Gender Equity in the NFL

Gender Equity in the NFL

Gender Equity in Coaching Positions of the National Football League Despite recent improvements, gender equality in the National Football League (NFL) coaching jobs remains a serious challenge. The league has tried to connect women with employers through initiatives such as the Coach and Front Office Accelerator Program and the Women's Careers in Football Forum (NFL, 2022). However, the lack of women in coaching positions remains concerning to some. In the NFL, women have 2% of coaching positions, whether it be an assistant coach or positions coach; in 2022, there were only 15 women coaching training camps (Perez, 2024). Although front-office jobs have improved slightly, there is still a disparity in the number of women in the front office compared to other sports. Women continue to encounter obstacles to progression in leadership roles due to bias, a lack of networking opportunities, and a lack of mentoring. The NFL Front Office will send out a list of mandated rules that NFL organizations must follow and implement into their organization. NFL teams will be required to have a 16% increase in coaches positions filled by women. This increase must happen by the beginning of the 2027 season, and by 2030, 20% of coaching positions must be filled by women in an organization. Organizations must follow the list of mandated rules, or they will face serious consequences such as fines, suspensions, loss of draft picks, etc. The NFL will not be able to build a more diverse and inclusive environment in which women can fully engage in coaching and decision-making unless it continues to advocate for these reforms. Engaging in these steps will allow the league to benefit from gender equality as they will not have to fight the social battles that come without it. They will also be able to have new minds in the game that have not been heard from in the past.