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The heirarchy of sports by gender

Ashley Barley, Guest Columnist

December 10, 2024

There’s a stark difference in how men’s and women’s sports are viewed. Women’s sports are disregarded, as men’s sports remain dominant in society.

As a woman myself, I constantly find myself longing for equal treatment in athletics. It’s sad that when I am flipping through channels on my tv or simply scrolling on Instagram I am rarely exposed to women in sports. This has made me question, do we as women belong in sports and in sports media? Why do women’s sports receive significantly less importance and exposure in society compared to men’s sports? And most importantly, what can we do to close this divide?

One reason for this severe divide is due to the traditional gender ideals of America that are seemingly still practiced today. In early America, women were not able to vote, work, or even live independently because men were always placed higher than women in every aspect of life. This discrimination of women soon translated into the area of sports as well.

It wasn’t until the passing of Title IX in 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in sport, that woman finally gained the right to participate in sports. Today, young girls still feel they don’t belong in a sport, because of America’s traditional values of boys being of higher importance than girls.

The root of the problem stems from parent’s continuing to instill this belief in their children.

A study showed that only 30% of parents believe that playing a sport is of importance for their daughter, compared to 41% of parents for their sons. If girls are not encouraged to play a sport, how could they feel that they belong or are of any importance compared to boys?

This traditional prioritized importance of men in sports compared to women is further emphasized in the media.

According to a Wasserman study, women’s sports coverage today currently accounts for 15% of all sports media coverage in the United States, and is expected to reach 20% by 2025. Although 15% is a significant increase and improvement in coverage, it is still not 50%. Only then will women be truly equal in sports. It is only right that America treats female athletes the same as male athletes with equal importance and coverage.

Women and young girls deserve to reap the benefits of playing a sport, just like men do. However, because of these circumstances, Americans need to take more action such as peacefully protesting at sports news outlets, in order to close this divide that is still apparent, despite recent efforts.