Background: Football is a sport defined by men for men. The number of performers is higher, men have better benefits and they get more attention than women. Additionally, the football referees are represented by men as well. In the current situation, there are 139 referees in football placed in Västerbotten. 18 are women and 121 are men, which means that women only represent 13 % of the referees in the county. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine which factors that contribute the fact that female football referees are few. Following research questions were stated: why do female referees quit? What obstacles and abilities do female referees face in their profession?What do they believe needs to be done to change the conditions in Swedish football to encourage women to become referees? Method: To conduct this study, a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews has been done. Six active and two non-active referees from Västerbotten and Västernorrland participated in this study. Result: The result indicated that female quit judging due to several reasons. For example, lack of support, insults and disrespectful treatment. Norms and perceptions about the woman make it hard for them to get respect and belief. Women also have to face sexual harassment. The respondents believe that right type of recruitment, specific female coaches, education for women and better support are solutions to attract more women to the profession.