It is obvious that there is a problem with the way women are represented in the media. Women are portrayed as submissive to men or if they are taking a powerful role, they are often considered a bitch. Many times the presence of women is completely ignored. Even though it seems that our society has evolved when it comes to equality between men and women, media versions of both genders are noticeably skewed. This is important for media audiences to understand because the way people are shown on television, in movies, etc, has an effect on the way people view the same people in society. McQuail said that, “The relation between gender and communication is therefore primarily a cultural one, a negotiation over meanings and values that inform whole ways of life” (Reader pg. 57).
I think it is most important to address the issue that there is a lack of female portrayal in the media. As McQuail pointed out, “It is often said that women are underrepresented in media contect when compared to the 50 percent of the population that they constitute” (Reader pg. 47-48). This is most evident when it comes to women’s sports. There is an obvious difference between the amount of coverage men’s sports teams receive as opposed to the amount of coverage women’s sports teams receive.
The article I found directly relates to this idea and it specifically discusses that while it might be wrong, the reason women’s sports are not as focused on in the media is because of money.
http://sportscurmudgeon.com/blog/2008/01/20/womens-sports-an-inconvenient-truth/
Simply stated, the media does not give women’s sports as much coverage because they think less people will want to see it, which ultimately means they will make less money. Unfortunately, as the author states, most people in our society don’t care about women’s sports, so until people start to show an interest, there will not be an equal amount of exposure.
So, do you think that it is fair women’s sports are underrepresented in the media? Do you think that this can ever be changed?
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11 comments:
The lack of representation of female athletes is not fair and should absolutely change. The problem lies in the factors you mentioned in your post in reference to the article:
Simply stated, the media does not give women’s sports as much coverage because they think less people will want to see it, which ultimately means they will make less money. Unfortunately, as the author states, most people in our society don’t care about women’s sports, so until people start to show an interest, there will not be an equal amount of exposure.
Since fewer people care about women's sports coverage, there isn't going to be any until a demand is shown for it. It's a shame since this is an untapped market that some fool business people are ignoring because of the perceived audience disinterest. I'm going to brush off my psych minor and get a bit into this since I haven't posted in a while. Bear with me, ok.
Gender and society's many issues with it are really the problem here. Liesbet Van Zoonen (fabulous name) states, "...gender to be shaped within ideological frameworks, as socially constructed by cultural and historical processes and acquired by individuals by socialization through family, education, church, media and other agencies" (Reader pg. 51). People collect their definition of "maleness" and "femaleness" through socialization, and the people and environments they get knowledge from contribute to what makes a man "masculine" and what makes a woman "feminine" to them.
In a huge stereotype, American society considers men to be athletic, not women. Young boys are encouraged to play sports, and the very definition or what it means to be "masculine" is intertwined with athletic prowess. Surely you've all heard the phrase "You throw like a girl." Not being athletic has connotations to being both negative and "feminine" to males. Women want to conform to the "female" image and therefore do not associate with sports, which are considered an activity/interest within the "male" domain.
In general, women aren't going to get interested in female athletics and men are already given coverage of male athletics. It's not going to change significantly until the gender definitions do. It is not fair, and it is not how it should be. Why was the WNBA founded in 1996? And the NBA founded in 1946? And why isn't it called the MNBA? Why are Venus Williams and Mia Hamm really the only recognizable names of female athletes? Stupid, messed up society =(
Women’s sports in today’s society are grossly underrepresented, and this trend dates back for decades. As Karen mentioned, the media doesn’t focus on women’s sports for television because they don’t feel that as many people will watch them, and they generally are not covered in print in the same fashion as men’s sports unless it is scandalous, because it is less likely to sell papers.
While I believe this is a valid point, I tend to agree with Bridgette about the socialization factor that goes into this argument as well. In the McQuail Reader, he defines socialization as the “teaching of established norms and values by ways of symbolic rewards and punishment for different kinds of behavior…” and as “the learning process whereby we all learn how to behave in certain situations and learn the expectations which go with a given role or status in society” (51). Simply put, society teaches a set of norms and values that are defined as important and we learn, as we are socialized, what behaviors are identified as “male” and “female” respectively. Alongside this socialization is the idea that there are separate activities that are acceptable for males and females, and that these two very rarely converge. For example, hockey is considered by society to be a “male” activity, whereas dance is considered to be a “female” activity. Society propels people to look differently at those that defy those “norms”—a female joining a hockey team or a male joining a ballet company.
As unfair as the media policy of mainly covering male sports is, it is unlikely to change until societal perceptions of what is “male” and what is “female” change. And like Bridgette said, it is unlikely that these perceptions will change until societal definitions do.
I completely think that women's sports are 100% underrepresented in today's society. But like the article said, everything is about money. I understand that women's sports won't make as much money as the men's sports do today. Sports like football, basketball, and baseball have become so money hungry that I don't think women sports can ever equal up to that. And it's horrible, but women are completely underrepresented when it comes to sports.
When it comes to sports, I don't think this will ever change. However, when it comes to other jobs, away from the professional sports, women are definitely moving upward. According to McQuail, " many more women work than the media suggest, very few woman resemble the femme fatales of movies and TV series (48). So while, sports may not be the professional career for many women, other high end jobs are and I think that is okay too.
It sucks that women are denied the privilege of professional sports, but I don't think that will change anytime soon. Today's society is so caught up in money and power, and professional sports teams are a huge part of that. But I guess as long as women can still have the power in other fields, than it's not so horrible.
Women sports do not get as much coverage as men's sports because profit is the motive in across all forms of media. Why would television stations broadcast an event that isn't going to draw consumers when they have ad slots to fill. The television time-out was created to make more money for the broadcasting station. Women work just as hard as men in their respective sports but at the end of the day their needs to be an audience in order for an event to gain media coverage. Women deserve just as much recognition as their male counterparts but I doubt that we will ever see anything close to equal coverage because the events aren't as entertaining.
On page 48 of McQuail, it states "stereotypes are not images in themselves but radicalized expressions of a common social practice of identifying and categorizing events, experiences, objects or persons." The stereotypes surrounding women's sports will remain until profits no longer matter and an understanding revolving competition is accepted. To much emphasis is placed on entertainment instead of the way in which the game is played.
When our society as a whole no longer has to stress about their everyday lives people will be attracted towards competition that they normally wouldn't. As time goes on ideas evolve and attitudes change. Given time I hope that women's athletics will be recognized more than they are in today's society. A great amount of progress has been made over the past couple of decades and the future is promising as long as we keep an open mind.
In my opinion when McQuail states ““It is often said that women are underrepresented in media content when compared to the 50 percent of the population that they constitute” I don’t know if I agree. I feel like I the last ten years women portrayed on television has skyrocketed. Not to say that the content in which they are featured misrepresents most women in this country, I do think that the media industry is making strides to close the gap. I think that ABC and NBC are really trying to move the ball when it comes to women’s programming. Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle, even though they have ridiculously campy names, portray women in a light that would do justice to their everyday lives I do think. It shows women in high powered business roles, it shows women having and talking about sex, which was totally taboo in years past. Did any TV execs ever talk to women in their lives?? I feel like all women ever talk about is sex and there are only a few shows on TV that show that. Sex and the City completely opened the door for provocative, interesting, and true to life television. With regards to the sports part of the blog, as a woman I feel as though I can honeslty say that women’s sports are as boring as hell. Someone once made the comparison that watching women’s sports is like watching men’s sports but under water. Everything is INCREDIBLY slow. I can only speak for myself but one of the main reasons I enjoy watching sports is because of the tenacity and aggressiveness that comes across the TV when watching a game. Women I feel like just lack that ability to excite an audience. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of exciting sports moments in the field of women’s sports. USA Women winning the World Cup, watching the Lady Vols take it all during March Madness. But all in all, I would much rather watch a men’s game than a women’s game. As far as them making less money, I would completely agree. If no one wants to watch or attend the games then there is no way the sports can make money. I think title nine is a tough subject because so many great sports programs have had to fold because of it. I understand that America is a country about equal opportunities but at the same time I don’t understand why people don’t see that men’s sports will ALWAYS prosper and be more exciting than women’s sports (overall).
In Nick Trujillo's (1991)article "Hegemonic Masculinity on the Mound: Media Representations of Nolan Ryan and American Sports," Bryson is noted for stating "sport is a powerful institution through which male hegemony is constructed and reconstructed and it is only through understanding and confronting processes that was can hope to break this domination" (14). To this extent, I personally feel as though the current cycle of female underrepresentation will continue to reaffirm male hegemony in sports media until more people become educated on the matter. While some people contend that women's sports just simply as entertaining as men's sports to watch, how often are these people actually given the opportunity to witness it? I personally feel as if its a vicious cycle; women sports are not sufficiently displayed through the media, and as a result, consumer demand becomes low and remains low because the lack of consumer demand provides advertisers and sponsors with little incentive to work and change the situation. In other words, it becomes up to society to work to defeat this cycle, one clouded in the ideology that there is simply no need to cover women's sports - a seemingly ridiculous idea to begin with, as over time the amount of female participation in major sports has continued to increase. One would think that this fact also gives rise to a distinct market of consumers, however, it remains essentially untouched. I think now that we are knee deep in the NCAA tournament the situation reveals itself more so than ever. For years, March Madness has been defined as a month for men's collegiate basketball while the same tournament happens for women. Little to no coverage is not only unfair, but discouraging as well. Unfortunately however, as Trujillo's article suggests, until society begins to understand and confront the issue, little will change in time.
I feel that women’s representation in sports is extremely underrepresented. Our country is a capitalistic society and if women’s sports aren’t going to make people money, then unfortunately, the media won’t be a part of it either. So what changes need to be made in order for women’s sports to go up there with the men’s sports? A whole lot. And truth be told, I don’t know when this change will happen, if it ever does.
I have to admit, I do not watch women’s sports. However, the author of the article makes a good point when he says that, “I can only think of three where the women’s version of the sport is more popular than the men’s version: tennis [this was not always the case but certainly is now], gymnastics, and figure skating.” I think that is really true. Those are really the only sports I watch women play more than men. Why? I don’t know. For some reason I would just rather watch men play basketball than women. Unfortunately, many people feel this way which is why women athletes are so underrepresented. Is it the way we were all socialized? To want to watch men do the physical activities? As McQuail states in the Reader, “gender to be shaped within ideological frameworks, as socially constructed by cultural and historical processes and acquired by individuals by socialization through family, education, church, media and other agencies” (51). However, I really do think we need to change the way in which society undermines a women’s abilities in sports. If the media showed more women’s games aired on television and advertised them more, I can’t say that I wouldn’t want to check them out. I know this would be a very gradual change, but this gradual change may prove to be a “slowly, but surely” kind of thing. Some women are tremendous athletes. And they should have the respect and recognition that they deserve.
Posted on behalf of Alyssa Jones:
“It is often said that women are underrepresented in media contect when compared to the 50 percent of the population that they constitute” (Reader pg. 47-48).
I’m going to use the quote that the author of this blog uses in order to prove my own point. Do I believe that women are severely underrepresented in sports? The answer is yes I do. However I feel like too much negative emphasis has been put onto American culture for this norm. In history I most definitely cannot remember a time when I read about a civilization and women were looked upon as physically equal and were marveled upon for their physical prowess. Ancient Greek/Roman times (women did not participate in the Olympics), medieval times (not pertaining to athletics but women did not participate in the crusades), modern European and American times, never have I read or seen men and women being physically equal as an accepted societal ideal; so based on that, I believe that the Mcquail excerpt above is true, but does not take into account that this has never really been true.
OK – I have to be honest. I’m a female athlete and I wouldn’t even broadcast my own games. I partly defend the media for this one. The real issue at hand is that there is a crisis among female athletics that goes way deeper than the media. The very nature of certain sports is stripped for females based on that same notion that females are weak. Take for example soccer and lacrosse, two sports known for their physicality and roughness. In fact the level of physicality is the very nature of the game. In men’s lacrosse and soccer, there is a certain level of rough play that is accepted and expected in any given game. However, in women’s lacrosse and soccer, that level of rough play is drastically lower. To be specific, a dirty slide tackle in a men’s soccer game most likely will not be called by a referee, and if it is will simply be a foul. In a women’s game, a dirty slide tackle will get a player ejected from the game with a red card, as well as a one game suspension. This is physical discrimination, and it exists loudly in sports.
Now, taking into consideration the fact that female athletics are incredibly diluted, it is understandable the broadcasting of female sports dwindles. Let’s be real – who wants to watch a game with no physicality, and a whistle blowing every minute? Would football be as exciting if not for the tackling? Hell no. Hockey? Hell no. So why would they put it on national tv?
So, in the big scheme of things, is this fair? No. BUT it’s life, it’s the way works. And to be honest, being a female athlete and being discriminated against doesn’t bother me. It motivates me. For every person who makes a discriminatory comment, a fire is lit and I want to challenge them to a race, or to a game, or to something, to prove them wrong. It inspires me to work hard to prove my ability, and to defy the ideology. It goes along with what I said in my blog, similar to the reading in about Christina Aguilera’s video, it is EMPOWERING. It’s a positive that comes from an outsider’s perspective of a negative. I love when people underestimate me or my teammates, because it gives me/us the stage to prove ourselves. And yes the discrimination blows, but what it does mentally for female athletes is immeasurable.
Like everyone who has already posted, I also agree that women's sports are extremely underrepresented in our media today. Money is the motive behind this entire situation. No one is going to broadcast women's sports when there will be no viewers, it is as simple as that. Do I think it should change? Yes, perhaps just for the sake of saying that there is equal representation. Do I think it will change? No.
I don't watch women's sports on TV and I am a woman. I think that the games/events that are broadcasted are boring. To me, it's just a simple fact- men make sports more interesting. I feel like women's sports lack the intensity, the strength and the power that men's sports do on television. If there were women's football games broadcasted on television, I would probably say "more power to them" and then change the channel to men's football.
I think that the two biggest factors that play a role in this are money, obviously, and sex. It's obvious that networks broadcast what brings in the most cash, simple. Women's sports don't have as many people jumping at the chance to advertise because they know that there is a lot less demand and viewership. Sex plays another big role, think about the women's sports that you do see on television...women's tennis, cheerleading competitions, volleyball. In these types of situations, little attention is paid to the sport as opposed to the amount of clothing the women are wearing. I'm just saying, that probably brings in a lot more viewership.
McQuail says that "it is often said that women are underrepresented in media content compared to the 50 percent of the population that they constitute." In the sports aspect, I would have to agree with McQuail, but like Joanna, in the wide world of the media, I would have to say that I disagree with that. It's sad that women are being underrepresented in the sports world, but atleast changes are happening outside of the sports world, and maybe eventually those changes will come to women's sports, but I don't see it happening.
I guess as women we have to look at it from the perspective that thirty or forty years ago, women's roles on television really weren't diverse at all, so at least we've come from somewhere.
As Karen and basically everyone who responded to this blog posted, there is a great deal of under representation of women’s sports in the media. The truth is that some sports themselves barley do well enough for even men’s teams to gain profit. Hence the restructuring of the NHL. But as for women’s sports it correlates with women in society in general. The history of our culture shows that women have been seen as the weaker sex and its only till recent generations were we’ve been taught different. I mean if you ask our grandparents I’m sure they would say there are specific jobs for males and females. But nowadays were taught men and women are equal. Our generation believes either sex can achieve anything and gain any job they wish. Anyways back to the point, women’s sports don’t gain media coverage because of the lack of following. Media is an entertainment business and will represent what’s going to make money. For the most part the WNBA is fairly new and will take time to catch on. I mean the MLS started a while back and now finally is catching on. So on one hand you can say that it may take a while to gain a following and until then will lack media coverage. But you can also point the blame on media being a sexist industry in general. Like I said before back in the old days men were seen as the superior sex and only recently have we seen a change in that in media representation. More and more shows are coming out that portray women in a position of power. This can be seen as a change in societal ideas or a result of feminist movements who “call for more realistic image of woman” (McQuail 48). But the problem is media and society is stereotypes. These stereotypes help gage the media and also the media help gage these stereotypes (Native Americans or American Indians or whatever is politically correct, no disrespect honest). I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think or assume (yeah yeah u and me I know) that it will take time and eventually there may be equal representation of female sports in the media someday. I mean hey Uconn women’s basketball is followed by a lot of people both male and female, and my dad. So one day…(honestly apologize late night…good ole soc papers that take so much time cause they make no sense).
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