The Media & Women’s Sport
Why we should champion female athletes
Three quarters of UK adults believe that young girls growing up today have more opportunities to play sport than previous generations
- A recent Opinium survey assessing attitudes towards women’s sport reveals a compelling case for the importance of championing female athletes.
- Seven in ten (70%) UK adults agree that it’s important to have female professional athletes represented in the media
- Another seven in ten (69%) agree that watching professional female athletes will encourage more women and girls to consider a professional career
- Two thirds (67%) agree that professional sport is a suitable career path for women
- Three quarters (74%) of UK adults believe that young girls growing up today have more opportunities to play sport than previous generations
- 18–34-year-olds are 20% more likely to enjoy watching women’s sports than those aged over 55 (32% vs. 52%) revealing an increased appreciation of women’s sport over time
- Clearly, UK adults recognise the importance of women’s sports specifically in its ability to encourage women and girls to play sport and to inspire the next generation of female athletes.
Half of UK adults agree that media coverage of women’s sport can help challenge negative female stereotypes
However, the report also suggests that women’s sports can go one step further in improving general attitudes towards women and womanhood.
- Two-thirds (64%) of UK adults agree that how women are represented in the media (both fictional or non-fictional), can support gender roles, expectations and stereotypes
- Alongside this, seven in ten (70%) agree that how women see other women represented in the media can affect their self-image
- Three-quarters (73%) agree that it’s important for the media to represent balanced portrayals of womanhood, but the reality is far from the ideal, as only two fifths (39%) agree that the media promotes inclusive portrayals of women
- Therefore, UK adults feel that there is still a significant way to go to reach a fair and well-rounded representation of women in the media. However, half (47%) of UK adults recognise the potential of women’s sport to help balance out attitudes by helping to challenge negative female stereotypes. As for how, it’s easy to see that self-directed and autonomous female professional athletes can offer refreshing alternatives to the often more passive roles given to women in media portrayals.
Read the full report here:
