Media Portray Female Athletes Inferior to Their Male Counterparts

American female athletes still need to face the gender biasness as men still manages to gain all the attention in this sport in US, reveals a new study. The research suggested that female athletes get little exposure that also focuses more on their attire, or how attractive, sexy or ladylike they are than on their actual athletic prowess.

Emily Kaskan and Ivy Ho of the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the US looked at how pervasive small subtle biases and stereotyping of American female athletes are and what types of "microaggression" exist, examining how they put pressure on athletes and other women, as well.

Their analysis shows how the media often portray female athletes as inferior to their male counterparts and are dismissive of their true abilities. The little coverage received often sexually objectifies female athletes by putting the spotlight on their looks and strength. On the other hand, the media is quick to recoil at women who do not fit into the traditional feminine mold.

Kaskan asserted that biases against women in sports were harmful not just to athletes, but to all women, because they could influence women's decisions on what types of physical fitness activities to participate in.

Ho added that because female athletes often occupied other marginalized identities besides gender, more research was needed to understand how these multiple identities intersect with regard to experience of micro-aggression.

The study is published in a review in Springer's journal Sex Roles.

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Source-ANI