As I have stated at the beginning of a number of my posts, I do not consider myself an expert on the issue of gender bias and stereotypes that still exist in women's sports. The most obvious reason for this is that I can't ever now what it is to be a female in sports facing the issues that they face. However, as my entire coaching career has been spent in female soccer, I have had the chance to interact with many female athletes and coaches, and females coaches from other sports I might add, to the point where I do feel that I have a viable opinion on the topic.
Anyone who follows female sports has seen images of successful female athlete or teams winning medals and championships at different levels of competition. Think back to impact of the back to back bronze medals won by Canada women's soccer, Penny Oleksiak's performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the US women's soccer team winning the 2015 World Cup or most recently if you were able to see the images, Holland women's soccer winning the 2017 Euro championships and the crowds that attended the games and receptions held for them. Even the Danish team that lost in the finals were greeted with crowds when they returned home that proved the women's sport is viable and popular, and yet still facing significant inequalities. In Europe, viewing figures for people who watched the Euro games hit an all time high in many countries and the impact of social media coverage has brought female sports into mainstream coverage. Yet despite all their accomplishments and clear skill, illustrious female athletes still face abundant inequality based on their gender alone. Unfortunately, the more things seem to improve, and female are making bigger headway into sports as athletes, coaches, administrators and media, the gender gap still exist in ways that exceed what is generally found in everyday life. Here are five inequalities female athletes still face, which we must put to bed once and for all. Female athletes still face a wage / compensation gap In recent months, we have seen both the US women's hockey and soccer teams fight for fairer compensation for their time spent with the national programs.The soccer fight was very interesting in that the basis for comparison was the success of the women's program as defending World Cup champions vs the results shown by their male counterparts and the amount of pay members of the two teams received comparatively. FIFA awarded the U.S. women's soccer team with a $2 million prize for their World Cup win, even though the final 16 men's national teams who played in the 2014 World Cup took home about $10 million on average. Germany, the winning team in the men's tournament, earned $35 million. In terms of the US Federation itself, the men's team players all of whom are professionals and therefore have a significant source of compensation from their clubs continue to receive much higher performance incentives. Just as an example, if the USWNT wins an international friendly, each player earns $1,350. If the men’s team suffers a loss in a friendly, each player still receives $5,000. If the men triumph over a team in the Top 10 in the FIFA Rankings, each player collects $17,625. For a similar accomplishment, the women receive $1,350. The women do not have bonus compensated if they tie or lose a friendly match. In Canada, the corresponding figures are not readily available but I am quite sure it doesn't differ much. just like in Europe. many players affiliated with "pro clubs" are surely receiving salaries that are much lower than the men. Women expected to play under different conditions For the first time ever, FIFA decided that the Women's World Cup would be played on artificial turf. While it may seem like a minor point, players argued that not only was the experience of playing on artificial turf inadequate, but that they experienced physical injuries like burns. It's why a number of players filed suit, claiming that the decision was born from gender discrimination, since players for the men's tournament would not be forced to play on artificial turf. We see examples of substandard fields even when on grass, small venues, inadequately trained officials, schedules not conducive to optimal athletic performance, generally because men's sports are managed in a way to maximize revenue and exposure, leaving female sporting events to be slotted in where it can best fit. Onging gender stereotypes that remain to this day As is the case in the work place, women still are seen as the primary caregivers. There is always the underlying assumption that at some point a female athlete will put her career on hold to start and raise a family, care for her children etc. When did we ever hear about a highly visible male athlete taking time away from his sport for family issues. Quite on the contrary, just watch an episode of Hockey Wives and listen to them talk about being on their own to raise the kids and manage household responsibilities because it is the nature of their husbands work as a professional athlete. There is also the issue of women's sports being scene as some sort of watered down version of the male equivalent and not as a completely different version. The performances are critiqued on the basis of the athletes not being as strong, fast, skilled or competitive instead of simply being evaluated on how the they perform versus their peer group. Female athletes continue to be objectified and sexualized. How often do we come across postings or articles about " The top 10 hottest female ( fill in the sport here) athletes". Many female athletes are often the subject of these types of commentary and can use it to build their brand but isn't really a positive? It has been an all too real experience for many female athletes. Many websites and publications have created entire lists devoted to ranking the comparative sexiness of female athletes overall. Media coverage of female athletes often revolves around their bodies and what they wear, over their skills. The public still fails to see female athletes as just that — athletes — rather than sexualized objects to be ogled. If a female athlete is too muscled, she is seen as butchy or at the very least not feminine enough, too slim and she is not eating right. I give credit to the ESPN body issue simply in that it puts male and female athletes on the same level, celebrating their bodies even they may not fit the mold of what is the ideal body shape, but even then, shouldn't we be celebrating athletes for their great accomplishments, setting records, scoring great goals, etc? The imbalance in media coverage and representation More then forty percent of all sports participants are female, yet women's sports probably receive less than 10% of all sport media coverage. Yet every four years when the summer or winter Olympics take place, often, it is women's sports which seem to garner attention, and not just for other women but from viewers overall. Plus, sports journalism doesn't just fail to cover women, but to integrate them into the industry itself. While we are seeing strides in women working in sports media, the barriers for them to enter into the profession are still very present. Male athletes on the other hand can often retire and then quickly be hired as "experts" for media coverage of their sport. Maybe I have a jaded opinion, and probably I am not delving deep enough into the issues female athletes face, but the fact remains that the gap is there, while improvements occur, the presence of more exposure due to growth in websites, blogs, social medial, simply put a spotlight on some of the inequalities that persist but that weren't really seen. I try to do my little part every chance I get and I advocate strongly but I have one voice and a limited audience but I will continue to to address the issue every chance I get.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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