Women’s football grew, but intolerance among men prevailed

One Search Held in the United Kingdom, among football fans, Men with openly misogynistic attitudes In terms of women’s sports, they still make up the majority, 68 percent. Progressive attitudes are also strongly represented, at 24 percent, but not as common as hostile and sexist attitudes. Shy misogynists, who hide their prejudiced attitudes, are 8 percent.

the study, based on a survey of 1,950 male football fans recruited from UK fan forums, led by scientist Stacey Pope of Durham University. Researchers from the University of Leicester and the University of South Australia also participated.

This is the first time a study has shed light on the attitudes of male football fans towards women’s sports. This comes at a time when, in many countries, women’s football is becoming more visible in terms of media exposure.

The highlights noted by the British survey are the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, where the English team came third. The Cup was particularly remarkable because, for the first time, every match in England was broadcast live, while audience numbers around the world broke records. The coverage of printed vehicles was also huge.

In Brazil, where women’s football was banned by law from 1941 to 1979, due to its “nature”, the sport reached its peak in popularity at the 2019 World Cup in France. For the first time, TV Globo broadcast the tournament on national television. By broadcasting, the largest Brazilian broadcaster commanded more viewers than the average time in all the matches of the team led by Marta. We were eliminated from the round of 16.

According to Professor Stacey Pope, the increased coverage of women’s soccer has changed some men’s perceptions of the sport. In any case, the researcher continues, the results of the study showed that progressive attitudes were strongly represented, even if they were not as common as hostile and sexist attitudes. “There are numerous examples of men of all generations displaying sexist and misogynistic attitudes,” she said in an interview with VEJA.

The research may be useful in analyzing broader social misogyny, says the Durham University scientist. For example, consider men’s reactions to women in other settings, such as the workplace, education, or creative industries.

“here [no Reino Unido]“Organizations have faced pressure to address gender inequality,” Bob said. “Corporate messaging may be in favor of gender equality, but there are still inequalities, such as the wage gap and the utter prevalence of sexual harassment, misogyny, and abuse in these environments.”

But she points to one method, sport: “Given that research has shown that increased media penetration can change men’s attitudes, we call for more media coverage of women’s sport to promote greater gender equality and promote social justice.”