The results are depressing in regards to coverage of female athletes and given the results, you would think we are still watching sports on the TV pictured here.
Here are some highlights of the report:
Of the three network affiliates sampled in the study, men’s sports received 96.3% of the airtime, women’s sports 1.6%, and gender neutral topics 2.1%. This is a precipitous decline in the coverage of women’s sports since 2004, when 6.3% of the airtime was devoted to women’s sports, and the lowest proportion ever recorded in this study.
100% of the SportsCenter programs and 100% of the sports news shows in the sample led with a men’s sports story.
Good news? Past studies observed that women athletes (and women spectators) were frequently portrayed in demeaning ways—as sexual objects, or as the brunt of commentators’ sarcastic humor in stories on marginal pseudo‐sports. There was far less of this sort of sexist humor about women in 2009, though this may in part reflect that women in any form were increasingly absent from the broadcasts.
With female sport participation at record levels, these results are confounding… but for those who study gender and sports, probably not surprising. I encourage you to read the report and see the graphs for yourself.
Currently I’m staying with a friend/colleague and her family in Palmerston North, New Zealand. I’ve been learning about the history of NZ, the local culture, the indigenous Maori people, trying local NZ fruit and wine, and seeing a bit of the countryside. I’ve very much enjoyed my time here. The most interesting bit I’ve learned is that NZ sits a top a major fault line where the Pacific and Australian tectonic platesconverge (see map..click on it to enlarge).
Upon hearing about the “occasional” NZ earthquake and learning more about the geographic history of NZ at Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, I’ve been thinking about fault lines–a topic I’ve always found fascinating.
Figuratively, how often are we on top of fault lines and remain completely unaware until the ground beneath us cracks and disaster follows? We all have fault lines we are sitting upon--professional, relational, economic, political, environmental, familial, health, and spiritual fractures, for example. Sometimes we are caught completely unaware, other faults we may sense of feel tremors of larger, life-altering damaging quakes ahead, and sometimes we choose to ignore the fractures and hope the earth doesn’t open up beneath us because it is easier to maintain the status quo than to confront the inevitable, sometimes painful truth.
The earth’s tectonic plates are constantly shifting, as are the dimensions of our lives. How do we stay apprised of shifting plates, remain true to ourselves, try to make a difference in the world, and not become paranoid or despondent that certain doom and destruction may prevail as nature takes her course? How much agency do we have and how much should fatalism be embraced? I realize this blog is a departure from a sport-oriented theme, but is related to my post-IWG 5th World Congress on Women in Sport thinking on how to create change in the number of females in positions of power in sport. In this sense I think females have to take control, be active and proactive agents in creating fault lines that challenge and change the status quo, rather than wait for the very slow moving plates of existing power regimes to collide and change with time…which may never happen in our life time! We all should all think about how we can affect positive change in our own way, real change that improves the health and well being of people, not just change that improves company profit margins.
The5th IWG World Conference on Women in Sport in Sydney has now drawn to a close. The 6th World Conference will be held in Helsinki, Finland in 2014. It was edifying and energizing to meet so many great women, and men, who care deeply about girls and women in sport and to learn about how they are all making a difference in their own ways. One person really can make a difference. The legacy of the conference is the Sydney Scoreboard, which will track the percentage of women in positions of power in sport leadership across the globe (national sport organizations, presidents, CEOs). One message was clear throughout the conference, women are under represented in all position of power in all sports in all countries–we have much work yet to do. This conference helped me to think more deeply and clearly about how the empowerment of women and striving for women in positions of power is a human rights issue. When women help lead a nation or organization, everyone benefits.
Rachel Mayanja(Uganda), UN Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), delivered the opening keynote of the IWG Congress. In her speech she stated: Women’s and girls’ access to and participation in sport is not a privilege. It is a right. The right to participate in sport and physical activity is enshrined in Article 1 of the UNESCO International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, for example, which states that ‘The practice of physical education and sport is a fundamental right for all’.
From this picture, it is clear that MORE can potentially be found on the X-chromosome!
The conference ended with a keynote by The Hon Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court of Australia, which was fantastic. He told of how as a boy in 1949 he’d read a the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which shaped his life trajectory. He told us that document existed due to the leadership of Eleanor Rooseveltwho chaired the committee which drafted the original document that was later adopted by the UN. He stated this is an example that if you want important work to be done, a woman has to be in charge. Kirby also said his colleague Mary Gordon used to tell him, “that not all is found on the Y-chromosome”.
This is a great statement, and until everyone believes and acts in ways that reflect this statement we have work to be done. I am re-energized and committed to continue my work on increasing the number of female coaches in youth sport so that children and youth see women in a position of power in a context they care deeply about. I believe if we are to change attitudes about gender stereotypes and women and leadership we need to have equal numbers (50%) of women as head coaches. To that end and taking up the idea of the Sydney Scoreboard, upon my return I will begin to work with youth sport boards and youth sport organizations to implement policy that requires/mandates that 50% of all coaches are female (currently according to data I have collected in youth soccer, only about 17% of all head coaches are female), and that at least 40% of all board positions are occupied by females.
The first full day of the 5th IWG World Conference on Women in Sport just concluded. Last night was the opening keynote in which Cathy Freeman was in attendance (see photo). A video of Freeman’s 400m race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was shown. Freeman was the first-ever Aborginal women to win a gold medal and she won it under intense pressure as the favorite on her home soil– still gives me goosebumps. I got to talk to her a bit and she was very gracious.
Dr. Sarah Leberman, Olympian Cathy Freeman, and me (L to R)
My head is swimming with so much information and after meeting so many interesting women from around the world. There are more than 500 delegates in attendance from over 70 countries from every region of the world. The conference charge is PLAY. THINK. CHANGE and emerging themes are the lack of women in positions of power in sport, lack of media coverage, how to increase female participation, and how sport can be a vehicle for social change. This is a very well run and organized conference and it immediately reaffirmed to me that I love the work I do and that I’m doing exactly what I should be doing with my life—attempting to make a difference in the lives of females in and through sport.
The morning keynote by Dr. Toni Bruce (New Zealand) was about media coverage. She argued that mainstream media coverage of female sportswomen has not changed much over 30 years so perhaps it is time we adopt a new paradigm, one that is realistic. She said that new media is a place women can create their own content and not have to rely on traditional media. The Tucker Center’s Fall Distinguished Lecture was on this very topic-women’s sport and social media, so I’ve written about this previously (click here, here, & here). Bruce gave the Women Talk Sports Network a shout out as an example of how new media for female athlete coverage can work.
However I disagreed when she said that “content is Queen and quality is secondary.” I think that quality is important because if user-generated content is of poor quality or just reinforces the same old gender stereotypes, than I think it could be just as damaging. The need for media literacy and education around how to portray female athletes and why it is important, is a necessary next step in creating real social change in women’s sport. However, in Bruce’s defense because new media is an opt-in endeavor, perhaps quality is not much of an issue because the consumers are already fans of women’s sport. I doubt YouTube or blogging sites attract new fans to women’s sport, but it does provide a place for those desperately looking for coverage or information outside main stream media. However, I don’t think “we” should abandon fighting for equal coverage in mainstream media because if you see female athletes on TV, it sends a message that women’s sport is important and valued. My favorite quote so far was by our emcee who commenting on the scarcity of women in positions of power, she repeated a quote she’d read, “There is no glass ceiling, only a thick layer of men.” Elizabeth Broderick, one of our keynote speakers wrote a piece for the Sydney Morning Herald titled “Women hit the grass ceiling” which is very clever!
The Aussies claim they are “sport mad” and I’m trying to discern it they are more crazy about sports than we are in the USA. How do you measure that? Is that a good thing, to be the most “sport mad”? Even though media coverage of women’s sport in Australia is no better than in the USA, right now I am watching a women’s soccer match on prime time network TV of the Matildas (the Aussie national women’s soccer team. The men’s national team is called the Socceroos) verses Korea on the Aussie ABC network (not the same ABC of the USA). You would NEVER see a women’s soccer game on the USA ABC network at 5pm on a Friday evening. More to come….
Well I made it despite a very long flight. I’ve been wandering around Sydney a few days and yesterday took a day trip out to the Blue Mountains. I was once again was reminded how important this blog is in voicing a different opinion about sports–women’s sports! My coach bus driver (yes I took one of those cheesy coach tours!) was a really nice guy and very informative. It was about a 1.5 hr trip so he was sprinkling in random facts and history along the way. Of course he had to mention Australia has 4 professional sports-rugby, cricket, soccer, and Australian Rules Football (AFL). He gave me my opening! I’m trying desperately to figure out the rules of rugby and AFL by watching it on TV, because one of the other or both are ALWAYS on regardless of what time of day it is (I know because I’m up at 3am due to the time change).
I learned there are two types of rugby (rugby league and rugby union) and 3 types of cricket (20-20, 1 day, and test matches). My driver said Australia had just finished the Cricket World Cup Twenty-20 in the West Indies and everyone was very disappointed to lose the championship to England. He didn’t say he was talking about the men’s cricket team, it was just assumed and normal that was who he was talking about. I asked if the women played cricket and were also at that World Cup and he said yes they do play but they play “at another time” but he didn’t know when or where. He also talked at length about rugby without mentioning the women at all. I asked if women play professional rugby or AFL because I hadn’t seen ANY women’s matches of either on the TV yet. After going into great detail when talking about the men, he just briefly said “no the women don’t play AFL, and yes they play rugby but only rugby league”, so I dropped my line of inquiry as he clearly had NO interest in talking about women’s sport and seemed surprised that someone would be asking such questions (sigh). So I guess that women’s sport here is no different than in the U.S.–second fiddle to the men’s teams and get FAR less media coverage. He did tell me that the Gold and Green colors the Australian teams wear can be attributed to the Golden Wattle tree. It never dawned on me that the Australian flag is red, white and blue but Olympic athletes wear gold and green. Huh.
Well, as the IWG World Congress of Women in Sport begins tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll have more to report on these issues. Stay tuned!
I’m attending and presenting at the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport which will be held from May 20-23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia, so my blogs will be limited in the next two weeks. I’m sure I will have much to share once I return. I’m looking forward to seeing colleagues and friends, and learn about the issues women and girls face outside the U.S. So stay tuned for good stuff to come! If you are attending, please track me down. Best, NML
I became aware of this video, via a friend’s post on Facebook (thanks EH). It is a video of girls who appear to be between the ages of 8-10 years of age, dancing to Beyonce’s “Put A Ring On It”. Despite the face these girls are great dancers, this video is an exemplar about all that is wrong with girl culture today. It also is a shining example of #FAIL in the parenting department!!
In light of Mother’s Day 2010 I have a few thoughts about mothers’ influence on the active lives of their daughters. First of all, I have the BEST mother in the world and I would not be the woman I am today without her. I love you mom!
Here are some research-based facts about moms. daughters, and physical activity (PA):
If mom values and supports physical activity, daughters are more likely to be active. More importantly if a daughter perceives mom values and supports PA ( even if she doesn’t!) this is predictive of increased PA
If daughter also perceives mom believes that she is good at sport, she is more likely to participate in sport and not drop out
If mom is active, daughter is more likely to be active in her youth, adolescence and into adulthood
PA is a positive, enjoyable, and healthy thing mothers and daughters can do together
Moms are needed in a variety of active, visible role models in PA contexts, especially in positions of power such as coach, youth sport league administrator, club president, athletic director, and referee. When we SEE women in positions of power it helps challenge outdated gender stereotypes about leadership. Less than ~15% of all positions of power in youth sport are held by women. We can do better!
Mother skills are transferable to coaching!! And mothers who coach say that their role as coach enhances their roles as mother and worker (for those women who work outside the home)
Moms should encourage their daughters to volunteer as coaches, referees, and to find a way to give back to the physical activities they love
Moms need to encourage both their sons and daughters equally to participate in sports
Most importantly, moms should unconditionally care about their children regardless of the score.
While it is Stanley Cup Playoff time, other people are also playing hockey.
I’m outside of Denver battling altitude sickness and playing some hockey with about 25 other women’s teams from around the country. This is what sport is all about-compete hard, have fun, laugh with friends, demonstrate good sportsmanship (it is recreational hockey after all!), and make memories for a lifetime.
…and oh, ALL of us have gone pro in something other than sports.
Game 1: win; Game 2 : tie; Game 3: loss = no championship round
All games played in 24hrs after not skating since mid March means that even my eyelids are sore!
I’ve written often about how media routinely sexualizes female athletes, rather than focus on their athletic abilities and achievements. This Vanity Fair piece and June issue is a rare example of the same pattern for male athletes. The argument is not that male athletes are never sexualized. The main point is that female athletes are disproportionately sexualized in the media (female athletes only receive 6-8% of all sport media coverage ) compared to male athletes. The other point is that when female athletes are sexualized it often undermines perceptions of their athletic abilities, while when male athletes are sexualized it rarely leads to the perception their athletic achievements are questionable. What do you think?
Two colleagues, Mike Messner (USC) and Cheryl Cooky (Purdue), just finished the latest installment of a longitudinal study GENDER IN TELEVISED SPORTS: NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS SHOWS, 1989-2009. The report can downloaded for free here.
One Sport Voice 