KTG Research & Innovation

Progress in women’s sport is undeniable, but cultural stereotypes continue to limit how far that progress can go.

Across Europe, many women athletes still face deeply rooted beliefs about what their role in society should be.

In sport, stereotypes translate into real barriers:

🔸 Motherhood seen as incompatible with elite performance

🔸 Doubts about women’s physical capabilities

🔸 Reduced opportunities, visibility, and support

🔸 Pressure to choose between personal life and professional ambition

These narratives don’t just affect opportunities, they shape confidence, mental wellbeing, and career longevity.

Changing policies is essential, but changing mindsets is fundamental.

MAMA goes beyond structural change to address the cultural roots of inequality by:

✔️ Raising awareness about maternity discrimination

✔️ Challenging outdated stereotypes through real stories and evidence

✔️ Promoting positive role models of athlete mothers

✔️ Educating sports organizations and stakeholders on inclusive practices

Because true equality in sport will only be achieved when motherhood is no longer seen as a limitation, but as part of an athlete’s identity.



Parterns: SOMOS PODEROSAS | CSIT - World Sports Games |
Olympiacos SFP | Social Innovation Sports | Symplexis | European Platform for Sport Innovation |
University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences | Faculty of Sport of Belgrade | KTG Research & Innovation

Despite increasing attention to gender equality, maternity‑friendly structures in sport remain limited. Gaps in policy, insufficient support systems, and persistent stereotypes continue to create uncertainty and exclusion, forcing many athletes to choose between their careers and becoming mothers.

Building truly inclusive environments means moving beyond awareness and into action:

✔️ Establishing clear maternity policies and contractual protections

✔️ Providing holistic support systems (physical, psychological, and social)

✔️ Training coaches and organizations to respond to athletes’ real needs

✔️ Promoting a culture where motherhood is respected, not penalized

✔️ Ensuring safe and sustainable pathways for return‑to

Through capacity‑building, policy recommendations, and knowledge sharing across 8 European countries, MAMA supports sports organizations in creating environments where women athletes can thrive before, during, and after motherhood. By equipping stakeholders
with practical tools and raising awareness, the project helps turn European gender equality priorities into real change on the ground.

Let’s work together to create sports systems that support women athletes not despite motherhood, but alongside it.



Parterns: SOMOS PODEROSAS | CSIT - World Sports Games |
Olympiacos SFP | Social Innovation Sports | Symplexis | European Platform for Sport Innovation |
University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences | Faculty of Sport of Belgrade | KTG Research & Innovation

🧠🏃‍♀️ Mental health matters: supporting athlete mothers beyond performance

Becoming a mother should not mean navigating sport alone.
Yet for many women athletes, pregnancy and return‑to‑sport bring not only physical challenges, but significant mental and emotional pressures.

Research shows that the peak years of athletic performance often overlap with the years women choose to have children, creating a demanding balance between identity, expectations, and career continuity.

Athletes report:
🫨 Stress and identity conflict between being a mother and a professional athlete
🤰 Fear that pregnancy may signal the end of their career or financial stability
🙁 Lack of clear guidance and support, leading to uncertainty, anxiety, and isolation

At the same time, the postpartum phase brings additional mental health risks:
👉 Around 20% of women experience postpartum depression, with factors like return‑to‑sport pressure and body changes influencing well‑being.

🌍 How MAMA contributes
The MAMA project directly addresses these gaps by:
🔹 Raising awareness about the psychological challenges of athlete motherhood
🔹 Providing e‑learning tools on mental health, rights, and safe return‑to‑sport
🔹 Supporting organizations to build inclusive and supportive environments
🔹 Strengthening networks across Europe to ensure no athlete faces motherhood alone

Because supporting women in sport means supporting the whole person, not just the performance.



Parterns: SOMOS PODEROSAS | CSIT - World Sports Games | Olympiacos SFP | Social Innovation Sports | Symplexis | European Platform for Sport Innovation | University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto | Faculty of Sport of Belgrade | KTG Research & Innovation

✨ Call for athlete mothers – Take part in the MAMA study ✨
Have you returned to competitive sport after childbirth? Your experience matters.

The MAMA study explores the experiences of athletes who have successfully returned to competition after pregnancy. Your input will help identify gaps in research and support improvements to sport policies that promote women’s health, equality, and long-term participation in sport.

You may be eligible if you:
★ Became pregnant during your sporting career
★ Gave birth and attempted a return to competitive sport since 2011
★ Competed at local level or higher (up to Olympic level)
★ Train 3 times per week or more
★ Identify with a specific sport and train with the intent to compete

This research is part of MAMA – MAternity on the Bench : ProMoting EquAlity for Women in Sports, an Erasmus+ Sport project empowering women, especially mothers, to embrace physical activity for health, wellbeing, and social inclusion.

🕒 The survey takes approx. 15–25 minutes

📢 Your voice can help shape more inclusive and supportive sport environments.

👉 Take part today and share with fellow athlete mums! - https://redcap.jyu.fi/surveys/?s=WEK38KRDMERANYKA

Cyprus Olympic Committee , Cyprus Basketball Federation , PASP Cyprus , Επίτροπος Ισότητας των Φύλων
You can circulate the survey link to your networks, as Cyprus is one of the partner countries with KTG as the representative.

Across Europe, women athletes still face a harsh reality: choosing motherhood can mean losing contracts, income, and career continuity. This is not a personal failure, it’s a structural one.

The EU Work Plan for Sport 2024–2027 calls for non‑discrimination, equal conditions, contractual protection, and fair pay, while increasing women’s participation at every level of sport. Yet maternity remains a critical barrier, often unaddressed by sports organizations and federations.

The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025 is equally clear: dismantling gender stereotypes and removing structural barriers in the labour market, including sport, is essential to achieving real equality. Penalising pregnancy or motherhood directly contradicts these objectives.

Despite progress at policy level, implementation remains uneven. Some federations have introduced minimum maternity protections, while others still offer none, leaving women athletes forced to choose between their careers and becoming mothers.

MAMA turns EU policy commitments into action by:
- Promoting maternity‑friendly frameworks
- Challenging discriminatory contractual practices
- Supporting knowledge‑building and capacity‑building across Europe
- Raising awareness to combat stereotypes and create safer, more inclusive sport environments

Motherhood should never be treated as a setback.
It should be protected, supported, and fully compatible with an athletic career.



Partners: SOMOS PODEROSAS | CSIT - World Sports Games | Olympiacos SFP | Social Innovation Sports | Symplexis | European Platform for Sport Innovation | University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto | Faculty of Sport of Belgrade | KTG Research & Innovation