New report shows increase in media coverage of women’s sport

The Victorian Government has released the second ‘The Conversation of Sport’ report, which examined almost 40,000 sports news stories in Victoria from 1st July 2023 to 30th June 2024.

The research found that 20% of sports news coverage last year reported on women’s sport – an uplift from 15% in the previous year. While this is an impressive increase there is still more work to be done to get it closer to an even share.

The record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was just the start of the change. During the period of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, almost one in three sports news stories in Victoria was about women’s sport, with one in five dedicated to women’s football.

The report also showed that female journalists have contributed a greater portion of news stories over the last year – with 34% of the bylines compared to 27% the year before.

The research demonstrates the importance of initiatives like the Change Our Game Women in Sports Media Program, which is helping women to progress their careers in sports media, and has so far helped more than 100 women since 2020.

The Victorian Government is working with media outlets to produce profile pieces about local women in sport, highlighting the important role women play in grassroots sport – and getting the conversation started at that level too.

Victorian Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence noted “Now, more than ever, we must celebrate Australian women in sport and elevate their success – they show our future female athletes what is possible and inspire them to ignore the unhelpful and negative voices around them.

“Through programs like Change Our Game we’re making a real difference, breaking down stereotypes and getting more women involved in sport at every level – but the research shows there is more work to be done.”

Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation Sarah Styles added “While significant inroads have been made for women and girls in sports participation, from grassroots to the elite, we must see greater visibility of women in sports media to drive a gender equal sport sector – and beyond.”

To find out more about The Conversation of Sport report, visit changeourgame.vic.gov.au.