Women in sports journalism a phenomenological study of selected female sports journalists in Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated the experiences of female sports journalists in Ghana. The study was based on the feminist and stereotype theories. The research investigated selected female sports journalists‟ lived experiences and their perceptions on being in a male dominated profession. The study was conducted using in-depth interviews with selected female sports journalists. The study revealed that sports journalism is clearly a gendered profession that not only welcomes men enthusiastically than women but also serves as a site for celebrating skills and values clearly marked as masculine. Women in the world of sports journalism are often overlooked and marginalized as they are deemed inferior in skills and knowledge to their male counterparts. Again, drawing on the feminist and stereotype theories, the study showed that, in sports journalism, women are treated as “outsiders” by virtue of their gender but “insiders” by their adherence to journalistic norms and values. Men therefore dominate and have all the authority in the field and this eventually leads to the underrepresentation of women in the sports journalism profession.