New Delhi: A new independent study commissioned by the BBC and Collective Newsroom, titled “Attitudes Towards Women’s Sports, Sportswomen and Women in India,” reveals significant changes in women’s engagement with sports in India. The research is an integral part of the BBC’s Indian Sportswoman of the Year (ISWOTY) initiative, which celebrates the achievements of women athletes. The report analyses the findings of a large-scale quantitative survey covering over 10,304 respondents across 14 states, conducted between 26 December 2025 and 30 January 2026, and sheds light on widespread societal attitudes and prevailing perceptions surrounding women’s participation in sports and the subsequent consumption of women’s sports. Following a similar study published by the BBC in 2020 — the research traces the evolution of participation and consumption statistics, and public outlooks regarding gender equality six years forward, especially in the wake of growing international acclaim for Indian women athletes over the past couple years.Growing audiences for women’s sports, with a few caveatsThe research suggests a decisive positive shift in both participation and viewership. More than half (51%) of the respondents report watching women’s sports in the last six months, pointing towards a narrowing viewership gap between male and female sports. Consumption among young people is particularly high, with 54% of young women interviewed watching some form of women’s sports coverage, jumping from 40% in 2020. Additionally, six in ten young men report consuming any coverage of women’s sport, while four in ten have attended a live women’s match. Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.Women’s cricket viewership is also higher than it was in 2020. As per the study, “Almost three in ten (28%) people across the states surveyed now say they watch the Women’s Premier League (WPL). This compares with 15% who said they watched the Women’s T20 Challenge in 2020, before the league was formed in 2023.”Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.Regardless, the audience for female-led sports remains considerably sparser as compared to their male counterparts. BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla said that apart from the opening and closing ceremonies of this year’s recently-held WPL, few knew where the matches were even being held. He added, “One 10-15% of the stadium seats were occupied as opposed to the Indian Premier League, the ticket prices for which go as high as lakhs of rupees.” Shukla also called about the blatant hypocrisy and imbalance persistent in the beauty standards female and male athletes are exposed to. The study highlights, “Around two in five respondents now believe that sportswomen are not as entertaining (43%), or as good (38%), as sportsmen, and a slightly bigger share of respondents continue to place value on sportswomen’s physical appearance, agreeing that ‘sportswomen should look attractive’ (46%).” Shukla said, “Every human looks good. Even though good-looking sportsmen are more frequently approached for advertisements, it is their performance on the field that they are ultimately judged on.” A cricket-driven participation growthAs opposed to 2020, wherein a bigger proportion of women played kabaddi, the proportion of women reporting they play cricket has doubled from 5% to 10%. The gender divide has significantly narrowed, with a quarter of cricket-playing respondents (24%) being women (up from 17% in 2020). Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.In all surveyed states, except for Maharashtra and Bihar, the proportion of women playing cricket has expanded exponentially, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where the percentage of women playing cricket jumped from 1 to 10 between 2020 and 2026. The study says, “One in six women under 24 years old now say they play cricket – this used to be one in fourteen — and places young women as the fastest growing demographic.”Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.However, all sports have not fared equally well. With the exceptions of Haryana and Punjab, kabaddi participation has dropped in all surveyed states, with larger drops observed among lower socio-economic groups and older respondents. A smaller proportion of respondents took part in running activities compared to 2020 despite an increase in running events across major cities. Football participation also took a blow, yet regional differences persist, with states like Kerala and Meghalaya remaining popular hubs for the sport. Conversely, badminton observed growth in participation. According to the study, “Badminton [is] now played by 6% of women surveyed against 4% in 2020, while participation among men has stayed level (4%).” The study suggests that recent successes for Indian sportswomen at the international stage may have fuelled participation in those particular disciplines, as can be seen in the cases of cricket and badminton. Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.Public admiration for sportswomen and their achievements is also reflected in people’s motivations for watching women’s events. “Over half of the people now viewing women’s events (54%) say they do so because they ‘want to support the Indian team’. The second most cited reason is ‘supporting a sportswoman’ — this has also gone up (from 21% to 33%),” the study notes. Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.Sports as an emerging career aspirationRupa Jha, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Collective Newsroom, emphasised the importance of women’s sports-focused surveys in reflecting the broader social attitudes pertaining not only to women’s engagement with sports but also the larger conceptions of gender equality. She said, “When I was younger, there was a proverb ‘padhoge likhoge to banoge nawab, kheloge kudoge to banoge kharab’ (study and write, you’ll be a king; play and jump, you’ll be ruined). They did not even bother to add the word ‘queens’.” “Women were asked not to play in so many ways, with definitive societal roles that were demarcated for them,” Jha added. “For women, the question used to be “Can I play?” which has now transformed into “I will play, and I’ll decide how far I can go.” More and more women are choosing sports as a potential career option. One in six women (17%, up from 10% in 2020) surveyed responded that they have considered sports as a career; this percentage further increases to one in four (26%) when only considering women under the age of 25. Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.Parents also have a more favourable view about sports as a viable career option for their daughters when compared to 2020 data. “Nearly nine in ten parents surveyed say that they do, or would encourage, their child — regardless of gender — to pursue a sports career (87% for a son, 86% for a daughter),” the study states. The percentage gap between the two genders used to be much higher, which has now levelled. Photo: “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India”, the BBC and Collective Newsroom, 2026.Barriers to participationDespite these positive trends, women’s participation in sports is not as uniformly distributed, with a myriad of persisting obstacles to participation.Although sports participation in childhood has risen, with 70% of women saying they played sports in childhood, and only 16% citing ‘lack of facilities at school’ as a reason for non-participation, these changes do not translate into adulthood. Only half of the women continue to practise sports as adults, with the participation ratio falling from 57% of urban respondents in 2020 to 52% in 2026. The study indicates that a steeper decline in participation for urban respondents as compared to rural areas denotes that people in urban centres face greater barriers. For a majority of the people surveyed, time scarcity has emerged as the primary cause for non-participation. The study finds, “ When asked about why they don’t play sports, two-thirds of respondents (65%) cite lack of time as the reason. This proportion continues to be higher amongst married people (67%) and people with children (69%), for whom finding time is even more difficult.” The proportion of people citing ‘lack of time’ as the primary constraint has gone up by 44% since 2020, hinting at poor work-life balance. Although safety is no longer the primary concern for non-participation, 13% of women who do not participate in sports say inhibitions about safety prevent them from doing so. The way forwardThe study’s findings point towards steady progress in the overall pursuit of gender equality. More respondents now recognise that women face discrimination in sport (increasing from 43% to 48%), with a majority (97%) believing that men and women should have equal rights, and 91% saying this equality already exists. The study adds, “Seven in ten (70%) also feel that gender equality has improved over the past five years.” However, male respondents appear to be more confident about this seemingly bridging gap as compared to female respondents. Deep-entrenched hypocrisy remains. In spite of saying that they support women’s right to work, 54% of the respondents continue to propagate the notion that “a woman’s place is at home.” Researchers argue that sustained support from policymakers, government, and sporting organisations is required to build on these recent gains in women’s sports’ visibility, inclusivity, and growth. Steps like the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s 2022 decision to implement equal match fees between international male and female crickets are a move in the right direction, challenging unfair perceptions about female athletes. By comparing the data across the two surveys, the researchers conclude on a note of cautious optimism — the momentum behind women’s sports in India is increasing, with higher viewership, participation, visibility, and engagement, even as social and practical barriers persist.