Gender Inequality In Women's Sport

Throughout history, the pursuit for equality has been tough. Individuals, such as Nelson Mandela and Emma Watson, have strived for a society where race, physical appearance and gender do not distinguish a person’s social status. Despite their support, many examples of inequality still exist to this day. One example is women in sport and the belief that ”women’s sport will never be able to compete with men’s sport. Sport isn’t for women, it is for men.” The 2 main issues supporting this statement are the sexploitation of women and the portrayal and coverage of women in the media.

Although women have achieved so much in sport, they do not receive the media coverage they deserve. The majority of Australia’s Female athletes have displayed outstanding performances in the past 20 years, in Australia and internationally. For example, Ellyse Perry is a woman “currently playing both soccer and cricket for Australia on the international level” (cricket.com.au, 2015). Also, Sally Pearson “claimed a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles” (Wikipedia, 2015). However, their achievements made up a mere 8.7% of Australia’s channels, where as, the men’s achievements reached a total of 81%. Grant Hackett, a male swimmer, won a silver medal and this achievement made headlines throughout Australia, as displayed by The Courier Mail, “Grant Hackett’s remarkable comeback continues…” (Balym, 2015). Both genders have achieved a high level of performance however the men’s achievements received more recognition by the media. Therefore, women can compete with men’s sport in terms of performance but viewers cannot realise this without the support from the media. We need the support from the media, in order for women’s sport to succeed.

Unfortunately, the body type and attractiveness of female athletes determines how successful the athlete is, rather than the quality of their performance.

This sexploitation of women is evident within various incidents of contemporary society. For example, Ana Ivanovic is a former world number one tennis player. Instead of being recognized for her achievement, Ivanovic was on the cover of multiple sport magazines dressed in revealing clothing and provocative positions. This is a clear demonstration of sexploitation. The reality is, most female athletes have experienced sexploitation sometime throughout their career. Their bodies are determining the success of their career. French player Marion Bartoli won the Wimbledon women's singles in 2013, but “Bartoli didn't conform to the sexy sporting babe norm” (The Age, 2013). Society viewed her as “too ugly and fat” (The Age, 2013). For example, John Inverdale, the sports presenter for Wimbledon, said Bartoli was "never going to be a looker" as well as, a number of provoking twitter comments that also demonstrates this view (Edgar, 2014). It is this negative view and perspective that supports the statement “Sport isn’t for women, it is for men.” It’s not that women don’t have the capability of establishing world-class achievements; it’s the fact that the media portray women as sexual objects. They are positioning viewers to believe that women athletes need to be good looking and skilled to be successful, when this isn’t true. Society is simply ‘Treating Women’s Sport like a Trivial Fashion Contest’ and this needs to

change.

These two issues, sexploitation and coverage of women in the media, are closely related. The organizations, which broadcast women and men’s sport, are obviously looking to make a profit. However, these organizations have realized that coverage involving the sexploitation of women will draw in large amounts of audiences, which generates more money. Where as, a normal women’s game focusing on their skill does not. The organizations are thinking through a business’s point of view. The more viewers, the more sponsors and this sexploitation is good in a way for female athletes since they receive more income. But, if female athletes want to be recognized for their talent, than they must work hard to get media coverage for it. As Netball Australia CEO stated, “It's never a right to get that media coverage ... we need to do a good job of marketing our sport so we get that sort of product” (ABC News, 2015). The marketing can be focused on their body or skill. There is also the view that “If women’s sport struggles for coverage it’s not because of sexism – it’s because you can’t make people care” as stated by the Irish Times article (The Irish Times, 2015). And if what he says is true it must mean achievements such as Sally Pearson’s silver medal is not up to societies expectations. Therefore, the media and female athletes have to work together to attract more sponsors and more viewers.

We are still far from a realizing a society where men and women are treated equally in sport and in other topics. It is clear that women’s sport can compete with men’s, however, the sexploitation and the portrayal and coverage of women in the media is preventing them from accomplishing this. Equality is the foundation of any fair society. It allows each individual to reach his or her full potential. Women athletes have obviously displayed great potential in the sport industry and it’s about time we recognize it.