For years there has been inequality and misogyny directed towards women in sport. For example, ‘football is a man’s sport, netball is a woman’s sport’ is told in schools and PE lessons. The recent victory of England’s women’s win at the Euros has brought to light these issues and prejudice, and emphasised the change in tone we need.
Women’s football ticket prices are considerably lower then men’s, for example, Tottenham Hotspur sells their men’s team tickets for around £60 (which are some of the cheapest seats), whereas this is £5 for the women’s team; many Premier League teams even offer free women’s tickets for loyal supporters. Most Sky Sports broadcasts focus on the famous men’s teams, and offer limited access for women’s matches - if they do, usually the commentator/presenter will be a woman, as there is a stigma that only women and girls are the audience and fans of women’s football. Surprisingly, many top teams also rejected hosting matches in their stadiums, would they do this for the men’s Euros?
We all heard ‘it’s coming home’ being blasted around the streets last summer, and with the hope then lost, it was up to the women this summer to show England what girls are truly capable of, and to smash the stereotypes.
What we didn’t know, was how much of a reception this would receive, and show everyone that there is no label on sports, talent or capabilities. There is no difference between a men’s and women’s team, the only differences are the public attitudes/perception and the gender of the player. We live in a 21st century society where a prejudicial issue has finally come to light, better late than never, but is still not fixed. Although many have changed their attitudes towards sport and gender, many still think of women’s football as a ‘waste of time’, and turn to social media to showcase these views.
It’s these attitudes that children pick up on from a young age, and continue this misogynistic cycle. Like England’s women, we need to be inspiring young people, especially girls, who have limited role models. In the news, we always hear the likes of Kane, Ronaldo and Messi, but when do you ever hear about Toone, Kelly and Mead?
This is the first step in realising the high and inexcusable stereotypes society has set, and the victory of the women’s team has created a change and strive for equality in not just everyday life, but sport and entertainment.
By Grace Wells
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