FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY 24/02/04
Feltham & Heston MP Alan Keen has called on the Government to tackle the massive disparity between the media’s coverage of men’s and women’s sport in Britain.
Mr Keen, who is the Vice-Chairman of the All Party Sports Group, voiced concerns after new research revealed just five per cent of all sports coverage in the media is about sportswomen. [1]
Mr Keen now wants Ministers to do more to encourage the media to raise the public profile of women’s sport in a bid to not only highlight role models but crucially, given current concerns about an obesity epidemic and unhealthy lifestyles, to encourage participation.
Along with more than 60 other MPs, Mr Keen has signed an Early Day Motion [2] urging the Government to ensure that the media are aware of the reasons for increasing both the quantity, and quality of their reporting of women's sport.
There will be a campaign meeting held in Parliament on the 1st March attended by international female athletes, senior managers from the worlds of sport and broadcasting and those MPs who have pledged support [3].
“ There are thousands of school girls in my constituency who, if they aren’t able to read or hear about role models will go the way of millions of girls across the UK and give up on sport by the age of 18. It is essential we address this issue, not just from the point of view of equal opportunities, but with recent reports warning of an obesity epidemic just around the corner, Government should be taking every opportunity to encourage more people to adopt the sort of active and healthy lifestyles that will help counter the problem. If that includes putting pressure on the media to acknowledge and celebrate the wealth of talent that already exists in women’s sport in Britain then so be it,” said Mr Keen.
Mr Keen concerns were echoed by Deborah Potts, chief executive of the Women’s Sport Foundation, the UK's leading organisation dedicated to improving and promoting opportunities for women and girls in sport and physical activity.[4]
“If the UK is to address its unenviable position as a nation that leads the way in disease and obesity, and if we are to nurture more world and Olympic champions, we need more role models - and the media has a critical role to play in this,” said Ms Potts.
Mr Keen, who has welcomed the efforts of the WSF to address the apparent media blackout, not least through it s recent hard-hitting report ‘Britain’s Best Kept Secrets’ [5], concluded by saying it was clear the Feltham & Heston public wanted to see and hear more about women’s sport.
“ We know from the WSF research that almost nine out of 10 people (88%) across the UK feel it is important to see more about Britain’s successful sports women in the press and that almost two-thirds (65%) would actually welcome more women’s sport on TV’’.
“The public is clearly convinced. All we need to do now is to persuade the Government and media to do more to satisfy that clear demand.”
The people of Feltham & Heston can find out more about women’s sport at the Foundation’s newly launched website www.wsf.org.uk
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For further information: please contact David Keen at the parliamentary office of Alan Keen MP on 020 7219 2819.
Notes to Editors:
[1] A Women’s Sports Foundation study which estimated just 5% of sports media coverage is devoted to women’s sport. Desk research carried out in 2000 revealed just 2.3% of all sports coverage in the tabloids was devoted to women’s sport. Some 1,564 photos of sportsmen were used, compared to just 36 of women. Repeated in 2003, the same study revealed that figure had increased to just 2.65%. On average there were 10 days a month in print media when women’s sports received absolutely no mention at all.
[2] Early Day Motion 252, tabled by Vera Baird MP on 10.12.03.
http://edm.ais.co.uk/cache/printable/edm252.html
[3] The Women’s Sports Foundation can arrange photos of MPs with the athletes – permission must be secured before hand directly with the MP.
[4] The Women’s Sports Foundation, founded in 1984, is the UK's leading organisation dedicated to improving and promoting opportunities for women and girls in sport and physical activity. The charity works across the UK through a combination of advocacy, information, education, research and training.
[5] View the Women’s Sports Foundation November 2003 report ‘Britain’s Best Kept Secrets’, at http://www.wsf.org.uk/media/wsf-research-report-media.pdf
Visit www.wsf.org.co.uk for more information, briefings, and fact files from the Womens Sports Foundation.