Women in Sports Media in the Context of Gender

Inequality between women and men, as many spaces of society, is also seen in the sports media. At theroot of this inequality, there is theeffect of genderroles. Accordingto Koca and Bulgu (2005) sports, should be examined as a gender based cultural practice. In particular, competition sports have strong messages about masculinity and femininity. Sports, traditionally, seen as a male activity, requires masculine gender role characteristics and superior sporting performance is considered as equivalent with masculinity. Sports media broadcasts in the context of these roles. In media, in sports news, largely non availability of woman sports and appearance of female body as a sexual object, is significant reproduction of social and financial inequality which situated in fields like labor force and home (Rowe, 1996). Also in Turkish society, women are mostly seen in relation to domestic fields and its scapes, while men are mostly seen in relation to public space.