Sports

Although gender equality is an issue faced by every single woman in the world, there is a high possibility that the sports industry may suffer the most from this issue.

In most sports, gender discrimination is still present. The more popular the sport, the more money is earned, and the more inequalities between women and men occur.

How Sports is perceived

Sport is traditionally a male-dominated sector and associated with ”masculine” characteristics, such as physical strength and speed. Women who engage in sports may be perceived as ”masculine”, while men who are not interested in sports could be considered ”unmanly”.

„I am not allowed to do a lot of things, because I am a girl. Playing football was my hobby and I wanted to play in a football club, but I wasn’t allowed to join. I got told that it's a sport for boys/men only, and girls/women have no business there.”

A girl from our Gender Equality survey

While gender discrimination in sports most negatively affects women, it affects men as well. Male athletes who participate in ”feminine” sports like ballet or dancing are often bullied. In order to play any sport, men are often required to be tall, big and muscular and may be discriminated against if they do not suit the body type.

Women in Sports

In sports, women have lower wages and are less respected in society than men. For all players, the rules of sports are the same but female athletes are still more likely to have lower wages, less sponsors, worse contracts and little to no media coverage.

„The greatest frustration for women is the gender wage gap.”

Serena Williams for example is the only female athlete on Forbes 'World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes' list.

Football is apparently the most popular sport and the one where gender inequality is bigger. The GSSS global survey signifies that there are over 130,000 professional football players worldwide, but only less than 1,500 women are playing professionally.

This massive difference can also be seen in the salaries as in their income or in competitions.

Just like the example from the picture, the annual salary and bonuses of 1 male football player ($84 million) is still twice, of the combined annual salary of 1,693 women football players ($42.6 million).

Another example of the massive difference of the earnings from competitions are the World Cups. After winning the 2015 Women's World Cup, the players of the United States were paid €1.6 million, while the men's French team earned more than 30 million after winning the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

Within the entire sports sector, these inequalities are repeated over time. WNBA, the women's basketball league in the United States of America, is the women's league with the highest paid wages.

However, just a fifth of the lowest wage in the NBA, the men's league, is won by the highest-paid players in the WNBA.

Examples for professional athlete's salaries based on gender and sport

Golf : Tiger Woods $43.4 million, Annika Sörenstam $22.5 million

Tennis : Roger Federer $93.4 million, Serena Williams $29.2 million

Soccer : Men's US soccer team $38 million, Women's US soccer team $4 million

Less Sponsorships, less Attention

„We need to talk more openly about mentorships and sponsorships. Women don't get the mentoring, and particularly the sponsors, they need to succeed as much as men.”

Sheryl Sandberg, American business executive, billionaire and philanthropist

The lack of sponsorships and advertising campaigns also contribute to the increasing gender gap. Most brands and companies hire male athletes to become the faces of their campaigns and promote their products. Much more time and space is invested in the lives of male stars as well as men's only competitions than in women's sports.

That's why female athlete have less support, are less popular and have less of an audience.

„Too often women are not supported enough or are discouraged from choosing their path. I hope together we can change that.”

Serena Williams, American professional tennis player and former world No. 1 in women's single tennis

Media attention

40% of all sports participants are female, but only 4% of all sports media attention is given to women's sports, and female athletes are far more likely to be depicted in sexually provocative poses than male athletes.

Meanwhile, the Icelandic Women's National Football teams commercial depicts and battles gender inequality in sports.

Another example is the Nike commercial from Turkey, which shows us how women are put into stereotypes of what or how they need to behave.

A big THANK YOU for these commercials! These days we see more commercials like that, but still not enough compared to men. We hope to see more of them!

Female athletes also have to deal with how they are perceived by the public. Men who play professional sports are seen as heroes. In contrast to women, who are seen as mothers or wives first and athletes second.

„I have often been asked whether I am a woman or an athlete. The question is absurd. Men are not asked that. I am an athlete. I am a woman.”

Billie Jean King, American former World No. 1 professional tennis player

Women are objectified by fans, commentators and even coaches, because people look at women's sports as a place for their pleasure. They have to deal with sexist comments coming especially from men who think these female athletes aren't strong or talented enough to perform well.