#hergametoo

It’s the 21st century folks, and some people believe that inequality between men and women has been abolished. Women are now engineers, mechanics and politicians whilst men are nannies, hairdressers and midwives. Gender stereotypes are being challenged more aggressively than ever and are no longer being taken as the societal norm. The previous rigidity of gendered jobs is fading into the background of the everyday. Despite the loosening of the restraints of femininity, female athletes are still viewed as second class citizens compared to their male counterparts. Why?

Women’s sport took its first big steps during WW2. Mothers, daughters and wives were not only filling the jobs men were leaving empty when sent off to war, but they were also keeping sports leagues afloat. During the war a vast number of the Major League Baseball players were drafted into the military. This meant that the majority of teams were without a full squad and weren’t able to compete. A committee was formed to help figure out how to keep the league financially stable throughout the war, resulting in the idea of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. This league is considered to be the forerunner to professional women’s sport in America. The war showed the world that women were just as capable at working stereotypically male jobs and were strong enough to leave the kitchen sink. The blurring of gender norms throughout the war kick started the normalization of women in sport, although the journey has been snail paced.

Despite this, there were still many people, men and women alike, who have clung to the idea that women were lesser; that they didn’t have the athletic or emotional ability needed for sporting pursuits. This idea was dented when Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs entered The Battle of the Sexes in 1973. During the lead up to the match, Riggs ranted chauvinistic slander during press meets and interviews highlighting all the stereotypes holding women back. King knew that if she lost the match, it would set women’s tennis back half a century. King beat Riggs in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-3).

Fifty years after The Battle of the Sexes, we are told that sport is for everyone. Girls and women alike can participate in sport just like boys, and we are. Women are competing at grass roots level all the way to the top level of sport, in FIFA World Cups, Six Nations, PGA Tours, the Olympics and more. So why are female athletes still belittled, told they’re not “proper” athletes, that they’re never going to be as good as men? 

Sport IS for everyone, but it is still regarded as a male domain - made for men, by men. Female athletes and sports teams are trying to break into an already male dominated world of sport. Their athletic abilities are being compared to male athletes; this shouldn’t be the case. Women are forming their own segment of sport and shouldn’t be doing so in the shadow of the male domain that already has established salaries, supporters and sponsors. But that is what is happening.

The disparity is apparent when looking at the rules, which are mostly the same in men’s and women’s sports. Despite the rules being the same, the salaries are lower, sponsors are fewer, contracts are poorer and media attention is minimal for female athletes. The contrast becomes stark when looking at a popular sport such as football. Lionel Messi earned $84 million in 2017, whereas the combined annual salary of 1,693 women football players from the world’s top 7 leagues earned a combined $42.6 million.  How can women be called equals in sport when the wages are laughable? Generally, the more popular the sport, the greater the disparity in salary. Progress has been made by the FA as female and male England players are paid the same in terms of match fees and match bonuses (since January 2020). But all male England players donate these earning to charity as national appearances have no effect on their overall player salary.

The gender gap within sport will also continue to increase due to the lack of sponsorship and advertising campaigns highlighting female athletes. Numerous brands have hired female athletes to promote their products, but very few of these brands have a female athlete at the front and centre of these campaigns. This is a similar issue to mainstream media and sport media platforms where more time and space is invested into male athletes and competitions. This is highlighted in Spain where only 5% of media coverage is focused on female athletes, despite the success of the women’s basketball team and female athletes in the Olympics. Even this coverage is often more focused on the athletes age or appearance, opposed to sporting news. There is a massive lack of visibility for numerous female sports, which strips them of any chance to be considered “proper” athletes by denying them recognition. Proper athletes get media coverage, brand deals and news articles of sporting significance. There are far too few visible role models for the next generation of female athletes. If you can’t see, then you can’t be.

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