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Sports Bar - August 2007

WOMEN DISADVANTAGED IN SPORT - The Stats, The Figures & The Inequality

August 9th 2007 04:09
Matildas
Is Australia really an egalitarian society free from discrimination, bias and prejudice? Is everybody really given a fair go? On the surface it would appear that we are all treated as equals. However, in reality, there are a number of groups whom are severely disadvantaged. This becomes obvious when examining women’s sport. There is far less; money, sponsorship, coverage in the media, awareness and opportunity for women in sport than their male counterparts. Often, the standard of the female athletes; rivals or even surpasses that of the men and the gap between the two sexes is constantly shortening. So why then are women so disadvantaged? The media is highly influential in this matter; however the blame must be shifted towards government officials who have the power to change this. It is a deep-seeded problem which starts with young children in primary schools and spans the breadth of sport, all the way to elite athletes and the media’s portrayal of them. The problem needs to be addressed to ensure the longevity and survival of women’s sport. This is not to say that all female sport is floundering. There are some high profile sports such as; golf, tennis and swimming, where the rewards are substantial, however these do not balance the inequalities suffered by the majority of female athletes. The question that needs to be addressed is firstly; why do these inequalities exist and secondly, what can be done to address them?



In a society that (for the most part) considers both sexes to be equal, it is strange how this outlook dramatically changes in reference to the sporting field. The media when it does actually cover female sport, still focuses on the costumes and off-field antics of the elite female sport stars rather than their sporting performances and accomplishments. When examining the broadcast networks framing of sport, one quickly becomes aware that male sports are given the highest priority. This priority often leads to females receiving no coverage whatsoever. Channel Ten focuses on the AFL, NRL and motor sport. If there is time left after that, female golfers, tennis players or surfers may get a mention. In general, however this occurrence is exaggeratedly low. It is the same theme across the board with only the ABC giving a decent amount of coverage to female sport (due to its ongoing coverage of the netball). Is this lack of coverage promoted by the media, or is the media simply responding to society’s demands? For it can be argued that the two are intrinsically linked (media and society), both rely on each other, thus both define social values.

Sex sells, but at what price?
Considering that females comprise 53% of the world population it becomes clear when noting they only receive 5% of sport coverage, that their sport experience is tangential to the male experience. This reveals the male dominated nature of sport and the manner in which the media covers this. It also lays insight into modern culture and portrays society’s values and stereotypes. The lack of representation of girls and women in sport conveys an undeniable message about the sanctioning of sport as a male preserve, and this message deters female participation (Duncan & Hasbrook 1988). This continues the catch 22 that is females in sport; the media have little coverage of it because there is modest demand, there is little demand because the public have no awareness of it. This leads to lack of motivation in girls, which inevitably leads to lower participation rates.

“Sport is one of the most crucial contexts in which gender differences are stressed and promoted (Hanrahan, S et al. 1996).” This is how sport is framed in modern society. Women are treated as distant seconds behind their male counterparts. With little to no coverage of female sport, it will take a considerable amount of time before news values and the priority of women in sport evolve. Dr Phillips' 1996 survey showed that women's sport coverage on specialist TV shows Sportsworld, Wide World of Sports and Sports Tonight made up 1.2%, 1.6% and 5.7% of the total coverage, respectively. These stats help to prove the void left by media coverage of women in sport. This is further highlighted by the 2000 Illusory Image Report (Australian Sports Commission, 2000) which showed that television coverage of women's sport was just 2.0% of total sports broadcasting. Radio coverage was surveyed for the first time, showing a figure of 1.4% of total sports broadcasts while sports magazines registered 6.8% of coverage devoted to women's sports.
“During the past 20 years, women have revolutionised their performance records and developed incredible skill and expertise in competitive sports. However, the media have barely acknowledged the existence of female athletes; they remain for the most part myopically focused on male athleticism” (G, Cohen 1993).

The face of women's sport
Television both shapes and reflects the attitudes of society. The way in which television covers, or fails to cover, women engaged in sport affects the way in which female athletes are perceived” (Duncan et al. 1990). The media’s role in society can not be emphasised enough; it represents and reflects society’s values. For women to be covered in the media they need to be exceptionally talented, or provocative and controversial. When reporting on women in sport the media will often focus on off-field antics rather than the sport itself. Anna Kournikova is an obvious example of this; she is known the world over and has made millions of dollars, despite retiring without ever winning a singles’ title. However, tennis is a mainstream sport for women alongside golf; other sports however are not so generous when it comes to the media. Off field antics are often the main focal point of a story in women’s sport “From the catwalks of London, Paris and New York to the courts of the Women's National Basketall League is a long shot, but Melissa Moyle has made the jump” (Hurst M. 2006). This is the only coverage of women’s sport, and it is only there because she is a model. The whole angle of the story is superfitial and reinforces stereotypes of women in sport.

Desperately trying to gain attention
Football is marketed as the ‘world game,’ however it was only when the ‘Matildas’ made a nude calendar that they gained any attention (for a fleeting second). Indeed even Sepp Blatter, the President of football’s governing body (FIFA) admitted that he would ‘prefer women players to wear tighter, more buttock-defining shorts; like they do in volleyball.’ This admission from one of the most powerful men in sport is a worrying indication of female sport and how it is perceived by society. It is a clear indication of the difficulties faced by sportswomen; they are not treated equally and thus must revert to superficial acts to get recognition.
“Women may have been entering the work force, demanding equal pay, equal education and equal rights and they may have been able to match it with men intellectually but there remained one incontrovertible truth in society and that was that males were stronger than women… Men knew that their superiority was natural, their bodies told them so (Stell M. 1991).”

Football has been heralded as the world game, and is riding an unprecedented, meteoric rise in this country. The world cup has put football back in the mainstream in Australia where it has often lagged behind. But what does this mean for women? When the NSL defunct, was the women’s national league also halted? We have not heard a thing about it. Unlike the NSL and now the A-league, the women’s competition is structured as a state vs state competition. There is one team per state unlike the men’s competition which is structured with numerous teams in one state competing. They are able to do this because there are more males participating in sports and thus have more players to choose from. The women’s game can not afford this luxury and to ensure a strong competition they need a wide base to pick their players from. Crowds are almost inexistent, so are sponsors and media representation. This is the harsh reality, in modern society; time and time again women are not only playing second fiddle to men, they are playing third, forth and fifth as well.

Why is women’s sport treated with such disregard in many sectors of society? Why are we as a society and thusly the media so focussed on male sports? We can look at social constructs, historical roles of genders and consider the ‘hunters and collectors’ theory. However, there may even be a more obvious and straight forward answer to this question. Women sport is treated as inferior because it is constantly being compared to male sport. If it was treated as its own entity, female sport would be just as competitive and interesting. If there was nothing to compare it with society and sponsors would have embraced it just like they have done with men’s sport. “Games and sports played by women could be judged purely for themselves, without reference, all the time, to what are taken as the absolute values, the only yardstick of achievement – male achievement” (Willis, P. 1982). Society is structured in a way that these comparisons are unavoidable. Men are seen as more powerful and dominant in this arena and this stereotype is constantly reinforced; not just by the media, but by our own values and beliefs.

Unnoticed - All conquering women's side
There are countless examples of the differences between genders when it comes to media and corporate involvement. The Australian women’s cricket team has been almost as successful as their male counterparts, however they don’t even warrant a mention in the media or in backyard conversations. Most people would be able to tell you that Belinda Clarke is a cricketer, and some might remember Zoe Goss, not for her international career, but because she bowled Brian Lara in a charity game. If you asked the same person to name another female cricketer – from any country they would struggle. It is the same with football, apart from those who own the ‘Matildas’ calendar, most general pundits would struggle to name one single female soccer player in the entire world. ‘The world game’ appears to be directed at 47% of the population, the male population. Granted, football has made some great strides and the women’s competition is getting a lot stronger, however as mentioned above, when compared to the male’s game, it is ignored by most parts of society. “From the sand and dust of ancient Greek and Roman stadia to Augusta’s immaculate fairways and greens women have long been, and still are, unwelcome outsiders” (Haig-Muir, M. 2000).

Why is there so much disparity between men and women’s sport? The gap in ability is constantly being closed and in some sports the difference is unnoticeable. It might surprise people to learn that women actually hold 7 of the top 10 fastest ever swims across the English Channel. Indeed women are quickly bridging the difference in ability, however they are still not getting the recognition they deserve in society. Birrell argues that the media are to blame for this; “the media organize the way we come to think about sport, social relations and even ourselves” (Birrell et al. 1994). However it is more complicated than Birrell makes out, society and the media are inextricably linked. Yes, the media does focus predominately on males sport, but isn’t this what society is dictating it report? It is easy to point the finger at the media; however it is a little short-sighted to do so. The media is confined by the parameters of society. What society deems significant and socially valuable the media must reciprocate.

American swimmer Amanda Beard
What can be done to change these trends? Will women ever gain total acceptance in contemporary culture? Women have made some major strides in recent years towards equality; in tennis, golf and swimming they are represented quite well in Australian media and also that of the world media. However, these are the mainstream sports, the cream of the crop and still we seem more interested in superficial aspects then the sport itself. Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova reiterate this fact, the media focus on their off-field prowess rather than the sport itself. Michel Wie is another example; the teenager only seems to get coverage when she takes on the men’s competition which is seen as highly controversial but also as a gimmick. Female sport stars are not treated equally, they are either totally ignored, or exploited for their appearance. Women like Amelie Mauresmo have had to battle with their image and fight for acceptance in a world largely driven by male sports. But will women ever achieve equal status as they have done in virtually every other aspect of life? The problem for women is that sport is still largely seen as a male’s domain. Society’s beliefs and values are very deep-seeded and have proved hard to shake. In a world where we can have women Presidents and Prime-Ministers it is hard to fathom that they can not be accepted as the best sportspeople on the planet. If you were to ask people to come up with a list of the best athletes of all time, women would hardly merit a mention. It is easy for us to blame the media and corporate sponsors for this, sadly, this is not the case. Women are disadvantaged because society is geared towards men in sport. Our history and social construct has determined this and evolution is very slow. Apart from the mainstream sports, it is hard to see women gaining much ground on men in the foreseeable future. Minor sports will continue to struggle until these societal values change. That means a hard slog for sports such as football, cricket, league and union codes to name a few. To change attitudes and the current structure we must first accept the inequalities faced by women. If they could be treated as a unique entity without constant comparisons with the male game, maybe then women would be accepted in contemporary society.

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Comment by charles

August 9th 2007 05:57


ZCars
Ponderous
I agree and disagree.

In some sports the difference is unnoticeable.

I find that quite difficult to believe. The fact that "women actually hold 7 of the top 10 fastest ever swims across the English Channel" is news to me, but how many women are listed in the top 10 times for Olympic swimming events?

There is at least a 5 second difference between the 100m freestyle world record times for men and women. That extends to over 22 seconds for the 400m freestyle.

And what about tennis? Women are now offered the same amount of money as their male counterparts at all the Grand Slam events.

However, females only have to play a max. of three sets while the males play a max. of 5.

In a typical 7-round Grand Slam, that equates to an extra 14 sets of tennis for males - the equivalent of females having to play more than 4 extra matches.

In this respect, who is the more 'disadvantaged'?


Charles.

Comment by sportsbar

August 9th 2007 06:23


Sports Bar
Fret X
haha, i was waiting for that to crop up... Tennis is the exception, however this is considered 'mainstream' along with golf women are paid very well in this regard... They are identities, house-hold names...
It are the other sports which women suffer, unable to attract money, sponsorship and or crowds.

A lot of women teams have to finance their own travel and struggle just to make do. There plight often mirrors the ammatuer sports people trying to crack the big time.

As to the records, yes in swimming, men are still cracking world records at will (Or should I say Phelps is breaking records at will) anyways, in other sports, noticeably long distance events such as the marathon, womens records are coming down rapidly whilst the male records are flatening out. It is the same with track & Field, women are slowly but surely bridging the gap.

Its a good point though; about the tennis... Should they get paid the same?

Comment by DuskDevi

August 9th 2007 08:12


Rugby World Cup 2007
Hello Sportsbar,

I'm sure this article is Excellent with many excellent points...but I can't finish it.
Please believe me, I'm not being rude but...this red background is very harsh and it hurts to read.

Just very quickly...Although I very rarely mention them, I follow The Wallaroos and have played and supported Womens Rugby since my teenage years.

The Wallabies are feted...the Wallaroos are faded.
Why should that be a surprise?

My apologies if I sound rude but I really do want to read this post. I just cannot.

DuskDevi

Comment by DuskDevi

August 9th 2007 09:32


Rugby World Cup 2007
Oh thank you Andy!!

First of all...this really should be a Breaking Post.

Secondly...I've got to go! Not fair! I'd stamp my foot but I have a Rugby rep to protect...
I promise you I will return tomorrow...I've done a skim read and I was right...

This IS an excellent article and worthy of being seen by more than Orble bloggers.
Are you a print writer Andrew?


The problem for women is that sport is still largely seen as a male’s domain.
This certainly rings true for Rugby.

...and this...woahhhh...very interesting observation;
The media is confined by the parameters of society. What society deems significant and socially valuable the media must reciprocate.

Popular belief is that it's the other way around.

Oh this is a very good article...not just from a sporting point of view.

As Arnie would say...I'll be back.
have a great night Andy.

Dusk

Comment by charles

August 10th 2007 01:59


ZCars
Ponderous
Its a good point though; about the tennis... Should they get paid the same?

Absolutely not - at least not for tennis unless women also play a maximum of five sets.


Charles.


Comment by sportsbar

August 10th 2007 02:50


Sports Bar
Fret X
Okay, women run the marathon, play test cricket, and compete in practically every sport that men do, for the same time period. Of course there are going to be exceptions, but why is tennis played over a *shorter time period?

I know exactly where your coming from, at a strictly analytical standpoint they do not deserve to get paid the same, if you consider time on the court. But this argument does not stack up for the rest of the year; *men play best of 3 sets everywhere but the Grandslams and at these events they are indeed paid more than their female counterparts. However, tennis is a mainstream sport, one which has the highest profile for female athletes. Perhaps tennis and the Grandslams, decided to set an example by paying both sexes the same? It is a clear message, one of the leading sports paying its players equal amounts… It is though one of the only sports doing so, and this is only at the Grandslams… Still, it’s a start

Cheers, love the debate…

Comment by amz

February 20th 2008 06:14
this article is very interesting. It has helped me out so much with my speech about women in sport. there are a number of arguments for and against the amount of money received by women tennis players.
xoxo thanks again xoxo

Comment by sportsbar

February 20th 2008 06:20


Sports Bar
Fret X
Hey Amz - thanks,

Hope it helps and hope you enjoyed reading it

Comment by Anonymous

March 29th 2008 23:00
The media tends to focus more on the physical attributes of females rather than the athletes' sporting performances and abilities. Some sports have revealing costumes but are viewed as tools for the sport. eg. the new speedo suit has tools to affect on the swimmer ability i.e go faster. However some sports such as volleyball have introduced uniforms intentionally focusing the attention on the athletes body.
??why??

Comment by sportsbar

April 11th 2008 01:18


Sports Bar
Fret X
well.. It has been going on a lot longer than that...

The obvious examples I can point you towards are -
Women soccer team posing nude,

Women's Basketball team - 'The Opals' were one of the first teams to truly embrace this... they came out with a uniform that was deliberately skin tight and revealing to get sponsors, fans and media on board...

Which actually is something of a paradox...

They do these things to get more attention, more media and more sponsorship dollar... but they also want to be treated seriously, and how can you be treated seriously as a sport star or brand if you have to resort to this to get exposure... it is a Catch 22 and nobody seems to care...


Comment by Sportie

May 21st 2008 07:28
Hey Sportsbar,
I agree completely with everything you say. I recently watched a TV show on the Phoenix's-- Melbourne's Women Netball Team. (I'm not a particular Netball-y person but it's a good exmaple)

The players on the squad train as hard as any other elite team but there is so little sponsorship, merchandise and ticket sales that the players can barely scrape together enough money to enter the competition. They get paid an annual salary of about $2000. Think of how far that will go? Next to nowhere. So these women, elite athletes, have to juggle family, a second fulltime job as well as Netball just to be able to play. I think it's disgusting, especially with what you mentioned about the Women's Cricket Team achieving nearly the same results as the mens side. Honestly, I think the number of times I have heard them mentioned on the news would be able to be counted in a single digit.

I've been conducting a study on sponsorship and everytime I see it the irony hits me-- the men of the sports industry are troubled because they have so much sponsorship, while the women struggle because they have none.

It's such a difficult issue to negotiate because there really is no short term solution, but I definitely believe that the media are partly to blame. They should become part of the solution now, by broadcasting womens sporting results and so on, to raise awareness and therefore funds for women's elite sport.

--Sportie

Comment by sportsbar

May 21st 2008 22:56


Sports Bar
Fret X
Yeah - and the catch 22 rolls on! Hey Sportie, media are confined to certain parameters and unfortunately, if we don't switch on, they won't cover it... The netball has been a great initiative, it is unprecedented the coverage the netball is getting on FoxSports, and maybe it is a sign for things to come, apparently it is rating fairly well, so here's hoping.

But in an Olympic year - in the short term - you can expect to see more women in the headlines for a fleeting second... It is the immediate aftermath of the Olympics and what is done to capitalize on the exposure that makes all the difference.

Comment by Optimus Prime

February 28th 2009 17:31
I found this article very astonishing. I was appalled. Not by the words saying that women should be recognized more is sport because I completely back up that statement. It was the fact that it is our demands as a society that creates this gap between women and men sports. When I first heard about the Famous Five (The Persons Case), I was shocked to find that it took such a long time before woman were actually considered ‘persons’. The reality though is that we still do not see women as ‘persons’, in sports at least. Society today is focused on the high-flying, hard-hitting, fast-pace competition of male sports. Well I believe that women are capable of the same level of entertainment, it’s just that society and the media do not see this talent. I’m not going to lie, I barely every watch women’s sports, but then again, when have they ever been on T.V. so that I can enjoy their performance. I have watched a McMaster Women’s Basketball game, and I found that it was a very exciting and intense game. The media is the one to blame, but then again, it is society’s views that affect what the media displays. It’s a vicious circle that keeps coming around until either society changes the media’s output or either the media changes society’s demands. I believe that if there were more women’s sports broadcasted, more people would watch them. They may even follow the team’s progress throughout the season and get to know the players (not personally, but know their names). The more media attention that women athletes receive on field or on court, the less these athletes will be compared to their male counterparts. The women would be finally compared to other women athletes and society would enjoy watching these fantastic athletes perform. The first thing that has to happen however is that the women have to be recognized by society and in order for that to happen, the media has to begin to give women in sport a chance at publicity when they are playing.

Comment by Anonymous

March 2nd 2009 18:19
While equality is important I think many are overlooking the fact the sport at the professional and elite level is for the most part a business. Business is built upon profit and success, and male sports are simply of greater quality as a result of physiological and biomechanical differences that will never change. If I were running a business, I would focus on what sells, not what's fair. So if an NBA game can bring in 25 thousand fans a game and a WNBA can only bring in 4 thousand, don't even argue that you wouldn't invest your corporate dollars in the WNBA game.

Sure, the gap may be bridged as some have stated in sports like Track and Field, but the gap will always exist. This bridging of the gap can also be attributed to females finally being more involved in sport to a similar degree. For instance, in the 1970s women didn't race greater than 800m on the track. What I'm getting at is that the gap isn't improving, it was always the same, it was just never exposed in reality until now.

This article also neglects to make note of the title IX rule in the NCAA which has crippled several mens programs in attempting to acheive "equality" where the interest by women in collegiate sports simply does not exist.

Comment by Anonymous

March 19th 2009 21:41
who is willis P.

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