Running+Like+a+Girl+-+How+Equitable+is+the+Playing+Field+when+it+comes+to+Women+in+Sport


 * Brodie Hicks**
 * n8320187**
 * Tutor: Michelle Newcomb**

**Cultural Artefact **

The cultural artefact below was taken from an article written on the ‘The McGill Daily’ website, which discussed the sexism scandal involving two Sky Sports commentators which took place earlier this year. The man in the image is thinking of women playing soccer in their underwear, while the woman in the picture is shown blushing with embarrassment. Below the man and the woman are the words ‘Sky Sports’, to clearly show where and what the artist was trying to get across.



**Public Health Issue ** To examine the broad public health issue of women and sexism within sport, many different matters surrounding this problem will have to be discussed in full. These issues include the involvement of primary school aged girls in sport, and what happens to this involvement as they reach adolescence; relative air-play and TV/media time given to women’s sport compared to men’s sport; the involvement of women commentators in sport; and strategies for continuing to improve and increase women’s involvement in sport. These issues are of great importance to the involvement and respect of women within sport. This will be noted within the relevant literature below.

**Literature Review ** The participation of both girls and boys in sport is crucial to help bridge the gap between male and female athletes. Currently, we are seeing a difference in percentages of participation rates between girls and boys, which is shown by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011, table. 1) states that on average across all states, the participation rates for boys between the ages of 5-14 is 69.6%, in comparison, girls of the same age have a participation rate of 56.3%, which is a difference of 13.3%. These statistics show that even from a young age, girls are less inclined to participate in physical activity than boys. According to Lubans, Morgan and McCormack (2010, p. 237), school sport provides a great gateway for children to participate in physical activity. Lubans et al. (2010, p.237) also suggests that the sport participation rate for children decreases as they become adolescents. This statement would suggest that the girl participation rate of 56.3% previously stated would decrease to a lesser amount, meaning that less than one in two females would play sport or participate in regular physical activity. These statistics suggest that to increase female participation and quality in sport at the elite level, there needs to be more encouragement for young girls to take part in sport and recreation.

Sport and media come hand in hand, and to increase interest, pay rates, and participation within female sports, there must be an increase in media coverage. Bernstein (2002, p. 416) supports this view point by suggesting that when it comes to sporting events, the overwhelming majority of people watching the sport experience it through mediated versions. The Australian Sport Commission (2007, para. 3) (ASC) also supports this by stating that the way both a sport and athlete are perceived and portrayed by the media can impact on the athlete’s or sport’s credibility. By media coverage not providing women’s sport with much coverage, it is suggesting to the general public that women’s sport is not worth watching. Due to this lack of media coverage, and the public’s corresponding lack of interest, women athletes do not receive the benefits that male athletes receive. This in turn deters women from playing sport, and this vicious cycle will continue until women’s media coverage increases.

Although female sports still receive less media coverage than male sports, it has increased since the 1980’s. The ASC has collected data relating to women’s media coverage every four years since 1980 and can reveal that women received only 2% of the media coverage in 1980 which increased to 10.7% in 1996 (Australian Sport Commission, 2007). In July 2011, the Australian Government announced that it would inject $1.45 million in to women’s sport to help boost media coverage (Australian Sports Commission, 2011). This financial help provided by the Australian Government will most definitely help improve recognition of women sport in Australia.

Sexism within sport is not just subjective to the athletes, but commentators; directors and other roles within sport as well. Within male dominated sports, it is extremely rare and maybe even non-existent to hear a female commentating. Bryson (2002) suggests that this is due to the fact that male’s associate maleness with the valued skills required to commentate. This is evident in almost every sport. For example; the State of Origin which is one of Australia’s most watched sporting events is commentated by three men; Ray Warren, Peter Sterling, and Phil Gould. This is also evident in the Hyundai A-League which is Australia’s leading soccer competition. Each game is commentated by Fox Sports “panel of experts”, who are Andy Harper, Mark Bosnich and Andy Gray. In both of these major Australian sports is there one female commentator. However the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is attempting to increase the amount of female commentators on its channel. The Australian Broadcasting Company (2006) suggest that buy the most female commentators, they are providing Australia with a range of views and perspectives. With the ABC leading the way in a fight to increase the amount of female commentators, hopefully soon we will see a more equitable industry where males and females are given equal chances and rights.

Women are a vital and integral part of sport, whether it is on the playing field or behind the scenes. For the betterment of sport, strategies must be in place to improve and increase women’s involvement in sport. The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) (1999) has a set list of policies to be implemented to help increase the amount of women playing sport. Policy one is called ‘Equity and Equality’ and it involves treating girls and women equally regardless of social, economic, cultural or physical backgrounds and circumstances, in relation to sport (Australian Sports Commission, 1999). The second policy is called ‘Participation and Well-being’ and involves getting girls and women to participate in all levels of sport to improve their total wellbeing (ASC, 1999). The third and final policy is called ‘Education and Information’. The aim of this policy is to inform and educate women of the opportunities, advantages and risks associated with female participation in sport, recreation and physical activity (ASC, 1999). Through the use of these three policies issued by the Australian Sports Commission, there is hope that we will see a spike in involvement of female athletes, and a corresponding increase in interest, and coverage of women sporting teams and athletes.

**Cultural and Social Analysis ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Over the past few decades, two main representations of women within sport are shown in media (Kane & Maxwell, 2011 p. 203). The first of these is that female athletes are majorly underrepresented in comparison to male athletes, and the second is that female athletes are represented to show their heterosexuality and good looks rather than their sporting ability (Kane & Maxwell, 2011 p. 203). This current representation of women within sport cannot suffice if we are to improve the current situation we see today.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This representation of women athletes does not portray them as mentally tough and resilient, but it emphasizes their femininity (Kane & Maxwell, 2011 p. 204). This then culturally and socially leads people to not take women in sport as serious as men. The representation of female athletes in this fashion does not help the current view of gender and sport, which is why male sports dominate in reader/viewer ratings, attendance ratings and fan interest (Kian, Vincent & Mondello, 2008). Kane & Maxwell (2011) suggest that to increase viewer ratings and fan support, women must be portrayed as fit and exceptional athletes, and to stay away from the traditional ideologies of femininity and heterosexuality. These increases will go a long way to bridging the gap between male athletes and female athletes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The critical feminist theory, which is discussed by Kane & Maxwell (2011), covers gender based inequities, and is applied in this case to the gender differences within sport. The critical feminist theory is designed to go against the common ideology that sex sells, and looks to improve women’s sport by portraying women as athletes in their own right. By creating the critical feminist theory, Kane & Maxwell are notifying public health experts that the injustices experienced by female athletes around the world are unjust and unfair. If a change is seen in the marketing of female athletes and female sports which portrays women as serious athletes, the general public will take more of an interest, and the differences that we once saw between gender in sport will be no more.

**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Artefact Analysis and Learning Reflections **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The artefact obtained from ‘The McGill Daily’ website, represents the common ideology of female athletes. Due to the cultural perception that sex sells, the media portray our female athletes as “sex objects”. By doing this, the general public are less inclined to see women as high performance athletes, and that is what we see in this picture. The image of the male reporter thinking of women playing soccer in their underwear is an exact case in point of how the media has an effect of the way we perceive sports and athletes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This artefact represents the issue of sexism within sport well and shows that public perception must change. The embarrassment shown by the blushed cheeks on the female reporter is a representation of all women involved in sport. It shows that the common beliefs embarrass female athletes as they do not believe that they have been taken seriously.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">As a result of this assessment piece, I have learnt that our current perceptions and beliefs of women within sport are due to the way they are represented in the media. I believe that heading into the future I will be able to have a more open mind when it comes learning and thinking processes in relation to women in sport. As I would like to enter into the sporting field, I believe I can do something to help improve the overall stature of women within sport with the knowledge I have acquired from completing this assessment piece.

**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Learning Engagment and Reflection Task **
 * Luke Watson:** http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/message/view/Is+It+Really+All+About+The+Sport%3F/45724790


 * Kimberly Rase:** http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/message/list/Adolescent+Girls+too+Afraid+to+Play+Sport+due+to+Body+Image+Issues

**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Reference List **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2006). Senate Inquiry into Women in Sport and Recreation in Australia. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">4156.0 - Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011 from

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australian Sports Commission. (2011). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australian Government Commits $1.45 Million to Boost Women's Sport Media Coverage. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australian Sports Commission. (2007). Media: Participating in Sport. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australian Sports Commission. (1999). National Policy on Women and Girls in Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity 1999-2002. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bernstein, A. (2002). International Review for the Sociology of Sport. //Is it Time for a Victory Lap?: Changes in the Media Coverage of Women in Sport, 37//(3-4), 415-428. doi: 10.1177/101269020203700301

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bryson, L. (2002). Women’s Studies International Forum. //Sport and the Maintenance of Masculine Hegemony, 10//(4), 349-360.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Kane, M., & Maxwell, H. (2011). Journal of Sport Management. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Expanding the ////<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Boundaries of Sport Media Research: U ////<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">sing Critical Theory to Explore Consumer ////<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Responses to Representations of Women’s Sports, 25 //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">, 202-216.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kian, E.M., Vincent, J., & Mondello, M. (2008). Masculine Hegemonic Hoops: An Analysis of Media Coverage of March Madness. //Sociology of Sport Journal, 25,// 223–242.

<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lubans, D., Morgan, P., & McCormack, A. (2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy. //Adolescents and School Sport: The Relationship between Beliefs, Social Support and Physical Self-perception, 16//(3), 237-250. doi: <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">10.1080/17408989.2010.532784

**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Reflections **