In the last months of this term (2022-2025) the AETF Women Committee wanted to examine if there was any evolution in what female practitioners in Europe see and feel.
In April 2025 there will be elections for a new board AETF. Also the term of the existing committees wil come to an end by that period. In order to see the impact of 4 years of Women Committee in Europe (changes, the effectiveness of initiatives, but also the remaining barriers and future priorities), and to be able to hand over some accurate advises to the newly elected AETF Board after the 2025 European Championships and AETF Congress Meeting, the AETF Women Committee investigated if things changed over the last 4 years.
In the previous years 3 different surveys were published, the results were analyzed and advises were forwarded to the AETF Board and/or the Committees involved.
- The women participating at the 2025 survey were:
- 14,3% Masters VII°-IX° degree
- 35,7% IV° to VI° degree
- 28,6% I° to III° degree
- 21,4% coloured belts
- They are inhabitants of:
- 42,8% United Kingdom
- 21,4% Belgium
- 14,3% Ireland
- 14,3% Finland
- 7,1% France
- Their age group:
- 78,6% between 31 and 50 years old
- 21,4% over 50
Among them coaches (64,3%), athletes (50%), referees (50%), officials (28,6%) and not specified roles (28,6%); multiple answers were possible, as many women combine several taskes.
Most of the women that took the survey are practising for quite some years already:
50% of them already participated at previous surveys of the AETF Women Committee.
Perceptions of Gender Equity & Change Over Time
Q: Do you feel that the representation of women in Taekwon-Do has improved since 2022?
Changes were noticed in the visibility in competitions, the presence of more female umpires and coaches during competitions, social media coverage and in great leadership presence.
However, 85,7% of the female practitioners in Europe still feel there is a gender bias in Taekwon-Do, especially in leadership roles, acces to opportunities, possibilities to officiate or being a coach at championships and during competitions in general. In fact, 42,9% of the women experienced discrimination or exclusion based on gender within Taekwon-Do themselves.
Impact of AETF Women’s Committee Initiatives
Q: Are you aware of the work of the AETF Women’s Committee?
Q: Have the resources, articles, or social media campaigns from the Women’s Committee been helpful to you?
The women participating at the survey had the opinion the following initiatives were the most impactful: the advocacy for female representation, the visibility efforts, the Meet&Greets, the articles on training & the female cycle and the webinars on safe guarding.
Q: Have you noticed any changes in how female practitioners are represented in major events like the Euros or World Championships?
Barriers & Challenges That Persist
Q: What are the biggest challenges you face as a female in Taekwon-Do?
Gender bias and child care are still the biggest challenges, followed by a lack of female representation, acces to a higher level of coaching and financial issues.
42,9% of the participating women have ever felt excluded from opportunities in Taekwon-Do due to their gender. They felt excluded mostly in the areas of coaching, leadership positions, training environment and competition selection.
Future Priorities for the Committee (and the newly elected AETF Board)
For the next term and the AETF Women Committee that will be facing challenges after the 2025 elections, the top prioritites – according to the female participants at the survey – would mainly be to create more leadership opportunities, creating mentorships programmes and addressing discrimination, increasing the visibility of female athletes and supporting female umpires.
Q: Would you be interested in attending more educational webinars or events on topics related to women in Taekwon-Do?
Q: Would you support a mentorship initiative connecting experienced female athletes/coaches with those starting out?
If you want to contact the AETF Women Committee, please don’t hesitate. You can reach us through aetfwomen@admin
The AETF Women Committee,
Master Annick, Sb. Sally, Sb. Satu
