The case for gender equity in sports
How far are we from achieving gender equity in professional sports? Let’s take a Deep Dive.
📈 Women’s sports have been smashing viewership numbers. And with that, women in sports are seeing better salaries, sponsorships, prize monies and opportunities for leadership positions in the industry. But better doesn’t mean equal.
⛔ Women’s participation in sports is still unevenly distributed across the world and many sportswomen continue to deal with discrimination and stereotypes because of their gender.
🎾 Tennis is considered the most gender-equitable sport. But even with the Grand Slams giving equal prize money to their male and female winners, the sport has yet to close its gender pay gap.
QUOTABLE
“All of this is far bigger than a champion’s paycheck—this is about how women are seen and valued in this world.”
Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States
BY THE NUMBERS
$150 million The prize money for the FIFA Women’s World Cup tripled to $150 million in 2023, but it is still more than three times lower than that of the men’s tournament.
1 From Forbes’ 2023 ranking of 50 highest-paid athletes, only one of them was a woman—Serena Williams.
48.8% The 2020 Tokyo Olympics claimed to be the most gender-balanced Games yet, with 48.8% participation from women.
QUIZ
According to a 30-year study by the University of Southern California and Purdue University, what percentage of television coverage and sports highlights shows by ESPN cover women’s sports?
A. 17%
B. 9%
C. 5%
Scroll to the bottom of the email for the answer.
Did you know?
Pregnancy did not stop Malaysian rifle specialist Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi from competing in the 2012 Olympics. She was not only the first woman to represent her country in shooting at the Games but also—at 34 weeks—the most pregnant participant to compete in history.
THE EDIT
😱 He said what? It wasn’t too long ago that the CEO of the Indian Wells Masters tennis tournament Raymond Moore attributed the Women’s Tennis Association’s success to luck.
🇸🇦 Bend it like Saudi Arabia. The country launched its first women’s football league in 2021, several years after it lifted a longstanding ban on women’s participation in sports.
📺 Finally some airtime. Women’s sports finally have a channel dedicated to them.
WATCH
This documentary explores the hurdles that female athletes in Asia face and the progress we have made so far.
THE FULL PICTURE
Women are being alienated from sports at all levels—from media positions to the topics covered.
KEY PLAYER
Billie Jean King
Fifty years ago, in 1973, tennis legend Billie Jean King lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the US Open. She succeeded—and the tournament became the first major to do so.
HONOUREE TO KNOW
Farhanna Farid
Record-breaking powerlifter Farhanna Farid was the first Singaporean to win gold in an international competition in the women’s open category. The powerlifting coach is also an executive committee member of Powerlifting Singapore, where she’s pushing for more financial support for the sport.
ONE FINAL THING
Sportswear for women was not initially designed with comfort or functionality in mind, but to preserve the “feminine” look on the court or field.
