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How Females are Discriminated Against in Sporting Activities

How Females are Discriminated Against in Sporting Activities The discrimination against women in sports will be critically examined on this page. When it comes to sport in general, women continue to face discrimination compared to men. Usually, the salary disparity, inadequate media coverage, and negative perceptions of women are how discrimination manifests itself.

Women have long fought for sports equity in a variety of ways due to the long history of gender discrimination in professional sports. You probably think of Billie Jean King’s campaign for equal pay or the Olympic participation of female ski jumpers when you consider instances of gender discrimination in sports.

At all levels of competition, harassment and gender discrimination against female athletes still occur. A 2019 Purdue University study found that over the past 30 years, the media’s attention to women’s sports has changed very little. According to the report, only 0.03 percent more women athletes were covered in broadcast news and highlights programs in 1989 than they were in 2010.

Due to the scheduling of their games at undesirable times and the lack of media coverage, gender discrimination in sports is pervasive. Since their salaries are based on revenue, women’s professional sports teams also make far less money than their male counterparts.

The U.S. women’s soccer team, however, immediately after the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup initiated a campaign to make their salary more comparable to that of their male counterparts. The United States Women’s National Team Players Association, United States National Soccer Team Players Association, and United States Soccer Federation all agreed on a settlement for equal pay in May 2022, proving the team’s success in its endeavor.

Female athletes must also contend with how the general public views them. Male athletes in professional sports are viewed as heroes who devote their lives to their sport. Nonetheless, it’s common for women to be seen as spouses or moms first, then sports. Moreover, harmful gender stereotypes cause female athletes to be objectified and sexualized, with their appearance receiving more attention than their abilities.

As a result of allegations of abuse by coaches and doctors made by a number of former gymnasts, the 2016 USA Gymnastics controversy brought sexual harassment in sports to light. A $380 million settlement from USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee was given to survivors in 2021.

With record watching figures for UK women’s sports in the first three months of 2022, more progress has been made in recent years for women who face gender discrimination in sports. In 2022, Madison Square Garden hosted the first-ever boxing contest with two women, breaking yet another barrier in the world of women’s sports.

While gender stereotypes in sports disproportionately harm women, they also have an impact on men. Young male athletes who take part in “feminine” activities like dancing and figure skating are frequently teased. To play any sport, men are frequently expected to be tall, big, and strong; if they don’t suit that body type, they risk facing prejudice.

Video: Will Men and Women Ever Be Paid the Same in Sport?

Three ways females are discriminated against in sporting activities

Below is how females are discriminated in sporting activities examples, such as wage gap, media coverage, and stereotypes:

1. The wage Gap between Sports Men and Women

It is a known fact that women and men are not paid equally when it comes to most sporting activities, even though they are performing the same sports activity. A typical example is a soccer sport, which is predominantly a male sport. Male soccer players get paid way more than female soccer players. Female soccer stars are even less popular in society, therefore missing out on many financial sponsorships and endorsements that are attracted by fame.

2. Lack of media coverage for female sporting activities

There is a great lack of media coverage for female sporting activities as compared to males. According to Glamour, women makeup 40% of all participants in sports—yet somehow receive only 4% of sports media coverage. It has a damning ripple effect: Without airtime, female athletes lose out on sponsors, fans, and coin.

3. Stereotypes that discriminate women in sport

It is widely accepted across many modern societies today that, ‘feminine’ personality traits are affectionate and compassionate, and by contrast, ‘masculine’ traits are considered to be assertive and dominant. This obviously has a great deal of influence when it comes to sports activities. May sporting activities by their nature highly reward tough and fit bodies, and are oriented towards male stereotypical traits such as assertiveness and dominance. Gender stereotypes are not always conscious and most of the time they generalise without necessarily containing facts.

List of stereotypes that discriminate women in sport:

Women are weak and men are strong
Men are assertive than women
Women are natural nurturers while men are natural leaders
Women are too emotional to do tough work or activity,

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.

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How Females are Discriminated Against in Sporting Activities