Leveling+the+playing+field+-+Women's+struggle+for+equality+in+sport

Student number: 07214715 Tutor: Judith Meiklejohn

=Cultural Artefact= The image below depicts a member of the Australian Women’s Soccer team, as seen on a nude calendar they released in 2000 in an effect to raise funds for the team. The image of the cover girl is an example of the way the media uses women’s sport to sell sex to male audiences rather than consider them equal on the sporting field.



=Public Health Issue= In most cultures sport is typically linked to the male stereotype. Males are often portrayed as fit, strong people, a physique that is not unlike most professional sports people. Part of living a healthy life is being fit and active. From young ages boys grow up with sporting idols that encourage them to get outside, play sport and be active. The lack of media coverage for women’s sport however, robs young girls the same role models to look up to.

Through different stages of life women find themselves confronted by various hurdles in the sporting world. From a young age in school, PE classes and sporting clubs are generally more favoured to boys. As professionals limited media coverage as well as a lack of funding and sponsorship lead to the monopoly that men currently hold over the industry. With more men being involved in sport through spectating and playing, they are able to control what we see on tv and what we perceive as socially acceptable.

=Literal Review= Sport is often considered a major part of the Australian culture. It identifies part of who we are and what we do as a people and our international success give us something to be proud of. Many Australians will tell you stories about playing sport in the streets as kids or coming home at sundown after playing outside after school. This lifestyle gives many children the dreams of one day growing up to be a professional athlete. Realising these dreams however, does not purely rely on hard work and dedication.

It is no secret that the sporting field is a place that has always been dominated by males. A study by the University of Southern California (Messener & Cooky, 2010) revealed that less than one and a half percent of time of sport highlights shows in America was reserved for women’s sport. Closer to home, Sam Hall(2011) states that women make up only 7% of non news sport on television and only 9% of actually sporting coverage in Australia. These statistics are monstered by the 81% of news and current affair shows and 86% of sport coverage devoted to male athletes. The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that men, on average have a 15% higher involvement rate in playing sport. Besides playing sport, men also had higher rates of involvement in sport other than playing. This includes roles such as coaching and refereeing or umpiring. Men also had a higher contribution as paying spectators to professional sport games. Across the board males are having a much higher involvement in the sporting community on all levels.

The love of sport embedded in the male culture is what gives them so much power and control over what is shown on TV. Men are genetically more suited to most sports than women. They are naturally bigger, faster and stronger and this creates a better viewing spectacle for most people as games are often more intense and fast paced. Despite Australia having some of the best women’s sporting teams in the world, our media is still completely dominated by male presence. The Australian women’s hockey team, the hockeyroos, have been named as Australia’s team of the year five times and were named the best Australian team of any sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Yet despite their success, they are still a rarity on our TV screens. The Australian netball team, the diamonds, have also enjoyed great amounts of success, winning the 2011 netball world championships. Even with such successful these teams are struggling for acknowledgment among the Australian media.

Such is male’s dominance in the sporting field that many women find themselves becoming pin up girls and getting the majority of their income through advertising and publicity. Athletes such as former Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova reaped the benefits of the male dominated audience. Despite never winning a major tournament, Kournikova grossed approximately $9 million through her career. Women’s sporting teams also often release provocative calendars as a form of funding. In an effort to raise sufficient funding to be able to compete in the Salt Lake City Olympic games, the Canadian cross-country ski team released a calendar called “Nordic Nudes” which featured member of the team getting their kit off. The $125 000 they raised went a long way to getting them to the games to be able to compete (Barnes, 2003). The Canadians weren’t alone in their desperate attempts to compete in the Games. The American women’s athletic side and the Australian women’s hockey teams were just two more examples of the lack of funding available to professional women’s sporting sides. While the occasional calendar makes it to the shelves featuring a group of stripped down men, it’s often in the interests of charity, such as the efforts of members of the NRL.

The inequality between men and women’s sport can still be seen in various competitions prize pools. Although there are exceptions, such as major tennis tournaments where male and female athletes are now receiving equal cash prizes, this is not the case for all sports. In an interview with surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, Hall (2011) reveals that in major surfing tournaments men can earn up to $100 000 for winning the contest. Women however, are left to battle it out for a measly $12 000. Fitzgibbons admits how difficult it can be for women who are starting out in the sport to have sufficient financial support. Without regular travelling and tournament wins, a lot of up and coming sportswomen are forced out of the sport. This also runs into the amount of money gained through sponsorship. With men getting higher prize pools, more media coverage and generally being portrayed as superior in the sport, the opportunities for sponsorship are far greater. This extra cash can be essential for a young sportsperson to starting their career. When sponsorship deals are added onto the already far greater prize pools, the male dominance of the sport is further exaggerated.

The issue of funding for women’s sport isn’t restricted to professional sport however and can be traced all the way back to grass root levels. Cook (2007) refers to Rosie Stallman, a softball coach, volleyball coach and director of athletics at Texas Wesleyan and New Mexico State Universities. She speaks of the difficulties in fundraising a child and a person’s natural fear of rejection. Despite her fears, as a child she was forced to go door to door attempting to sell potholders in an attempt to raise money for her own sporting interests. =Cultural and Social Analysis=

= = The Australian government is currently investing $1.45 million in increasing the amount of media coverage received by women’s sport (Hall, 2011). It is hoped that by increasing the amount of media coverage given to women’s sport it will break the chain that currently keeps them well below men’s sport. By getting this extra air time, women’s sporting teams will become much more enticing to sponsors. The more time women spend playing sport on our TVs, greater amounts of young women will be encouraged to pursue their sporting dreams and make it as professionals. Increasing funding will lead to better facilities for both training and playing, greater quality in the sport being played and help lead to an acceptance of women’s sport in the general public.

Increasing the viability of women’s sport can only be a positive for the community. Getting young girls involved in sport will not only help keep them fit and healthy, but having good female role models on TV for them to look up to can help them develop as women as well. There is no reason men’s sport should need to suffer to allow an increase in the amount of women’s sport we see on TV. No one is suggesting that women are to take over the dominant role on the sporting field, more just the chance to be seen as professional athletes and gain the respect they deserve. =Analysis of the artefact=

= = The image of the Matildas calendar is an example of the way in which the media and community perceives women’s sport. Women are often objectified and forced to use sex to sell to their audiences rather than be respected for their sporting ability. The dominance men hold over TV audiences leads to increased sponsorship deals, greater incomes and their position as a respected part of the community.

From a young age, boys are given role models and heroes of their sport to look up to. Girls on the other hand see images like the Matildas calendar and are given the impression that there is little place for women on the sporting field. Women deserve equality and young girls deserve to be able to grow up with dreams of making it big on the sporting field like their male counterparts.

=References= Barnes, D. (2003). The naked truth about sports fundraising: //Edmonton Journal// Cook, S. (2007). Fundraising can advance women's athletics. //Women in Higher Education, 16//(2), 32-32. Hall, S. (2011, July 23). Field of play far from level. //Illawarra Mercury .//Retrieved from Illawarramercury.com.au Messener, M.A. & Cooky, C. (2010) Gender in televised sports news and highlight shows. //Center for Feminist Research, University of Southern California//

=Reflections=

//Adolescent girls too afraid to play sport due to body image issues// http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/Adolescent+Girls+too+Afraid+to+Play+Sport+due+to+Body+Image+Issues Kimberly Rase

An interesting piece about one of the grass root problems with women's sport. It's disappointing to see an issue like this have such a large and negative impact on something as important as children being healthy and active. It would be interesting to see what the schools opinion on the matter is and if they are any out there that are doing anything about the issue. It makes me think about how different sports might be affected? Are they all equal or would you think that some sports would be more impacted than others?

//Girl please! My mascara runs faster than you// http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/Girl+please%21++My+mascara+runs+faster+than+you+do. Marianna Bork

An enjoyable read! Especially love the title. It's interesting to see how far women's sport has progressed in recent time yet it still finds itself in such a dire situation. Having horses listed as 2 of the top 10 female athletes in the world is a bit mind boggling. It seems to be a decent reflection of the way the media and governing bodies perceive women's sport though.