A common criticism of women’s sports is that female players aren’t as entertaining or skilled as their male counterparts. Two researchers decided to put this notion to the test.
During the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the telecommunications company Orange ran a powerful TV ad. It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French national players such as Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud.
A pay and coverage gap Sports is one of the world’s largest markets – estimated to be around US$83 billion in the United States alone. But any fan, casual or serious, can readily observe striking gender differences in media coverage and player salaries. Research has proven that women’s and men’s soccer does indeed differ in several physical aspects – for example, male soccer players cover more ground and run faster during games.
It includes the work of Claudia Goldin, who was recently awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. Her fascinating 2000 study with economist Cecilia Rouse showed how blind auditions for symphony orchestras resulted in more women being hired. Participants who watched regular highlights evaluated the goals scored by men significantly higher. However, the difference evaporated under the experimental condition, where participants did not know if they were watching men or women playing. The results held even after controlling for demographics, whether they preferred men´s or women´s soccer and how often they watched soccer.