Bompastor says motherhood questions persist in football hiring amid discrimination survey

Chelsea women's manager Sonia Bompastor says one of the first questions she is asked in head-coach interviews is whether she can lead a top club while also being a mother, a line of inquiry she regards as common regardless of her track record. The French coach, who has four children, led Chelsea to a domestic treble last season, winning the FA Cup and League Cup and sealing the Women's Super League title after a 22-game unbeaten run in her first year in charge.

She said one of the first questions she is asked is whether she can lead a top club while also being a mother. "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 am 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." She added, laughing: "It wasn't the case in Chelsea."

A survey released on Wednesday by Women in Football said discrimination against women in the game remains persistent and widespread. It found that 78% of respondents had faced discrimination while working in football, with about 63.5% reporting sexist banter or jokes and 56% saying no action was taken after reporting gender-based discrimination in the workplace.

Bompastor said there is still room for improvement, and she was glad people are honest and brave enough to raise the issue. "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."

Arsenal boss Renee Slegers, who was also asked about the survey, agreed "there is still a lot of work that needs to be done." "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," Slegers said.

The remarks come as football bodies address gender equality more openly, with Bompastor's Chelsea period highlighted by domestic success while conversations about bias continue to unfold across the game.