In the last one hundred years women have made tremendous progress in many parts of life. Of that there can be little doubt. The latest Today women can compete in sports, once completely dominated by males; and they excel at it. But even today women in sports are not portrayed in the same light as their male counterparts. Women are just as capable as men in the area of sport, but the media is not publically showing this. Problems with this are that women are portrayed as weaker than the males in sport, the low wage in women’s sport, and comments that media make about women that discourages younger girls to pursue a career in sports.
Others must agree that women are seen as weaker than men, which is a preposterous statement which is not true in any way. Some stereotypical people around the world use this as an excuse to why they don’t cover women’s sporting as extensively as they do to mens sport. Stereotypes in the world show that men should be strong, independant and athletic while women are expected to be quiet, obedient and attractive. It has gotten to a point where a man who is deemed physically or mentally weaker than other is considered feminine. These stereotypes have been seen for centuries, and this makes it harder for women to make a name in a sport which is seemed only fit for men. This expectation of femininity often results in women being dissuaded from lifting weights, sweating, grunting, being aggressive, participating and 3 competing in sports and physical activities. This is false, as seen by the evidence provided by the ISR. It is shown that men tend to have a greater muscle mass than the average woman, with men having having 40-60% more upper body strength and 25-30% more lower body strength. But a proper sportswoman can cut that difference to nearly 0 to 8%. In some cases it is shown that women are actually stronger than men, especially in lower body strength. In addition, when it comes to endurance sports, it shows that women dominate this area, as the greater amount of Estrogen in a woman's body enables them to outperform their counterparts. In the 2003 Boston marathon the average woman’s time was 2:36:55 while the men were 2:46:33. It is shown that an elite sports women can perform better, stronger and quicker in many different sports that an elite sports man. It is shown that women in marathons perform better and faster than men, with proof from over 1000 marathons showing women’s times to be nearly five times faster. In the 2003 Boston marathon the average woman’s time was 2:36:55 while the men were 2:46:33. It is shown that an elite sports women can perform better, stronger and quicker in many different sports that an elite sports man. There is no excuse that channels and media are not covering women’s sporting due to the lack of physique or strength, as it is shown that women can perform at the same level as men.
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It is obvious that men’s sport has massive amounts of money. On brand exposure, winnings, sponsorships and in wages. The problem is that women athletes aren’t getting paid as highly as men, which gives doubt to aspiring female athletes, as the pay usually isn’t enough to sustain a comfortable lifestyle. Women’s sport popularity has been steadily rising over the last decade, but the amount of income is not nearly enough to accommodate the amount of female athletes. Women put equal amounts of effort into their sporting careers, but only receive less than a quarter of the pay of an average male athlete. The lack of pay affects the women’s sporting community heavily, as young rising stars see that they rarely cannot live on just their sporting income, and many have full-time jobs outside of their respective sports. The United States Women's Soccer team have brought gender pay differences into the light, after it was shown that they are getting paid a fraction of the men’s pay. They recently won the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, while the US men’s team accomplished nothing and didn’t even qualify for the Men’s World cup. Even though these achievements are great the women’s team is still being paid less than the men, even though they generated $20 million more than the men. The same can be said for most sports, with there being examples of this pay gap in all sports. Tennis is the most marketable female sport, with 9 of the 10 highest paid female athletes being tennis players. The reason for this is because of the solo endorsement deals and prize pools. In team sports, it is a bit more bleak. The top WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) salary was $117 500, compared to the $37.5 million that Stephen Curry made in the NBA. The team salary cap for the National pro Softball league is $175 000, while the Boston Red Sox team will split $227 million between themselves. The Yankees bat boy salary was more than some professional softball contracts. It is unfair that over all sportsmen are paid more than women, even though the amount of hard work and dedication put in is the same. The best female athletes are getting paid less than average men’s players, and women’s team sports have a cap of around $150 000 while men get millions. The gulf in pay doesn’t reflect the quality or commitment that women put into their careers. The gulf in pay restricts women’s opportunities, both financially wise and Job wise. The lack of money in women’s sport is atrocious, and should be changed to accommodate the female athletes.
Finally, the way the media acts and how they comment severely damages the overall image of women in sports and in general.Women that participate in all sports often get criticised on many different levels. On their appearance, their actions on the playing field, and what they do off the pitch. There have been many dramas about media comments, such as the Tayla Harris incident earlier this year, where the WAFL player was abused on social media about a picture of her kicking the ball down the field. There is a massive amount of support for female athletes getting abused on social media, but this is nowhere near enough to undo the primitive words and actions of people who follow the sports. It is proven on ABC news that Nearly 27 per cent of comments on well-read Facebook posts by major Australian broadcasters were negative towards sports women compared to 8 per cent for male athletes. Of all the negative comments posted on all media sites, 23 percent were sexist and 20 percent were on the athletes sporting ability. Remarks like 'stick to netball' and 'women should be in the kitchen' were some of those captured on pages belonging to broadcasters including the ABC, the Seven, Nine and 10 networks and Fox Sports. Nearly 14 per cent of the negative comments directed at female athletes were highly sexualised and explicit.Men, on the other hand, were most often sledged for perceived cheating on the field or accused of using illegal drugs. The amount of negative comments directed at women is unacceptable, with comments made on women being about sexism and their ability while men about cheating. The difference in this shows how much women are seen as less than men and that they shouldn’t be playing the sport. The comments made on women athletes send a strong message to young players. That they should not be playing the sport. Women should be able to exhibit their abilities on an equal playing field with equal opportunities, instead of being criticised on all things they do. The media should be lifting these women up instead of telling them they shouldn’t be playing. The focus of the media should be on the positives of the sport, not the negatives that have nothing to do with the overall game or results. The amount of negative criticism damages the view the world has on women’s sport, and makes women doubt themselves and their abilities. It shouldn’t be this way, and women should be seen in the same way and considered the same as their male counterparts.
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