FEMALE REPRESENTATION WITHIN TELEVISION SPORTS REPORTING

INTRODUCTION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM

While the role of women in all areas of economic activity in the United States continues to increase in importance, the ability of women to ascend to the most prominent levels of their chosen careers frequently continues to be stifled. There is no clearer indication of this issue than that which may be found in television sports reporting. Women's interest in sports, regardless of the gender of competitors, is growing, and sports wherein women are participants in the United States continue to increase in importance and fan interest. At the same time, however, growth in these areas has not been matched by substantial increases in the presence of women in television sportscasting.

Mary Carillo, Donna De Varona, Gayle Gardner, Andrea Joyce, Leslie Visser, and Robin Roberts move from sports participants to sportscasters in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Television sportscasting, however, remained a "mens club," as the women sportscasters receive "less airtime, pay and prestige." In 1995, male television sportscaster expressed his amazement that anyone would want to either watch women's sports or listen to women sportscasters.

The study investigated the reasons underlying the under-representation of women in television sportcasting. The under representation of women in any area of economic activity may be caused by a variety of f

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hours per day in the workplace for a pittance, they returned home to the full responsibilities of housewives and mothers. Further, at this earlier time in American history, women were not enfranchised. As a married woman in that earlier time, the woman worker was not allowed to own property in her own right. Lastly, the working woman who was married had no right to her earningsùthey were the property of her husband. The character of female participation in the work force changed gradually over the decades from the early days of the country. Truly dramatic changes in this participation began in the 1960s, and these changes continued into the 1990s. A casual comparison at the position of women in the work place in the 1890s with that of the 1990s would lead to a conclusion that, indeed, great strides have been made. In fact, much of the apparent change is superficial, and most of the prejudices and discriminatory practices have simply been disguised or driven underground. Women in the 1990s continue, by and large, to be shunted into low-pay, dull, and dead-end jobs. The largest employment category for women remains clerical, while men are much more likely to hold higher status and higher paid positions. The participatio
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Approximate Word count = 4044
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page)

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