a head coach or a manager?" the 45-year-old said. "So I'm going to tell you – 'do you think it's possible to be a mum of four kids and being a manager for a high club?' I think if you have a man in front of the same people, they will never ask that question."
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Chelsea have been different
Bompastor was quick to stress that Chelsea themselves have not been guilty of such attitudes. "It wasn't the case in Chelsea," she added with a laugh.
Still, the fact she continues to be asked whether she can juggle motherhood and management highlights how far football has to go. "We still have room for improvement in that area, and I'm glad the people are honest and they are brave enough to raise that," she said.
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Arsenal boss agrees that fight is far from over
Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers also weighed in, agreeing that football has taken steps forward but warning against complacency.
"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done," Slegers said. "I think we need to stay critical, although there's been a lot of progress in that sense. It's not always in the big things; it can be in the small things as well. It's good to be aware of it."