Harvard launches large study on female athletes’ physical, mental health

A new large-scale Harvard study aims to fill major gaps in research on elite women athletes. The Women in Sports (WINS) Study will examine the factors affecting physical and mental health, career prospects, well-being and financial security of collegiate, Olympic, Paralympic and professional female athletes. Researchers reviewed studies published from 2000 to 2025 and found that 90% focused exclusively on men, while fewer than 1% directly engaged women athletes. “Women need — and deserve — their own scientifically backed information on training and performance and on topics that impact women’s sports more than men’s, such as low pay, parenthood, and bias and discrimination,” said co-principal investigator Rachel Grashow, senior research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health.