How can we solve sport’s gender divide?

Women were only accepted into most sports, or rather had their own, separate clubs created in the nineteenth century. Female tennis, hockey, swimming and athletics teams were set up despite such groups existing for men centuries before.

In horse racing, women were established as jockeys as late as 1804. Even then, publications such as ‘Exercise for Ladies’ did not support their participation, claiming that sport would cause damage to the ‘delicate’ female body. Suffragette Susan B. Anthony subsequently claimed that sport had ‘done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.’ Nevertheless, the gender gap persists. Women are still a minority in the field of professional sport, which is somewhat a man’s world.

Only a handful of jockeys in modern day horse racing are women. The same goes for Formula One racing, where only two women have ever started a Grand Prix. Suzie Wolff has seen this deficiency as a result of there being no female role models in F1 to look up to and inspire young girls. Meanwhile, in football and cricket, female participation can be traced back to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries respectively. Yet in this modern age, men’s sport still receives substantially more coverage than the women’s equivalent.

Is this more because of interest, opportunities or even biology? Then again, should we even bother to focus on the lack of female participation in some sports as an issue? I interviewed five sportswomen who offered varying perspectives on the issue of female participation in sport. Responses were given by Ann Duffield, a successful horse racing trainer, and the amateur jockey and sports psychologist Camilla Henderson, daughter of the Queen’s horse trainer, Nicky Henderson. Formula 1 journalist Natalie Pinkham offered her explanations for motorsport.

From the University, Amber Capewell, President of Warwick women’s cricket team, and an anonymous spokesperson from the female football team also shared their views.

Boar Sport: Based on your wide scope of experiences, what are the fundamental challenges that women face when working in a male-dominated sport? Is there still prejudice in 2014?

Camilla: I’d say that horse racing is a little bit behind in terms of accepting girls perhaps because of the danger factor. You also see prejudice a lot in betting with punters thinking, “oh, there’s a girl on that horse; they’re not strong enough, so what is the point in betting on them?” It is tough, but girls have to be tough and battle to get rides.

With horse racing being so expensive, owners who pay to have a jockey on their horse won’t say, “actually, can I have the girl rider?” There is an ongoing battle with perceptions. I suppose girls get a lot of extra publicity and respect for their job though; the public thinks they’re really brave and tough, even if this is actually unwanted. Sportswomen don’t want to be singled out, but rather just be accepted and integrated.

Ann: For me, the main challenge is actually just the age old problem of finding the balance between being a wife and mother, and being a sportswoman.

Natalie: Formula 1 is an incredibly forward-thinking meritocracy, so actually it’s all about challenging yourself to work hard regardless of gender. Yes, women are outnumbered but it’s not something you notice that much. It’s difficult to know how different life would be if you were the other gender in a sports environment. As a woman, you certainly want to work hard to prove that you know your stuff – but I think I would put that pressure on myself anyway.

Football spokesperson: In football, there is less support, less money, less respect and constant discrimination against women.

Boar Sport: More generally, what do you think about the argument that women are weaker than men as a reason for why the men’s leagues get more focus?

Ann: I believe that lady jockeys are naturally weaker than men – although there are some very fine lady riders around. Sometimes though, racehorses prefer the feminine touch.

Natalie: Physiologically there is nothing to stop a woman driving in F1. You only need to have a strong neck, which is easily achievable.

Amber: When comparing women and men competing at a similar level, e.g. international level, men are faster and stronger. It would be wrong to say that every man is better at cricket simply because he is a man though.

Football spokesperson: I agree that women are weaker, but not that they can’t play sport as well. If you are playing against women, and hence your competition is of a similar strength, so I don’t think it makes much difference how strong women are compared to men. Plus, strength isn’t the only component of a good footballer; you may have different qualities i.e. good footwork or speed.

Boar Sport: Natalie, what do you make of Stirling Moss’ comment that women haven’t got the mental aptitude to race wheel-to-wheel?

Natalie: I respect Sir Stirling immensely but I feel very strongly that he is wrong on this one. This view is archaic and undermines an otherwise fluid, dynamic sport, which is always moving forward. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if girls don’t think there is a place for them in motor sport they won’t try to find a job there. Perception makes the world go round, and it is down to people in the sport to change the perception that F1 isn’t a place for women to flourish.

Boar Sport: And do you think hypothetically that, as there is in football and other sports, there should be a women’s league in Formula 1?

Natalie: I think to create a separate league would be a step backwards – not forwards. The likes of Susie Wolff, Monisha Kaltenborn and Claire Williams are helping to prove that it is possible to thrive as a woman in F1.

Boar Sport: With there being far more men in your respective sports, including both athletes and spectators, why do you think that fewer women take part? Is it because they’re restricted?

Ann: Actually, there are probably as many girls working behind the scenes as there are lads in horse racing. There are not so many lady jockeys or trainers because a lot of women aren’t prepared to sacrifice being a mother for sport. As for the spectators, racing is second only to football in terms of spectators but I am certain there are far more women going to the races than go to see their local footie team play.

Camilla: For lady spectators, race-courses are not glamorous. The cold, wet fields on a Wednesday afternoon simply aren’t appealing. You go racing if you have an interest, insight and knowledge. Generally, women are attracted to the concerts and ladies’ days instead. The main reason I think that fewer women go is because they don’t understand the sport, which is the same for anyone if they don’t follow it.

Natalie: In motorsport, things are changing – I truly believe it is only a matter of time before we have a woman on the F1 grid… and that is one in a car, not holding a driver number at the front of one!

Football spokesperson: I think society imposes a ‘normal practice’ – i.e. women play netball, and men play football. Lots of women may opt out because they think playing football is manly.

Boar Sport: So, is there actually a problem of female participation then?

Camilla: There are lots of women choosing to participate. Speaking very generally, men are always more interested in sport. In racing, it isn’t a massive topic of discussion. There are plenty of women out there doing really well for themselves with their sporting careers.

Ann: We should all be doing everything we can to encourage both men and women to race either for pleasure or a career. It can take you all over the world as a spectator, owner or worker.

Natalie: From my experience women do have a lot of interest in motorsport. There’s a huge amount of female F1 fans, and that number is growing year on year. Most of the tweets I receive are from women interested in knowing more about the sport.

Amber: It is more readily available to men especially because the stere- otypical image of a female cricketer puts many girls off. So, there is a big problem with female participation in cricket at the moment, but from my experience there are increasing numbers of female juniors taking up the sport now compared to a few years ago, which is fantastic.

Boar Sport: Finally, do you have any tips for women interested in pursuing careers in male dominated sports?

Ann: If you truly want to make a real success out of being a jockey or trainer then you have to work beyond hard, and make huge personal sacrifices in your private and working life.

Camilla: Get your name out there, do as much work experience as you can and network. If you show an interest and put in the effort then you will get far. Actively seek work, ring someone up and ask for some experience. It annoys me when people don’t try, and also when women blame their gender for not getting far. If you love the sport, you will put the effort in and get something out of it.

Natalie: Believe in yourself, work hard, apply yourself and if you are passionate about it you can and will get there. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.’

Finally, ‘Sport England’ found in their studies of general female sport participation that in the UK 6.7 million women play sport once a week by choice, compared to 8.5 million men. Furthermore, their study suggests that women mostly opt for ‘Keep Fit’ classes, swimming or athletics as their weekly exercise. There seems to be a lack of interest from women in racing and ball games in the data collected. So, maybe the fact is simply that fewer women want to participate in Formula One, horse racing, cricket or football than men, rather than there being obstacles prohibiting them from doing so.

Now that women have the right to play, the reasons why men still seem to dominate the sporting world are not immediately obvious. Ultimately, all of my interviewees arrived at the conclusion that interest does not come with gender, and gender does not come with interest, as far as sport is concerned. These women have shown that a successful career in sport is possible based on the same criteria as men: hard work, determination and talent. Let’s hope that these criteria shape our next generation of sportspeople, rather than whether the person in question is male or female.