The research, published in The Spanish Journal of Psychology, shows that reports about male athletes focus more on professional issues than those about female athletes, which still focus on extra-professional topics associated with femininity.
The media continues to offer a stereotypical representation of female athletes, which has a negative impact on people’s perception of them within the sports world. This is the conclusion of a study carried out by four researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) of the University of Granada (UGR), including members of the Laboratory and the research group. The study, entitled “”, was recently published in The Spanish Journal of Psychology.
The CIMCYC team analysed coverage of male and female athletes that was either limited to strictly professional (sports-related) aspects, or to extra-professional aspects, with a focus on gender stereotypes. In the case of women, these stereotypes were associated with femininity, such as the attractiveness of the athlete and her romantic relationships. The research was divided into two experimental studies. In the first, the researchers evaluated how the audience’s perception was influenced by media representations (whether the coverage focused on professional or extra-professional aspects) and the athlete’s gender. In the second, they examined the influence of gender on this perception when the coverage was focused on extra-professional issues.
The results showed that when the media portrayal was based solely on the professional aspects and success of the athlete, as opposed to when it focused on extra-professional aspects, participants perceived the news as more credible, believed that the media valued the athlete’s ability more, and attributed greater merit to the athlete. Furthermore, coverage of male athletes was perceived as more reliable and accurate than that of female athletes. In turn, this was associated with greater belief in the competence of the athlete, leading to a greater intention to consume similar sports media in the future.
The reality is that, despite the growing presence of women in most sports, they continue to face a discriminatory environment. Compared to men, women have encountered biological, athletic, educational, socio-cultural, economic and moral barriers that have limited their participation in sport. Historically, the media has contributed to this marginalisation of women; for example, media coverage of female athletes is often minimal or even non-existent. Moreover, media portrayals of female athletes tend to be presented from an androcentric point of view, focusing on extra-professional aspects associated with femininity (e.g., physical attractiveness, romantic relationships, or their roles as mothers and/or wives) rather than on their professional capacity as athletes. This media portrayal of women across various fields has negatively affected public perceptions of them, especially when they appear in a stereotypically male domain, where their skills or competence are often called into question. However, the same negative effects do not seem to be produced in the perception of male competence; men are generally regarded as competent even when the news is covered in a sexualised way.
In conclusion, the results of this research contribute to our understanding of how the media influences the social perception of sports news, taking into account various psychosocial factors such as the type of representation (professional vs. extra-professional) and the athlete’s gender. This innovative research could help to improve media representation, reduce gender stereotypes, encourage interest in sports media, and promote educational policies and programmes that support gender equality.
Full article:
Herrera, A., Sánchez-Hernández, M. D., Herrera, M. C., & Expósito, F. (2024). , 27, E26, 1–14. DOI: 10.1017/SJP.2024.21
Contact details:
- Antonio Herrera Enríquez (aherrer@ugr.es)
- M. Dolores Sánchez-Hernández (mdsanchezh@ugr.es)
- M. Carmen Herrera Enríquez (mcherrer@ugr.es)
- Francisca Expósito Jiménez (@email)
Translated version: This text has been translated into English by the Language Services Unit (Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization) of the University of Granada.
