After the recent elections this leaves the committee with more men called Brett than women.  This lack of diversity at the top of rugby also exists with Rugby Australia.

World Rugby's global council is at present a little more diverse. Reforms applied within the organisations in 2017 are largely to credit for the 17 women out of 50 members currently present on this council.  

These reforms raised the percentage of female representation from 0 to 35%.

This increased visibility of women within World Rugby has been welcomed.  However, the latest executive committee election illustrates the progress which still needs to be done within the organisation which oversees Rugby union 15s and Olympic Rugby 7s.

 This progress is needed at a time where women are a significant factor in the growth of the sport worldwide.  

Greater Visibility of the Women's Game has Lead to Growth

According to World Rugby women now make up 26% of all rugby players, with the amount of women involved in the sport globally having increased 60% since 2013.  

40% of all global fans are women.  50% of all Olympic rugby players are women.

There has consistently been a link between women's sports visibility and women's participation, in all sport.

The addition of women on the World Series Seven Series, as well as the reemergence of rugby at the Olympics, has increased the visibility of the women's rugby.  

During this period several nations have also been making greater efforts to schedule more test matches for their 15s squad.

The accessibility of these matches has also increased through with tests often now being televised or streamed. These factors are the key driver of the growth of the sport.

Australian women's participation in rugby has likewise seen a sharp increase in the last few years.

In 2018 23% of the total playing populations was female, with 63,443 Australia women and girls playing rugby both within the 15s and 7s format.

After the inaugural 2018 season of Super W rugby, 15s saw a further 20% increase in participation in Australia.