A New Age for Media Coverage of Women’s Sport?An Analysis of English Media Coverage of the 2015 FIFAWomen’s World Cup
A summary of the research:
The article "A New Age for Media Coverage of Women’s Sport? An Analysis of English Media Coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup" by Kate Petty and Stacey Pope investigates the evolving portrayal of women’s football in the English press. Through content analysis of five major newspapers, the authors find that coverage of the England women’s national team during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup was not only more frequent than in previous years but also largely positive, with an emphasis on players’ skills rather than appearance. This shift marks a departure from historically gendered and often trivializing media representations of women in sports. Additionally, the study notes that task-relevant themes like athletic performance were predominant, while sexualization and personal life details were largely absent, indicating a more equitable and respectful treatment of women athletes.
The authors contextualize this progress within broader societal changes in attitudes toward women’s sports, suggesting that the tournament acted as a tipping point for media coverage. While some gendered comparisons to men’s teams persisted, these were often used to highlight the success of the women’s team rather than to diminish their achievements. The research concludes that the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage signals a new era in gender representation in sports media, though further work is needed to sustain this momentum in everyday reporting.
Key Takeaways
The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup received unprecedented and predominantly positive media coverage, focusing on players’ skills and achievements.
Media coverage showed a notable reduction in sexualization and personal-life-focused reporting, marking progress toward gender equity in sports journalism.
The tournament acted as a turning point for women’s football, with coverage often celebrating the team’s accomplishments, even when compared to men’s teams.
Authors: Kate Petty & Stacey Pope
You can read the entire article here.
