A Critical Analysis into The Inequalities That Women Face in Sport
Sport, in most Western societies, has traditionally been viewed as a domain for men, and this has made it challenging for women to join and thrive in this field (McGuigan, 2011, p.9). Traditionally, people have viewed the participation of men in sports as a natural phenomenon while the involvement of women is considered somewhat of an anomaly (McGuigan, 2011, p.9). More men than women play, watch, and control sports in the UK and around the world, and hence it has become significantly masculinised. This perception has been changing over the years with the increased influx of women in sports that were traditionally thought of as male. Women’s football has been growing as the discrimination, stigma, and derision of playing the game was already removed years ago (Edward’s, 2018). However, the struggle to ensure equality of men and women in sports is still far from over judging from the rate of participation of both genders.
Participation of Women in Sports
Participation of women in physical activity and sports is significantly lower than among men. This gap in gender has been caused by many barriers that have an effect on women’s attitude and behaviour regarding sport (SportScotland 2008). The role of women in football has primarily been neglected, with most of them regarding sports as an exclusionary process. Women are vastly underrepresented in all spheres of sport with the participation rates showing a clear example. According to the 2010 Active People Survey conducted by Sports England, women are 19% less likely to engage in physical activity and sports activities compared to men. Furthermore, the survey for men showed a participation increase of 149,100 in the period between two surveys while the participation rate of women dropped by 26,000 during the same period (McGuigan, 2011, p.15).
The participation rate of women footballers in the UK has shown great signs of improvement over the years. The England women’s team achieved unprecedented success at both the World Cup, where the team came in at third place, and the European Championships (Edwards, 2018). Recent FA cup finals at Wembley and international fixtures have been recording increasingly large crowds. The Women’s Super League underwent a significant change this season, whereby all the 11 teams are now full-fledged professional operations (Edwards, 2018). Furthermore, the creation of dedicated academy structures for girls will ensure that football becomes a realistic career choice for females as it is for males. The WSL has a crowd average of about 900 spectators despite all the advancement and investment in women’s football, and hence there is still a massive scope for growth (Edwards, 2018). The average attendance at most English Premier League matches is often in the tens of thousands, and hence the rift is quite evident. There has been a leap in the participation numbers, and the support base has been growing steadily, but women’s football still remains a minority sport in the UK (Edwards, 2018).
Reasons
Finances
One of the primary reasons why there are far fewer women participating in football in the UK is the lack of money. The financial aspect is a vital determinant of people’s participation in sport (Wrack, 2018). There is a massive disparity between the earnings of male and female footballers, this has seen football as not so lucrative a career for women compared to men. Gender inequality is deeply entrenched in football according to the salary survey of female and male footballers. The wages of men in the league and national team are very high, and this motivates young players to keep playing and aiming for a professional footballing life. On the other hand, women earn very little, and this discourages many young girls from choosing football as a career. A survey of the Women’s Super League players showed that 88% of them earned under £18,000 a year, with about 58% of them considering quitting due to financial reasons (Wrack, 2018). There are massive resources in football yet the women keep earning these meagre sums that can hardly support the professional life of a footballer. The figure earned by women pales in comparison to the £1.6 million average that premier league players earn from salaries and endorsements (Bryant, 2014). For comparison, Brazil footballer Neymar earns £32.9m per year for his playing contract alone, which is equal to what 1,693 female professional footballers from seven countries combined earn annually (Kelner, 2017). The gap, essentially, tells women that no matter how talented they are or how hard they train, they are not as valuable as their male counterparts. The rift is so massive that it is not difficult to see why women may opt for other career choices instead of football.
Stereotypes
Inequalities in sports also exist because of the stereotypes and ideologies that discourage women from joining football. Women undergo numerous struggles in the quest to achieve a level playing field with men. They must overcome the gender stereotypes and inequalities placed upon their identities, and they must also maintain sufficient levels of support and confidence, which can easily be suppressed due to their inferior position in sports (Hanson, 2012, p.15). The society has various expectations, and hence it has established some stereotypes to that effect. Males in the Western world are expected to be strong, athletic and independent, whereas female are expected to be obedient, quiet, and attractive nurturers (Wilde, n.d, p.2). When individuals go against these stereotypes, there are raise eyebrows, ridicule, or criticism from members of society. For example, a girl who plays football could get ridiculed since it is not the ‘right’ thing to do as a female.
Sexist exchanges are the Achilles heel for the proper development of women’s football in the UK (Wilson, 2017). Boys in school are increasingly telling girls that they cannot play football, and they are showing signs of believing these claims. The parents of the kids are also equally culpable since they have upheld the stereotypical norms by discouraging their girls from playing football, and supporting them to join other sports like netball (Wilson 2017). Sexism on the school playground has a massive impact on the future participation of women in football. 95% of the boys play some form of football by the age of 10, while only 41% of the girls achieve that feat. Additionally, only 65% of the current players in the women’s team started playing before they were ten years old (Wilson 2017). This statistic means that UK parents will rarely allow their young girls to join football academies from a young age, compared to boys. Eventually, the representation and participation of women in the sport is significantly hampered by the low enrolment of the girls into academies. On the other hand, boys are encouraged and easily enrolled into a football academy to nurture their talent. If the girls are not playing football at their early ages, it becomes very difficult to engage them when they are older since they are, either, engaged in other activities, or they have discovered another sport.
The parents might be crucial in determining the future involvement of their children in football, but personal reasons also prevail. The stereotypes might weigh too heavily on the minds of girls such that they, willingly, opt to stay away from sports altogether. According to traditional views, which are still prevalent, females are supposed to cook, clean, nurture, and maintain a beautiful and delicate body (Wilde, n.d, p.2). Women are more self-conscious than men, and hence things like body image play a key role in influencing their decision to join a sport (SportScotland 2008). The more self-conscious that girls feel about their bodies, the more they are unlikely to take part in a sporting activity (SportScotland 2008). The stereotypes that make women feel inferior will affect their confidence levels and force some to opt for something else (Cox et al., 2006). This behaviour has been responsible for many girls deciding against playing football, and it has furthered the inequality on a national level.
Media Coverage
Studies have consistently shown that female and male athletes are portrayed in different ways across all forms of media. There are clear-cut inequalities in the way media outlets depict female athletes compared to the males. Women are displayed in a vastly dimmer light compared to men in school and professional sports (Hanson, 2012, p.15). Instead of recognizing the athletic accomplishments of female athletes, sex appeal reigns supreme in most media coverages. A female athlete’s body, unlike that of a man, is not portrayed as a strong and muscular machine that is capable of achieving extraordinary athletic feats (Hanson, 2012, p.15). Women are viewed as objects that are pleasurable to the eye beyond the realm of the sport. These images paint female athletes as wives, mothers, or sexual objects that are there to please men. Female bodies are depicted in the most revealing of outfits to add emphasis on the non-athletic aspect of the women.
Studies have also indicated that the type of sport that women engage in, greatly, determines their media coverage. Women who participate in traditionally feminine-appropriate sports receive extensive media attention. On the other hand, when women are engaged in sports that are considered traditionally masculine, the media chooses to concentrate on performance irrelevant issues, such as their physical looks or private lives (Petty & Pope, 2018).
Apart from the skewed content, the amount of media coverage received by women is far less than that given to men sports. Scientific evidence shows that men are biologically programmed to be faster and stronger than women, and hence their coverage is considered to be more interesting for the viewers (Hanson, 2012, p. 17). Seemingly, the athletic abilities of women are considered inferior, and their competition far less intense, than that of men, and this is evident through the scant media and commercialization efforts that benefit the female gender. The British press is always carrying stories of male football, but females rarely feature. Women sports hardly receive media coverage, and when they do, it is skewed to show other aspects instead of the performance levels.
The media in the UK is quick to include women when there is a major event such as the World Cup. However, it is business as usual, and hence no coverage, in between these events. The women’s team plays international fixtures, where it performs exceptionally well, but this is rarely mentioned in newspapers (Creighton, 2011). Despite more women and girls engaging in football more than any other sport in the UK, the media coverage is close to non-existent (Creighton, 2011). The lack of adequate coverage in national and local media affects the ability of female footballers to earn from playing or endorsements, because there is no TV money and they are relatively unknown. It discourages a lot of women from participating in sports since they feel undervalued and objectified compared to their male counterparts.
Eliminating Inequalities
One of the factors that lead to inequality in sports is the financial aspect. Women earn far less than men, and this is the reason more men are interested in participating in the sport compared to women. The best way to eliminate this inequality is by improving the wage structures of women to reflect their contribution in the game, and allow them to sustain the lifestyle of a professional athlete. The people in charge of women football ought to challenge the financial power of the Premier League, wealthy club owners, and TV deals (Wrack, 2018). Many female footballers thought of quitting due to financial reasons, and hence increasing the money might make them reconsider (Kelner, 2017). Allocating equal funds, sponsorship deals, and prize money for both genders will eliminate the inequality. It will also improve the image of the sport in the eyes of upcoming girls, and thus increase their participation.
The issue of cultural stereotypes is ingrained in societral expectations and behaviors hence it will be challenging to tackle (SportScotland 2008). However, it can be done if the right measures are put in place. One of the ways to eliminate the stereotypes is by educating all the stakeholders on the importance of women involvement in sports. Young girls should be taught that playing football is not reserved for men, and will not make them less beautiful, or feminine. Teachers and parents ought to take the initiative to challenge sexist assumptions and behaviours that hold girls back from playing football by being role models. Children on the school playground are developing their abilities to catch, jump, run at their age, and hence introducing girls to the sport at this stage will make it second nature (Wilson 2017). Young women who are highly active in sports have cited their early involvement as a reason for their consistency (Cox et al., 2006, p.24). Women are interested in matters of well-being, and educators could use this channel to combine physical activity, and thus make it attractive for ladies (SportScotland 2008). Confronting the discriminatory ideologies will alleviate the stigma that surrounds the involvement of girls in football.
Media coverage can be solved by ensuring that reporters and media owners are efficient in their work. The media’s portrayal of female athletes has not done justice to their sporting prowess but rather focuses on their sexuality or personal issues (Petty & Pope, 2018). Having responsible reporters is one way of bridging the inequality in media coverage since they will show the ladies in a competitive and sporting light instead of posing for the camera (Petty & Pope, 2018). The growing popularity of football in the UK, coupled with the good performances, ought to be harnessed by increasing the TV coverage to allow more viewers to access these games. Increased publicity will make the sport attractive and rewarding for ladies, and this may increase the participation levels.
Conclusion
Gender inequality in sports has existed for a long time in Western countries, where sport is seen as a masculine endeavour. The perception that women are weak and uncompetitive have formed the basis of the low participation figures of women in sports. Women football in the UK is the fastest growing women sport yet it pales in comparison to men football. Men receive higher salaries, more media coverage and suffer fewer stereotypes while growing up compared to women. the result of this unequal distribution is that the participation numbers of women have decreased significantly since football, and sport, do not appear worth the effort. The situation could be reversed by educating the community on the importance of sport, and the need to include girls from a young age. Improving the media coverage and financial payoffs will also make the sport attractive in the eyes of more girls around the UK, and thus increase their participation.
References
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