Structural sexism in the scheduling of major sporting events

Despite progress in gender equality in sport, ‘structural sexism’ is alive and well in the scheduling of major mixed-sex sporting fixtures, with women’s match finals invariably considered the ‘warm-up event’ for men’s, argues Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health, Dr Klaus Gebel and other experts in an editorial published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (opens external site).

This not only sends the message that women are second class citizens and athletes, but may also put off women and girls from embracing sports and a physically active lifestyle. It’s time to end this traditional scheduling as part of a suite of strategies to address sexism in sport, and enable women and girls to realise their full potential on and off the sports field. 

Globally, women are less physically active than men, prompting the World Health Organization to encourage gender equality in sports as part of a strategy to reduce physical inactivity by 15% by 2030. What’s more, women’s sports continue to receive far less media coverage than men’s, with organisers of major sporting events often scheduling men’s events at TV ‘prime time’ or at better venues. 

These obstacles not only hold female athletes back from achieving their full potential and being celebrated as the pinnacle of their sports, but they might also hold back girls and women around the world from embracing sport and reaping the full benefits of an active lifestyle.

A rethink is now needed, which will require long-term commitment from many different stakeholders across the sector, including sports bodies, the media, the legal profession and the community at large.

Read the full article: End sexist scheduling of major sporting events