The state of sport in Australia has progressed much faster than many countries around the world. Gender equity is well on its way to being a major factor that influences Australian sport. The current situation with gender equity is that most women’s sport teams are not getting the recognition and/or support they need. To be able to be as successful as male sport teams, the women’s team need equal pay, funding, resources and airtime (includes advertisments and tv shows) Over the course of this essay, fair opportunities and fair reward are two ways in which Australia can reach equity in sport.
For gender equity to be reached in professional sport, it is importnat that all athletes, male or female, are provided fair opportunities. This means sport should provide everyone with equal euiptment, sport grounds, pay and fundings. This helps increase the amount of people willing to play a sport, esppecially young girls who, right now, do not have the opportunities they deserve. For example, Football Queensalnd released a page on their webiste about pathways for girls in soccer. They stated that “For the most talented players, it is also pathway to national team selection in the Westfield Junior Matildas or the Westfield Matildas.” (Football Queensland, 2019). Futhermore, Queensand Cricket also released a page on their webiste, stating “Queensland Cricket's pathway program is designed to provide the State’s cricketers with a clear path from the grass roots to the elite level … achieve sustained excellence.” (Qldcricket.com.au, 2019) Gender equity in terms of fair opportunities, for the athlete’s, would be significantly improved if all sports followed in the Matildas soccer teams steps.
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Fair reward in proffesional sport is important to provide equity to all players. This means all sports should provide both mens and womans teams with equal and fair rewards, such as equal prize money, trophes and media coverage. For example, As of 2019, the Matildas soccor team is now receiving equal pay to the socceroos. The pay gap that once exsisted now is gone due to the “FFA's landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement that closes the pay gap” (ABC News, 2019). However, the gender pay gap still exists in Australian sport. Checkmyfile released statistics about gender gap and stated that “According to the Austrlain Bureau of Statistcs, men earn 17% more than woman on average” and “Forty years ago, the women’s prize pool was 73% of the men’s (1976) … Today, both prize pools are the same (2016).” (Checkmyfile.com.au, n.d.). This pay difference between mens and womens sports should not be seen in proffesional sport. A study conducted by the BBC showed that “83 per cent of sports now pay men and women the same amount in prize money” (The Telegraph, n.d.). Without fair rewards, women athletes are less likely to want to play and partcipate in sports. This also provides women athletes something can aim for and something they will want to work hard for. These two articals have shown that fair rewards is acheviable in professional sport.
In November 2017, Melbourne Univerity sport released a discussion paper with details of how they are striving to create gender equity in their sports. The paper includes different sections such as media participation opportunities, club activites and representative sport and scholarships, however the introduction is the most noatble. In section 1.1 they state “The project was initiated in response to a query raised … about the availability of particular opportunities to both male and female students.” (Sport.unimelb.edu.au, 2017). Eventhough this is only university sports, notes can be taken into professional sport about how equity in sport can be reached for both men and woman players/athletes.
Equity in sport is important as it provides both woman and men equal chances and opportunities in their sport. Women’s teams suffers most as they have less recognition, funding and pay than their male counterparts. Two ways in which gender equity in sport can be improved is by having fair opportunities and fair rewards. Ash Bartey, female tennis player, suffers with discrimination, not only from her Aborigional Heritage, but her gender. Herself and other female tennis players play in the shadows of men, however, that doesn’t effect her succses in tennis, after being announced number 1 ffemale tennis player. Gender equity will soon be a major factor that influences Australian sport if the right opportunities, funding and support is given to every team, no matter the gender.
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