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 factors. These factors may range from (1) overt discriminatory policies on the part of an organization to (2) ingrained attitudes within an organization that lead to bias in selection and recruitment to (3) societal phenomena which cause fewer women to receive the necessary education and training to prepare them for appropriate responsibilities.
One study of found that role responsibilities conflict with organizational responsibilities more often for women than for men. Women were also fa...