Isn't+it+time+we+took+women+in+sport+seriously?

Name: Lena Galloway //Student Number: n8301778//  //Tutor: Katie Page//  //[|Women's Health TVC - I Support Women in Sport Campaign (Artefact)]//


 *  Isn't it time we took women in sports more seriously? ** // “We are a nation that prides ourselves on our great love of all things sport, and we’re missing some of the big stories in women’s sporting achievements and neglecting some inspiring female role models.” //

 __** Cultural Artefact **__  This short, thirty second, YouTube film ‘I Support Women in Sport’ was created by Women’s Health Magazine as an initiative to increase all forms of support for women in sporting fields. This clip was selected as the cultural artefact in order to emphasise the true inequalities shown towards female athletes in the media. The film clip features two of the top ten female athletes in Australia, being horses, and the question posed, “isn’t it time we took women in sports more seriously?” This YouTube film provides an excellent representation of the obvious the lack of support for young females and women is in sport, as well as the overall misrepresentation of female athletes’ skill with the pressure to be eye-catching enough for the media.  __** Public Health Issue **__  Relative air-play and TV/media time given to women’s sport compared to men’s sport presents public health issues including, distorted view of body image and consequently self-esteem issues, eating disorders, as well as the overall health and well being of a person. Due to the statistically lower media coverage of female sports and female athlete sporting achievements compared to their male counterparts, some women have resorted to skimpy and unreasonable uniforms or modelling to increase their media coverage. Limited media coverage and sociology of sport and gender are responsible for the exaggerated mentality that females cannot provide the same entertainment as male athletes and sports, because they are not as strong, or as fast. This mentality is shared among all ages of both genders and is accountable for sayings like “you kick like a girl” and the general feeling of inadequacy in females.

__** Literature Review **__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> A number of public health issues have arisen as a result of the insignificant and exploitive media coverage given to female athletes and sports. Statistics released in the Australia Sports Commission report, “Towards a level playing field: sport and gender in the Australian media” outline the differences in coverage between male and female athletes. Women in sport made up 9% of all sports coverage in Australian television news and current affairs, and had lowest average duration of news analysed by approximately 30 seconds (Australian Sports Commission, 2009). The known mentality shared amongst the male dominated spectators group is that female sport is boring, and slow, lacking the entertainment factor of men’s sport. This mentality, reflected in the statistics also contributes to the public health issues common in female athletes. The most prevalent public health issue being a range of eating disorders, mental illnesses, poor self esteem levels, and decreased health and well-being a result of decrease participation rates in females. While these public health issues are not exclusive to female athletes, the statistics prove that these issues are more of a concern for females. Media comes in many forms, television, radio, magazines and news papers, and with the advancement in technology with time, online video broadcasting sites like YouTube are also forms of media. These media sources publish society’s version of the “perfect” body type. Research has found that media negatively impacts body image and self-esteem (Bishop, M. I., 2010). Two different studies examined in “The effects of media on body image and self-esteem in males and females” article, disclose information that state, people exposed to “skinny” and “attractive” images in the media, have a negative view towards their body image, resulting in poor self-esteem levels (Bishop, M. I., 2010). This idolisation of people and an image in media is common among all people and not just athletes. Self-esteem has been acknowledged for the critical role it plays in psychopathology and mental health (Bishop, M. I., 2010). Female athletes are particularly at risk of developing anorexia and bulimia nervosa due to the belief that losing weight will enhance their performance level (Wiginton, K., 1996). The issue of limited media coverage of female athletes and the consequential public health issues that follow are of particular importance because of the detrimental effects eating disorders and mental health illnesses can have on one’s life and sporting career. Mass media being one of the most powerful societal forces for shaping values and attitudes has trivialised women’s sport as inconsequential. (kane, 1988, pp. 88-89) (media coverage of women’s sport). This message is then spread throughout the women in society who are then lead to believe that they take the back seat when it comes to sport, hindering the advancement of women in sport (gender stereotyping media sports coverage). This highlights why equality of coverage for men and women’s sports in the media is so important. Sponsorship for athletes and their financial and coaching support can be directly linked with media coverage, the more coverage you get the easier it is to receive these. Women cannot achieve the same level of sponsorship, spectator, financial and coaching support without significant media coverage. This leaves women’s sports and female athletes’ progress to equality at a standstill. This results in a decline of school aged females’ participation in physical activity and sport, negatively impacting the general health and wellbeing of the population (Casey, M.M., Eime, R.M., Payne, W.R., Harve, J.T., 2009). Another form of media misrepresentation of female athletes is the pressure to participate in sport in skimpy uniforms, or take part in part time modelling jobs to achieve the required sponsorship to fund their careers. This exploitation of female athletes in the media portrays women as sex objects, not setting a good example for upcoming athletes in society. This exploitation of women also feeds the gender stereotype of females in society and negatively impacts the self-esteem of other female athletes who have been exposed to this. Athletes who do not fit this image of “normal” may result in consequences like plastic surgery, dieting, eating disorders and depression (Bishop, M. I., 2010). Female athletes are also at particular risk of developing anorexia and bulimia nervosa due to the belief that losing weight will enhance their performance level (Wiginton, K., 1996). Therefore, increasing the media coverage of female athletes and changing the message portrayal amongst male and female athletes will decrease the likelihood of these public health issues arising. As a result of inequalities in female representation in sports media, public health issues like eating disorders, mental illnesses, and decreased participation levels in females, were determined through reception analysis and statistics. Studies have indicated that young women use the photographic images from the media, in the construction of their own physical self concepts (Thomsen, S.R., Bower, D.W., Barnes, M.D., 2004). The construction of physical self concepts is broken down into two primary components; physical ability and body image (Thomsen, S.R., Bower, D.W., Barnes, M.D., 2004). These primary concepts explain the focus on perceptions of team participation and athletic competence, and the overall comparison of physical size and specific body parts (Thomsen, S.R., Bower, D.W., Barnes, M.D., 2004). The general evaluations of body image are too often found to be negative, which is influenced by the photographed poses that emphasise an athlete’s aesthetic beauty rather than her athletic prowess (Thomsen, S.R., Bower, D.W., Barnes, M.D., 2004). This explains the affect that media images have on female athletes and the public health consequences that follow. Statistics have also been used in determining participation rates and indicating the prevalence of eating disorders associated with media. Participation rates reflect the poor representation of women in sport in the media. The Butterfly Foundation released statistics in 2009 stating that 90% of girls aged 12-17 have been on some form of a diet, indicating that young females are pressured by what is shown in the media. Reception analysis and statistics present limitations to their studies through size and variation (socioeconomic, location) of the study sample as well as the respondents’ tendency to provide desirable responses.

__**<span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Cultural and Social Analysis **__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Australia is a nation that claims to provide equal opportunities to all, regardless of gender, age, or race. It is clear that throughout time women have struggled to achieve equality, and the media has played a large part of this process. Media is influential in shaping societal and cultural beliefs. The limited media time given to women and the poor representation of female athletes in the media has shown in studies (Thomsen, S.R., Bower, D.W., Barnes, M.D., 2004; Casey, M.M., Eime, R.M., Payne, W.R., Harvey, J.T., 2009) that there can be consequential effects on the participation of females in sport, the trend occurring in school aged girls, right through to adults (Australian Sports Commission, 2009). Consequential effects do not stop at participation rates; female athletes of all ages are susceptible to developing eating disorders and mental illnesses like depression because of the pressure put on them to gain attention and support through aesthetic beauty and winning performances. The limited airplay and media time given to women’s sport is a result of the mentality associated with gender stereotypes placed upon women. Like the discrimination women face in the workplace, pay inequalities, work place rights and leadership roles, women in sport are portrayed as insignificant, which reinforces the gender stereotypes. This constant discrimination has placed women’s sport inferior to men’s sport. Society plays a large part in women’s place in the sporting community. Many government funded groups like Play for Life, and Jump Rope for Heart, have been developed to increase participation in sport at all competitive levels, for all ages. There are also government policies that have recently been introduced that encourage and support equal opportunity and participation for females in sport (Australian Sports Commission, 1999). Contradicting these actions is the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act, encouraging the inequality between men and women in sport to exist. This Act includes an exemption that means it is not unlawful to exclude a person from any competitive sporting event due to their sex, if physicality is relevant. Despite the increasing support and organised events for women in sport, media still sends the message that sport is the domain of men. Higher media coverage for male athletes and sporting teams compared to their female counterpart increased the inequality gap for commercial opportunities, interest from broadcasters and fans, and income capabilities (Koivula, 1999). <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> The public health issues that are a result of minimal and stereotypical media coverage of women in sport are of importance so that social and cultural beliefs regarding women in sport is changed, to improve participation and the overall health and well-being of females. Australia has recognised that women’s sport deserves the same recognition and support as men’s sport, and so the Australian government has established, “Women in Sport Media Grants”. These grants will increase publicity for women’s sport in the media. This initiative is a positive move towards equality, and may encourage more supporting groups and initiatives to boost women’s sport in the media, and increase female role models. It is of most importance to address this issue because there are no valid reasons for women to the marginalised as insignificant in society and sport in the media.

__**<span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Analysis of the Artefact and Learning Reflections **__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> The artefact I selected, the advertisement for Women’s Health Magazine: I Support Women in Sport campaign completely represents the issue of the inequality women athletes face in sport. In the short thirty second film two main messages are conveyed; women athletes receive limited recognition for their efforts, and they are marginalised as insignificant because they are not taken seriously. These two messages highlight why there are inequalities present among different genders in sport. If women’s sports were taken seriously then the female athlete’s wouldn’t have to work part-time to support their chosen sport, they wouldn’t be misrepresented in the media, and gender stereotypes would exist less in society. If women’s sports were taken seriously in society, women wouldn’t need to be exploited in the media, and less public health issues would subsist. This artefact also highlights the need to celebrate female athletes in the media, this refers to the lack of coverage women receive on a daily basis, the reason why there is limited public awareness and demand for women’s sport (Koivula, 1999). Conducting research for this assignment has broadened my awareness of the inequalities women face, not only in sport but in society. There is so much untapped sporting talent in women that is not exposed, supported, and publicised due to historical cultural and societal patterns that have been embedded in the Australia’s sporting culture. Acknowledging this draws attention to just how necessary it is to end this stereotypical, discriminative behaviour, so that women can receive the media coverage and support that is due to them. Achieving equality between men and women’s sport in the media will provide role models for young children to aspire to, and develop healthy physical activity patterns throughout adulthood, to reduce the arising public health issues. Using peer reviewed sources for this task has encouraged me to use valid, correct information, and to look for more information to develop my understanding of the topic from different angles. Using these skills to conduct my research, I have been able to achieve the most fitting deduction. This research task has positively contributed to my learning process and will continue to improve the quality of my future research.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__**Learning Engagement and Reflection Task**__ You have selected a great artefact which completely suits your topic! The overall presentation of your wiki page is great, it is neat, set out with appropriate headings. The title of your review is catching and interesting too, and explains what you cover in your wiki!
 * Page:** Masculinity vs. Femininity - Socialisation and Stereotypes  **Author:** n8314853   **Comment:** Great Work Sarah!

The topic selected has been well researched, with a broad variety of sources. I feel that you have looked at the topic of masculinity and femininity from various angles, reflecting your sufficient research skills. I enjoyed reading your cultural and social analysis and the quote at the beginning of the wiki.

I also chose this topic for my wiki, and its interesting to see all the other information available out there!

**Page:** The Mentally Ill - Friend of Foe? ****Author:**** n8305811 **Comment:** Informative, well presented wiki! Mel you started your wiki with a great quote, and an appropriate artefact for your topic, which you explained thoroughly underneath! All your information throughout is well referenced and the statistics were supporting of your information,reflecting your sound researching skills. It was interesting to read about the progress that Australia has made with the issue of mental health, and I completely agree with your future recommendations to continue to improve this issue in society. Overall you have presented an informative and easy to read wiki!

Well done! :)

<span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; text-align: left;">__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">References **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Australian Sports Commission. (1999). //National Policy On Women And Girls In Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity 1999 – 2002.// Australia: Australian Sports Commission. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Australian Sports Commission (2009) “Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media”. Retrieved from Australian Government, Australian Sports Commission Website http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/356209/Towards_a_Level_Playing_Field_LR.pdf <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bishop, M. I. (2010). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The effects of media on body image and self-esteem in males and females//

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//(9781124405599).// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Butterfly Foundation. (2009). Negative Body Image & Eating Disorders. Retrieved from http://thebutterflyfoundation.org.au/CMSPageDetails.aspx?CMS_Page_Id=77&Parent_CMS_Page_Id=4 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Casey, Meghan M (01/07/2009). "Using a Socioecological Approach to Examine Participation in Sport and Physical Activity Among Rural Adolescent Girls". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Qualitative health research// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 19 (7), p. 881. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Commonwealth Of Australia Consolidated Acts: Sex Discrimination Act – Sec 42 – Sport – 1984.// Retrieved from Australasian Legal Information Institute Website http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s42.html <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cunningham, George B (01/05/2003). "Media coverage of women's sport: A new look at an old problem". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The Physical educator// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 60 (2), p. 43 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Geithner, C. A. (2011). "Body Composition of Young Athletes". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//American journal of lifestyle medicine// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 5 (3), p. 262. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">King, C (2007). "Media Portrayals of Male and Female Athletes". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//International review for the sociology of sport// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 42 (2), p. 187. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Koivula, N. (31/10/1999). "Gender Stereotyping in Televised Media Sport Coverage". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Sex roles// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 41(7), p. 589. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thomsen, S. R. (2004). "Photographic Images in Women's Health, Fitness, and Sports Magazines and the Physical self-concept of a Group of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Journal of sport and social issues// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 28 (3), p. 266. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wiginton, K. (1996). "Preventing eating disorders in female athletes". <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Journal of physical education, recreation & dance// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 67 (4), p. 66.