Disclaimer: This author is keenly aware that by using specific language such as “women’s sports”, “Women’s World Cup” and “female athletes”, this article is indirectly contributing to the differentiation in men and women in sport. This differentiation is also made in the media, such as with the distinction of “Women’s Euros”, and the men’s Euros being labelled as simply “Euros.” However, this choice was made for this article to ensure it remained comprehensible and coherent. 

With the grand finale of the Euros still fresh in our minds, and the ongoing Olympics (at this time of writing) captivating global attention, there have been some interesting debates and discussions regarding the role of gender in sport, particularly when it comes to discussing women’s sports.

Take for example, how a clip went viral of news reporter, Ben Leo responding to comments made by fans who thought the Lionesses (England’s women’s national team) did not get enough of a ‘mention’, following the male team’s successes during the Euros. The Lionesses had a historic victory during the UEFA Women’s Euros in 2022, winning in the finale against Germany. Leo responded to these comments, stating that, women’s soccer (or football if you prefer) is a “completely different sport” and “cannot be compared.” Doubling down on his argument, by saying: “As a spectacle in a competitive competition, you can’t say ‘the women have done much better’ just because they’ve won the thing – it’s a different sport, a different competition.”

Not just one case – a broader societal issue

Leo is by far not the only one who shares this opinion, and the debates this clip has sparked reflect a broader societal issue of where women’s sports achievements are undervalued, or are deemed as not as impressive as their male counterparts’ achievements. This also seems to be the general argument to explain why women’s sports get a fraction of the media’s attention. The men are simply better. It is more entertaining to watch the men, because they are “bigger, stronger, and faster.”

According to UNESCO, outside the Olympics, which is a “rare time when sustained coverage of women sports stars hits the headlines,” despite the estimation of 40% of all sports participants being women, women receive around 4% of all sports media coverage. This coverage is then dominated by language that demeans or objectifies women, filled with references to appearance, age, and family life.

A study done by the Cambridge University Press in 2016, looked at over 160 million words within the domain of sports, and highlighted how women athletes are associated with words such as “aged”, “older”, “pregnant” and “un/married”. Comparatively, men in sports are associated with words such as “fastest” “strong,” “big,” and “great.” When it comes to performance, men are given the competitive edge, being associated with words such as “mastermind,” “dominate” and “battle,” whereas women are associated with more neutral words, such as “participate,” or “compete.” Additionally, the research also showed how female athletes are more likely to be referred to as “girls,” than men are referred to as “boys.” Women are also twice as likely to be referred to as “ladies” compared to men being referred to as “gentlemen.” These are just some examples of the infantilizing language that is often used in the media to describe women in sports.

#PayGap 

The media and general reception of female athletes is by far not the only obstacle these women face, with equal pay remaining a major challenge. While a lot of sports today offer the same amount of prize money across genders, golf, basketball and soccer remain the sports with the biggest gap. Julian Jappart, founding member of the think tank Sport and Citizenship, comments: “We have huge pay inequalities. If I just tell you, for example, that the average salary of a female WNBA player was 110 times less than that of a male NBA colleague, that gives you an idea of the inequalities involved.”

According to a recent report done by the International Federation of Professional Footballers’ Association on the qualifying conditions for the Women’s World Cup 2023, out of the 362 female players they interviewed, 29% did not receive any payment at all for the competition. On average, the women who participated in the World Cup earned 25 cents for every dollar earned by men in their World Cup. Additionally, not a single female athlete made it in the top 100 best paid athletes of last year.

There have been made efforts of addressing the financial gap, such as FIFA launching the Football Unites the World Campaign, in which they included a gender equality component. For the 2023 Women’s World Cup, FIFA tripled the prize money compared to the 2019 Women’s World Cup. While this is a 300% increase, this was still only a third of the prize fund for the men’s World Cup. In more uplifting news, national soccer federations in England, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Slovenia, and the United States have decided to pay the male and female soccer players representing their nations the same amount. Recently, the Danish national male soccer team rejected a pay raise to ensure equal conditions for their female counterparts. The team also accepted a 15% decrease in their insurance coverage, allowing the women’s insurance to be upgraded by 50%. This summer will also mark the first time the Olympics has an equal number of female and male athletes.

This article has focused extensively on the hurdles female athletes face, but why should we care about equality in sport? 

Participation in sport is an empowering source for individuals and communities. It can boost confidence and self-esteem, as well as lower levels of depression. Playing sport also introduces key life skills such as teamwork, goal-setting, tolerance, responsibility, respect, as well as leadership skills. As little as 4 hours of exercise a week can help reduce a teenage girl’s risk of breast cancer up to 60%, and high school girls that play sport are less likely to be involved in an unintended pregnancy, as well as more likely to have better grades than those who do not play sport.

Representation in sport is also an important inspiring source for individuals and communities, particularly among the youth. A study done by Parity (a sports marketing and sponsorship platform) showed that 88% of participants regarded female athletes as powerful role models for young women. Representation helps to reduce stereotypes and bias, and it can even increase empathy for others. Sports and representation also promote the social integration of men and women, contributing to a better understanding and make efforts to cross the gender gap.

Equality in sports goes beyond fairness on the field, it can help set a precedent for other social areas like education, the workspace, and politics.

This article is 1 of 2 that will discuss the role that gender plays in sport, with the next article focusing on the case of Imane Khelif, and the trans accusations she faced despite being a cis-woman.

Stay tuned for that!