A new research report from the MKTG Sports and Entertainment marketing agency has found that 41 per cent of Australian’s perceive men’s and women’s sports as equal.
Confirmed:
- 41 per cent figure for October 2023 marks an eight per cent increase from March
- Most significant driver of gender equity perception was the ease of finding women’s sports games on TV, which saw a 14 per cent increase
- Perceptions of equity in quality of play and competitiveness each rose by ten per cent
- Both younger and female Australians exhibited higher perceptions of gender equity and experienced the highest increases in 2023
Context:
The ‘FanSpeed’ report said that the enthusiasm and support of younger and female Australians will be crucial to driving further progress. The study also uncovered a disparity in media coverage, with only one in five Australians believing that the media adequately covers women’s sports. For MKTG, this remains a critical obstacle to achieving gender equity in the sporting world, highlighting the need for continued efforts to improve media coverage and ensure equal representation for men’s and women’s sports.
The rise in viewing men’s and women’s sports as equal follows the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, which took place in July and August and saw co-hosts Australia reach the semi-finals, with the Matildas setting various attendance and TV viewership records along the way.
Comment:
“While we celebrate the substantial increase in gender equity perceptions, with 41 per cent of Australians now recognising men’s and women’s sports on equal footing, our ultimate goal is to achieve 100 per cent acceptance,” said Matt Connell, MKTG managing director, APAC.
“To accomplish this, we must continue to work on increasing media coverage and financial support of women’s sport, as they remain the most significant barriers to reaching that milestone.
Coming next:
The Matildas will be a focal point in Australia’s efforts for further gender equality in sport. The country’s government has already announced a AUS$200 million (US$132 million) women’s sports fund and future Women’s World Cup games featuring the women’s national soccer team have been added to the nation’s anti-siphoning list. In August, Brand Finance ranked the Matildas as the most valuable sporting brand in Australia.
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