Draft:Women Inequalities in Sport

Women Inequalities in Sport

Since sports have taken over within society, women have faced many inequalities just because of their gender.

One of the main reasons these inequalities exists is because the media has created a gender ideology that labels males as the dominant and more aggressive gender. This is due to many reasons;

1. Historical Precedent: In the past, traditional gender roles have placed males in the dominant and powerful/visible roles which also includes sports. As time went on the ideology that men are the dominant gender continued to grow especially within the media and sport.
2. This ideology also created stereotypes that linger around society today. "A gender stereotype is a generalized view or preconception about attributes or characteristics, or the roles that are or ought to be possessed by, or performed by, women and men. A gender stereotype is harmful when it limits women’s and men’s capacity to develop their personal abilities, pursue their professional careers and/or make choices about their lives".

What are the Inequalities Women Face Within Sport?

Women are often sexualized through the media which ultimately "delegitimized their skill" in sport

"Through analysis of sports websites and a survey distributed online through a midsized, public, liberal arts college in the Northeast, data was gathered to establish the public opinion of female athletes. Research presented shows that female athletes are delegitimized and sexualized as a result of a lack of proficient coverage of their athletic skills and pursuits" (Mannion, Katherine "Play Like a Girl: An Analysis of Media Representation of Female Athletes" 2016)​

Uniforms and Dress Codes

Many women have felt like the uniforms provided to them in sport aren't meant for physical performance but more for physical appearance. "Since Title IX revolutionized female participation in sports alongside men, there is yet to be an equal playing field regarding dress codes. Whether it be the skimpy leotards, short tennis skirts, or tight spandex shorts, uniform requirements have long displayed female athletes in a hyper-sexualized manner. Struggling to comfortably submit to these policies due to self image-related concerns is an experience many athletes face, professional or amateur. Often, constant hypersexualized judgment of their physique, perpetuated by the uniforms codes, takes attention away from their athleticism or achievements. For women to fully feel comfortable in their sport, sporting institutions must stop mandating strict uniform standards onto women". Dress codes are more restrictive in women's sports which causes the athlete's to be continuously objectified as the uniforms are very exposing. The media focuses on appearance more then skill. Media outlets emphasize females athletes bodies, attractiveness, and even personal lives which ultimately bears away from their athletics skill and accomplishments. Of course these uniform polices are meant to encourage more viewers since the media objectifies women athlete's and focuses on their body's and attractiveness over their athletic ability. In the end if the women athletes are wearing less clothes they will bring in more viewers as well as more revenue.

Image: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/qtvhfkqc.jpg

This Image shows the typical Women's Hand Ball uniform

Image: https://collegegymnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Screen-Shot-2020-02-25-at-8.10.50-PM.png

This image is an example of the women's uniform for gymnastics in college

Lack of Media Coverage

With media continually growing in todays society it is often seen as a positive commodity that benefits the community's especially within the sport community. This is not the case for women athlete's.

"As media has become the primary way to watch, judge, and analyze sports, coverage of sports news has become almost entirely male-focused. In an observation of the 1992 Olympics done by Higgs and Weiller (2003), they found that when reporters covered women’s sports, they covered them by using degrading comments about the female athletes’ bodies and physiques instead of judging their ability to participate in their respective sports. Words including “strong” and “aggressive” were used to describe male athletes nearly 3 times as often as they were for women (Higgs & Weiller, 2003). It was also found in the next three sets of Olympic Games that sports media conglomerates claimed to promote equal opportunities for female and male coverage, but overhyped male sports and barely promoted female sports (Higgs & Weiller, 2003)" (Mannion, Katherine "Play Like a Girl: An Analysis of Media Representation of Female Athletes" 2016).

Women athletes are not getting the credit they deserve. They train just as hard as men and are left with little to no media coverage. "On the ESPN website’s home page there were 43 stories featured across a broad range of sports, including college and major league athletics. Because of the time of year, most of the stories were about college and national football, as well as college basketball. Of these 43 stories, one was about a female athlete. Statistically speaking, this is approximately 2% of stories" (Mannion, Katherine "Play Like a Girl: An Analysis of Media Representation of Female Athletes" 2016).

Bleacher Report also lacks coverage of woman's sports and athletes. "Bleacher Report, another sports conglomerate, had no female athletes or women’s sports on their main web page. In their top 10 stories, two were about football, two were about basketball, two were about hockey, and the other four were public interest stories, including an athlete’s new line of sneakers and a “kiss cam” mishap. None of the stories were about women’s sports. At the bottom of the home page for the site, a list of 10 “featured authors” in varying sports was listed. One of these authors was female. Additionally, the website provided tabs that users could hover over to select teams. Even though these sports included college basketball, mixed martial arts fighting, and hockey, no women’s leagues or teams were available to select. There was also no link for a separate website dedicated to women’s sports" (Mannion: Play Like a Girl).

Image: https://www.niemanlab.org/images/Screen-Shot-2021-03-24-at-11.12.07-AM.png

This image shows Sports Center and Network News station on how much they have covered woman's sports from 1989 to 2019. The highest the average ever got was 8.7% in 1999

Image: https://journals.sagepub.com/cms/10.1177/21674795211003524/asset/images/large/10.1177_21674795211003524-fig3.jpeg

This image once again shows how big name sport media organizational like Sports Center fail to cover woman's sports and athletes. Not one woman's sport reaches over 3% coverage on this pie chart.

Sexual and Verbal Abuse

Almost 21% of female athletes have reported acts of sexual and verbal abuse during their time as athlete's. That percentage is nearly doubled of men. One particular case is in woman's soccer. Former Portland Thorns coach "Paul Riley allegedly coerced player Sinead Farrelly into having sex with him on multiple occasions and pressured Farrelly and midfielder Meleana “Mana” Shim to kiss each other in Riley’s apartment after a night of drinking in 2015. (Riley has denied the allegations.) Despite the players emailing the team’s Human Resources Department and team owner Merritt Paulson with the allegations in 2015, according to The Athletic report, the Portland Thorns organization did not take adequate action on the allegations at the time when the complaints were being made, leading many people to conclude that Paulson, who also owns the men’s pro team the Portland Timbers, should sell both the Thorns and the Timbers" (MSNBC).

There were serious allegations here about sexual abuse. Actions were not taken to fix this issue. The reported failure of the Portland Thorns organization, specifically the Human Resources Department and team owner Merritt Paulson, to take adequate action upon receiving the players' complaints in 2015 is highly significant. It raises concerns about the culture within the organization, the handling of such serious misconduct, and the protection of players' well-being. These issues are happening a lot more then we think, in most cases a lot of sexual abuse goes unreported due to fear of reprisal, concerns about career consequences, or a lack of trust in the reporting mechanisms within sports organizations. Unfortunately, Female athletes are more prone to sexual abuse.

Less pay for More Games?

In March 2019 the USA National Women's Soccer Team stood their ground. All 28 players on the United States Women's soccer team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation. The female athletes stated "that they play more games than the men’s team — and win more of them — yet still receive less pay. They said “institutionalized gender discrimination” affected not only their paychecks, but also where they played and how often"

Female Athletes are sacrificing their bodies every time they take the field and are not getting the pay they deserve. Equal pay promotes gender equality by ensuring that female athletes receive the same financial recognition as their male counterparts. It challenges and helps break down traditional gender norms and stereotypes that might undervalue women's contributions in sports. Fair pay will also contribute to the economic empowerment of women athletes. Financial support allows them to focus on their athletic careers, invest in training, and pursue opportunities to compete at the highest levels without facing financial barriers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these are the systemic inequalities faced by women in sports, issues of sexualization, media coverage, and unequal pay. The historical gender ideologies perpetuated by the media contribute to stereotypes that obstruct the recognition of female athletes for their skills and accomplishments. The call for equal pay emerges as a crucial element in rectifying these disparities. The struggles faced by female athletes, as illustrated through these examples, highlight the urgent need for change. Achieving equal pay is not just a matter of fairness but a pivotal step in dismantling gender norms, challenging stereotypes, and ensuring that women receive the recognition and compensation they rightfully deserve in sports.