Gender Discrimination in Sports
In 2015, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final between the US and Japan became the most-watched soccer game in US history with 25.4 million viewers. Despite this, female athletes still face harassment and discrimination in sports at all levels of play.
While women make up around 40 per cent of sports participants, the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport discovered that they only receive about four per cent of sports media coverage.
Because their games are scheduled for less desirable times and are barely discussed in the media, women’s professional sports teams earn much less than their male counterparts, as their wages are revenue-based.
Female athletes also have to deal with how they are perceived by the public. Men who play professional sports are seen as heroes who live and breathe their game. However, women are seen as mothers or wives first and athletes second. Toxic gender stereotypes also lead female athletes to be objectified and sexualized, their looks garnering more press than their skills.
The recent USA Gymnastics scandal shined a spotlight on sexual harassment in sports. The organization has filed for bankruptcy after being sued by a number of former gymnasts who allege they were abused by coaches and doctors.
While gender discrimination in sports most negatively affects women, gender stereotypes in sports also affect men. Male athletes who participate in “feminine” sports like figure skating and dance at a young age are often bullied. Men are often expected to be tall, big and muscular to play any sport and may be discriminated against if they don’t fit that body type.
Solutions
Support women’s and girls’ sports as a fan or player. Attend women’s sports games at all levels. Play a sport if you are an athlete. Support female athletes by watching their games on television or following them on social media.
Develop gender equity policies. Sports organizations need to work towards gender equity. Women doing equal work should have equal participation opportunities, financial aid or funding, wages and benefits as their male counterparts.
Avoid sexist language in communications. When writing about women’s sports, avoid using innuendos or belittling athletes by alluding to their outfits or family roles outside the game. Use the same vivid language when describing both female and male athletes’ performances.
Establish a whistle blower program. An easy-to-use, secure and anonymous whistleblowing platform can capture discrimination and harassment complaints in your sports organization. Coming forward to expose unfair practices can be daunting, so maintaining whistleblowers’ security and privacy is key.
Hire more female sports executives. Encouraging women to pursue careers as players, coaches, trainers, executives and journalists can push sports towards gender equity.