A few good women (and a large crowd of men) Results from the SMS research project Kjartan Ólafsson UNIVERSITY OF AKUREYRI RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Overview of the presentation The study design Data and methods Main results Conclusions
Fréttablaðið 31.12.2005 The most memorable sports events of the year...
The main objectives Analysing the images created through national and/or regional media coverage of women s and men s sports participation Collecting and analysing existing information on the participation of women and men in sports
Some key questions What is a sport? What is the definition of sports media coverage? What media should be covered?
Q: What is a sport? A: Olympic sports Aquatics Archery Athletics Badminton Baseball Basketball Boxing Canoe / kayak Cycling Equestrian Fencing Football Gymnastics Handball Hockey Judo Pentathlon Rowing Sailing Shooting Softball Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Triathlon Volleyball Weightlifting Wrestling Biathlon Bobsleigh Curling Ice Hockey Luge Skating Skiing
Q: What is the definition of sports media coverage? A: All news stories involving sport activities and individuals (or groups) which could be called athletes. Also news-like programs covering sports (both hard news and soft news).
Q: What media should be covered? A: The study is focused on TV-stations and newspapers on national level. The main criteria for being included in the study would is that the TV-station or newspaper in question is producing at least some material by themselves and is making in-house editorial decisions.
Newspapers: At least two of the biggest national newspapers one of them a tabloid and the other a more classical one (not additions and inserts) TV: At least the national number one and if necessary or feasible also the second largest or the main competitor
Data collection modules 1 (Secondary data) Background information describing the sport and media landscape in each country Participation in organized sports by gender and within age groups and, if possible, by level of participation Relative status of sport disciplines in each country, e.g. the ranking of top athletes on a world rank list
Data collection modules 2 (Primary data Olympic module) Best performance of a male and female athlete(s) on the summer Olympics of 2004 Women's beach volleyball on the 2004 Olympics
Data collection modules 3 (Primary data National module) A sample of media coverage on sports from two or three strategically chosen weekends (Sunday and Monday) in different seasons Complete account of stories that particular day Four selected stories with background information e.g. national leagues but not international sports Background information on the athlete and a summary of reporting (text and pictures)
Media: TV station? 1 Newspaper? 1 TV station? 2 Newspaper? 2 TV station? 3 (optional) Newspaper? 3 (optional) Date: / 200 Time: Order within programme/printed on page 2:?: Total length of programme or Total number of pages: Number of minutes: or Number of pages Length of story: / (min/sek) or Column cm. Size of accompanying picture Column cm. Highlighted story: Main story Middle range or number 2 story Story of marginal importance Is a part of sports section or sports pages: Yes No Reporter: Man Woman Unknown Location of story: Local event National event International event Sports discipline (refer to number on list):
Data collection modules 4 (Primary data A small addition) Focus group interview with the advisory group
Preliminary results of the quantitative analsysis Database with standardized information on some 1.751 sports related news stories Austria 573 Lithuania 134 Norway 199 Italy 577 Iceland 268 The data is weighted in order to level out the difference in number of stories from each country for analysis on the European level
The quantitative data Two different periods During the summer Olympics of 2004 673 (38%) Normal days during the first half of 2005 1.078 (62%) Two types of media Newspapers 997 (43%) Television 754 (57%) Three different origins Local event 91 (5%) National event 574 (33%) International event 1.074 (61%)
Women as a proportion of individuals involved in each story Only (or almost only) women 13% About equal men and women 9% Only (or almost only) men 78%
The minor sports Reported less than twenty times and adding up to only 12% of the total number of sports related news stories Sailing Ice Hockey Weightlifting Equestrian Fencing Table tennis Triathlon Boxing Rowing Skating Shooting Taekwondo Judo Pentathlon Wrestling Badminton Biathlon Hockey Baseball Archery Curling Luge Softball
The other sports, by gender Volleyball Gymnastics Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women Canoe / Kayak Tennis Cycling Aquatics Skiing Handball Basketball Athletics Football 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Number of stories
But mostly men s football Please note the Icelander
Number of stories outside the Olympic period, by gender and type of sport Gymnastics Ice Hockey Volleyball Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women Athletics Cycling Tennis Aquatics Handball Basketball Skiing Football 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Number of stories
Number of stories within the Olympic period, by gender and type of sport Fencing Weightlifting Sailing Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women Gymnastics Handball Canoe / Kayak Cycling Basketball Aquatics Football Athletics 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 Number of stories
Men and women quoted or referred to Only women are quoted or referred to 5% Both men and women qouted or referred to 13% No person qouted or referred to 17% Only men are quoted or referred to 65%
Quoting or referring to the opposite gender 100 90 80 70 60 % 50 40 44 30 20 10 6 0 Proportion of stories on women where at least one man is quoted or referred to Proportion of stories on men where at least one woman is quoted or referred to
Gender of reporter 100 90 80 Man Woman Both Unknown 87 70 60 60 % 50 40 30 31 20 10 6 3 9 5 0 All stories Only stories where gender of reporter is identified
Focus of the story: The game or something else 100 90 80 Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women 70 60 56 % 50 49 40 41 30 22 25 20 10 17 12 14 10 8 10 17 9 5 5 0 The game Something else
Focus of the story: On the individual or the group 100 90 80 Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women 70 60 57 % 50 40 37 42 30 29 20 10 16 18 15 14 10 11 5 3 22 11 12 0 An individual The group
Focus of the story: Positive or negative 100 90 80 Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women 70 60 % 50 40 33 39 36 30 20 27 19 27 22 21 26 10 10 10 4 8 8 8 0 Positive Negative
Focus of the story: Enhances or works against stereotypes 100 90 80 85 Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women 70 67 66 60 % 50 40 30 20 22 19 10 0 11 8 4 Enhances stereotypes 10 3 1 1 0 1 3 Works against stereotypes
Focus of the story: Sexual implication or none at all 100 90 Only (or almost only) men About equal men and women Only (or almost only) women 98 90 89 80 70 60 % 50 40 30 20 10 0 5 5 5 1 2 Clear sexual implications 6 Little or no sexual implications
Conclusions There are few stories of women There are few female (sports) reporters More coverage of women in sports could lead to more stories with sexual implications, gender stereotyping and commodification of women's (or men's) bodies
Why bother? Should uninteresting women s sport be reported on? Should women become sports journalists if they don t want to?
Because sport matters Sport plays an important role in our society, both socially and economically e.g. As a recreational activity In the education system As entertainment As a producer of gender identity
Let s take Iceland as an example Individuals registered at the Icelandic sports federation in 2001: up to 16 yrs: 17 and older Men 25.030 32.026 Women 19.009 14.428
And another example from Iceland Surveys among 11-16 year old school children in 1968 and 2003 Question: What do you think will most likely be your future occupation? Professional athlete or trainer Professional football player 1968 2003 1968 2003 Boys 2% 10% Boys - 3,9% Girls 3% 4% Girls - 0,2%