MEDIA EXPOSURE FOR FEMALE ATHLETES

Women have been fighting for equality all throughout history. There was a time when women were not even permitted to watch or participate in the Olympic Games. Things have improved since then but to this day, female athletes still experience significantly less and different media coverage than their male counterparts.

Despite the improvements towards reaching gender equality in sports, female athletes still face numerous obstacles. The media sometimes still present sports as if there are masculine (e.g., football and ice hockey) and feminine (e.g., gymnastics and figure skating) sports, aligning with traditional expectations of male and female athletes, which makes it more difficult to break traditional gender barriers and allowing women to participate in masculine sports and men to participate in feminine sports. In fact, many female athletes are only accepted by society and receive coverage in the media if they participate in traditionally feminine sports.

If a woman dares to participate in a masculine sport, their sexuality is immediately questioned. The media tends to ignore, which devalues, women’s athletic accomplishments by focusing on their physical appearance, private lives, and femininity and sexuality even if they achieve more impressive athletic feats. This unequal attention may seem minimal to some, but is discrimination, nonetheless. Even if women and girls do not interpret the inequality as discrimination, it can still cause negative consequences like demotivating future female athletes. Let’s take Dutee Chand, first Indian to win a 100-meter gold in a global event for instance. Not many knew Dutee Chand outside the avid sports fans circle of India. The sprinter had won multiple laurels, including silvers in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games last year. But she wasn’t quite the talk of the town. It all changed in May this year when she became the first Indian athlete to come out as a member of the LGBTQ community. Both local and international media got obsessed with it.

Instead of giving so much coverage on their personal lives, it would make more sense if they highlighted their achievements. Media plays a big role in shaping the attitudes of the people towards women's sports. Its high time they give these amazing female athletes the kind of coverage they deserve for what they have done for the countries they are from but also the sport they represent.