Events of gender inequality in the past have casted a shadow reflecting the disparities in reporting sports. Harmful gender stereotypes have consistently manifested gloomy results on media coverage of women in sports. According to UNESCO , ‘Media tends to represent women as first and athletes second .
Sports journalism is still a male dominated zone in India. Women sports stars hit the headlines less as compared to men who are often seen getting coverage. Despite the growing number of female athletes , media still lacks in granting significance to the deserving women athletes . The bitter tussle between women’s sport and its media coverage is an open secret now.
Famous male sports stars are celebrated across the country but female sports leader who struggle equally are unknown to many and the origin behind it the lack of attention they encounter . The crowd that gets excited for men’s tournament don’t give any significance to women athletes .
The media’s lack of coverage for women’s sports reflects society’s view of women in general, that they are less than their male counterparts, and that the cultural norm of the society we live in is that men are considered the strongest athletic ones who dominate the sports world.
Now , this issue has come in spotlight and with the recent development of online subscription-based streaming services, it is not too difficult to find women’s sports to stream. This coverage of women’s sports is just the first step of moving women’s sports coverage forward and gradually into the mainstream media.