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Sailing boasts mixed crews in the America's Cup, women at the helm of the Vendée Globe and teams competing in SailGP. But behind these images, the day-to-day reality described by the new study shows a persistent gap between international showcasing and real-life experience.
Published by The Magenta Project, in collaboration with 11th Hour Racing and World Sailing, the survey is based on almost 2,500 responses from 68 countries. It represents the most comprehensive analysis conducted since the Strategic Review published in 2019 by the World Sailing Trust.
65% of respondents say they have experienced discrimination
The central figure is striking: 65% of those surveyed said they had encountered some form of discrimination in sailing or in the professional ecosystem that surrounds it, whether in shipyards, architecture, sailmaking, race management, coaching or marine technologies.
Sexism remains the most widespread form of discrimination. It was mentioned by 55% of all respondents, and by over 85% of women. In addition, 38% felt that racism was still an issue in the industry, 30% cited ageism and 35% mentioned disability-related situations.
Nearly 43% say they have ever felt out of place or unwelcome in a club or at a boating event.
A perception of improvement at the top
At the same time, 83% of respondents consider that female representation has improved over the last five years. The opening of the Women's America's Cup and the presence of female sailors at the head of ocean-going projects symbolize this evolution.
Yet 75% of women surveyed still feel that gender balance remains a problem, compared with 80% in 2019. The gap has narrowed, but only marginally.
The study highlights a clear phenomenon: visible progress at the highest level does not automatically translate into progress at clubs, training centers and intermediate professional structures.
A 29% pay gap
The economic issue remains a key one. The median annual income declared by women is $35,000, compared with $49,000 for men, a gap of 29%. On a daily basis, the difference is 22%.
The analysis shows that this gap can be explained more by differentiated access to roles and levels of experience than by a difference in pay for equivalent positions.
Over 40% of women feel that they are not represented in management positions in the sailing industry, and 59% feel that they are absent from management positions in the wider marine industry.
Clubs, inclusion and a sense of belonging
Inclusion in clubs remains a sore point. Nearly 60% of women and over 60% of non-binary people feel that sailing clubs are not inclusive of all profiles.
Nearly 60% of women say they have changed their behavior to feel accepted, compared with around half of respondents in all categories.
The report also highlights a mentoring deficit. 67% of those surveyed were not aware of any mentoring programs in the industry, and 55% said they did not have a mentor.
Reporting and internal policies still inadequate
Data relating to the protection of practitioners and professionals raises further questions.
49% of respondents were unaware of the existence of a reporting system for violence, abuse or harassment. 42% say they are aware of incidents of non-accidental violence in the sailing community.
More than 42% say that their organization has no identified person in charge of diversity and inclusion issues, and 30% say that their club has no formalized equality policy.
In addition to these observations, the study formulates a number of areas for action. In particular, it recommends making certain funding conditional on the implementation of inclusive practices, making pay scales more transparent, structuring mentoring beyond career entry programs, and adapting career paths to family constraints.
The study also invites us to measure not only representation, but also the sense of belonging, retention and progression of under-represented profiles.
For World Sailing, the challenge now is to translate institutional advances into concrete transformations in the field. For today, the question is no longer whether the subject exists, but how to act.
