Week 7- Hardin - Female Sports Journalists

Casey Yoos

Sports Journalism

Week 7- Hardin - Female Sports Journalists

            In sports journalism, women face many challenges. Women are not taken serious by sports fans, face discrimination by the men in the workplace and do not have the same job opportunities as men. A survey that was recently taken conveyed that only 13% of employees in sports departments consists of women. These 13% of women employees also have very low ranking jobs in the newsroom. There are still some sports departments that do not have women employees at all.

            In 2004, a study was conducted among women at the AWSM annual convention. The study found that women found their jobs in the sports department “rewarding” although the job was difficult as a woman. The women found that talking with other women in the sports journalism industry was inspiring and uplifting that women working in the sports journalism department need to stick together and keep a positive influence among each other.

Women also explained a major difference between their job ratification and career satisfaction. Women felt that at their job they faced an unfair amount of discrimination and harassment however that did not change their mind about their career. Women still were happy and satisfied with their career through their struggles. In this study, women also found many influences that affected their chances at getting promotions. Women found that, unlike men, women had to “prove themselves”. Women also found that influences such as having a family and family related responsibilities made it hard for them to even consider promotions. Women in the sports department find that they have to consider making sacrifices to maintain their job positions.

Overall, the research found that although women face discrimination and unfair treatment in the work place, women have not left their careers because of it. Women need to find a voice in the sports department and teach the generations below them through education how to be successful. Women must learn to embrace the treatment that they may receive in the sports department and realize that they chose a career that they are passionate about and that nothing should stand in the way of them being success in it.