Gender stereotyping in televised sports coverage

Duncan, M.C., Messner, M., Williams, L. & Jensen, K. 1990. Gender stereotyping in televised sports. AAF Publications. Retrieved Feb 7, 2010 from http://www.la84foundation.org/9arr/ResearchReports/ResearchReport2.htm

Gender affects sports in more ways than one. Game play differs between men's and women's events. Media coverage of sports events is also gendered. Duncan, Messner, Williams & Jensen (1990) found significant differences between the way men's and women's events were covered on television. Moreover, the authors noted distinct differences in the ways men and women were portrayed on screen. Some of the differences discovered included time spent in news reports, with 92% of air time devoted to men's versus women's sports. When women were covered on the news, such coverage was not as much about female athletes as it was women as the object of jokes or as sexual objects (Duncan et al. 1990). The implications for the findings are profound, affecting the perception of women's sports among viewers and the self-perception of aspiring and professional female athletes.

One possible reason for the difference in coverage given to men's versus women's sports is consumer interest. Men's sports demand greater viewing audiences. Yet it is highly likely that the paucity of coverage given to women's sports causes, rather than reflects, consumer viewing trends. If women's sporting events were offered the same quality of coverage and the same quantity of coverage, then perhaps viewers would tune in more often.