Conclusion

This free course, Sporting women in the media, set out to help you investigate whether sport is a level playing field for women and men, and to consider whether gender discrimination occurs in sport and exercise.

The main learning points for the course are:

• Gender in sport is a contemporary issue that is relevant to all those involved in sport.
• There is evidence to suggest that, while there has been improvement, women’s sport continues to receive far less media coverage than men’s sport.
• The proportion of women competing in the Olympics has increased; however, equal numbers are not the only measure of gender equality in sport.
• Traditional perceptions of masculinity and femininity could lead to gender discrimination in sport.
• Hegemonic femininity and hegemonic masculinity have an impact on those who challenge what are seen to be ‘ideal’ images of women and men or who cross traditional gender norms. For example, males who participate in traditionally female sports or females who participate in traditionally male sports are sometimes considered deviant.

This OpenLearn course is an example of level 3 study in Sport and fitness [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . You might be interested in the related Open University course E315 Contemporary sport and exercise issues.