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What has started this controversy within sport is the common assumptions which have been made throughout history regarding women as having less capability then men, for instance, that boys are noisy and physical whilst girls are quiet and less physical this is a very habitual assumption made by many. These speculations can limit people’s participation in sport, there have been numerous assumptions about sport and gender, including what spots women and men can participate within. Women have played sport since the 19th century yet this was frequently opposed. Women’s sport was viewed as less relevant then men’s sport. Gender inequalities within sport has generated much bigotry within media coverage, pay parity, governance - the female representation in these higher ranked positions and fairness vs equality. I will focus on how these issues are the crucial outcomes of what gender inequalities across sport in New Zealand and how they will have an impact on our society.

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In New Zealand sport is a very important factor in people's lives. In 2013 Sports New Zealand invested over $130 million into New Zealand sport and recreation annually, High-Performance sport invested $70 million in 2013. However, when it comes to gender there has not always been a level playing field. Gender is usually understood as assumptions, behaviors, and expectations associated with a person's biological sex. For example, it is quite often assumed that boys will be noisy and physical whereas girls are assumed to be quiet and less physical. These are often socially constructed assumptions which are unquestioned by our society.  Assumptions of gender, especially within sport, can constrain people. Assuming that a girl is quiet and non-physical may limit her opportunities within a sport. Or assuming a boy will be naturally good at the sport may intimidate a less physically active boy, and disengaging him to participate at any level.

At a high-performance level, the amount of women and men who compete in the Olympic Games in the 21st century is very even, this reflects the International Olympic Committee's commitment to advancing gender equality. Funding for these athletes is secured on the basis of their ability to compete and perform at the highest level, not by gender. In elite sport, gender is less of a constraint to participation than in earlier decades.

However it is very obvious that New Zealand as a nation of less then 5.5 million people, our country is punching well above our weight when it comes to the sporting field, with our recent Blackcaps Cricketers placing 2nd in the world, our Silver Fern netballers recently winning the World Cup championship in England and not to mention being world champions in Rugby.

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Our Board, www.nzrugby.co.nz/about-us/our-people/our-board.

“About Us.” About Us » Sport New Zealand, sportnz.org.nz/about-us/.

“Minister Launches New Study on the Value of Sport to New Zealand.” The Beehive, www.beehive.govt.nz/release/minister-launches-new-study-value-sport-new-zealand.

“New Study Reveals Stark Gender Bias in Sports Coverage.” Stuff, www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/103413304/new-study-reveals-stark-gender-bias-in-sports-coverage.

“What Are the Roots of Gender Inequality? Women's Rights, Race and Reproduction: Newswise: News for Journalists.” Newswise = Smart News Connection, www.newswise.com/articles/what-are-the-roots-of-gender-inequality-women-s-rights-race-and-reproduction.

“When It Comes to Pay Disparity in Sport, Every Year Is a Gap Year for Women.” Stuff, www.stuff.co.nz/sport/110255253/when-it-comes-to-pay-disparity-in-sport-every-year-is-a-gap-year-for-women.

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I believe this issue has not seen real progress although this has been an issue for over 100 years.  I feel that very recently we are starting to see some initiatives for equality however this is not enough and is not moving fast enough.  Black Ferns have finally been given contracts as professional players but when we compare their income to that of the All Blacks we see a huge discrepancy.   In Wimbledon again the playing purse  for the females compared to their  male counterparts is showing us that females are still considered to be inferior in this sport.  If we see full equality between men and women in sport, we may stop seeing discrimination completely in society.

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The purpose of this report was to provide a critical examination of a current physical activity issue and its impact in New Zealand’s society.  I  chose to examine  ‘Gender inequalities in sport’ and how this has impacted on New Zealand’s society. This is a very controversial topic that has been an ongoing matter throughout New Zealand’s society but there have been initiatives to drive more equality between the genders, which we are just beginning to notice after over 100 years of women being denied the right to participate within certain sports and for society to recognise that women are capable of playing the exact same sports which men participate within. The implications of gender inequalities within sports is varied from lack of media coverage, minimal recognition, pay parity and so on which I have identified within my assessment. I have compared and contrasted sporting codes and the distinction of pay, media exposure and also focused into the amount of organizations which sponsor the different codes.

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Not only is there a vast difference between pay parity of the different genders but it is commonly seen within different sports of the same genders. For example the Black Ferns Rugby 7’s and the Silver Ferns. Yet there is a vast difference between the 2 sporting codes in generally, Rugby is very significant not only within the society of New Zealand but globally significant whereas yes Netball is significant to New Zealand only as a women's sport yet it is globally insignificant. This has created a great amount of the pay parity despair between the two. New Zealand Rugby has countless sponsors which are global and regional supporting both the Women’s and Men’s game, which goes towards not only growing and promoting but towards being able to pay players also with extra initiatives being made to grow the women’s game. Netball New Zealand Silver Ferns just finished winning the Netball World Cup in Liverpool, which was revealed that there would be no prize money up for grabs from the event organizers. Comparing the $3 million which Black Caps earned for finishing runners-up in the Cricket World Cup just a week prior. With a further slap in the face from the South African netball team, which finished fourth, were given R1.2m (NZ $120,000) bonus from a sponsor to share among their12-player squad. This shows the difference in economical status of different sports but also television/broadcasting and corporate sponsorship. However, Sky Chief Executive Martin Stewart announced just a week later that Sky would make a financial contribution to ensure the Silver Ferns receive a bonus payment following their victory. ANZ then agreed to contribute fund to reward the New Zealand side for their championship-winning performance following the comments from prime minister Jacinda Arden. As she pointed out the invaluable exposure that major sponsors received from the Ferns efforts. Therefore yes $25,000 is a great reward for the Ferns winning the World Cup championship, yes this is a start to improve pay parity within our society, but in reality it comes down to the organisations which sponsor teams, which then comes down to how much revenue the team earns from ticket sales, television deals, product licensing, and endorsement deals. Therefore when it comes to professional sports, how well the team plays does not determine the pay of players, therefore the question of whether or not the female athletes are "underpaid" comes down to how much revenue their performances generate, but at the end of the day, sports is business.

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More investment in women's sport is needed if female athletes are to see the same sort of financial windfall as their male counterparts, one academic says.

The issue of women's remuneration in sport is getting attention because the World Cup-winning netballers will pick up no prize money.

By comparison, the Black Caps made $3 million as runners-up of the Cricket World Cup.

The netballers may yet qualify for an extra payout from Netball New Zealand or a sponsor. Netball New Zealand has been approached for comment.

READ MORE:
* Hayley Holt's remarks on men's netball weren't sexist
* Leading Silver Ferns earn a 10th of salary of millionaire All Black Kieran Read
* Girls just wanna get paid: Calling time on the undervaluing of women's sport

What the players make as a baseline salary is also significantly different.

In early 2018, it was reported that leading Silver Ferns were earning $130,000 a year, about a 10th of the salary of millionaire All Blacks' captain Kieran Read.

Stephanie Bond, of the New Zealand Netball Players Association, said netballers would have an ANZ series contract and a Silver Fern contract, effectively employing them year-round.

The bottom-tier retainer for a Silver Fern was about $20,000 per six-month season, she said, with a top bracket of about $45,000 as well as match fees of $1500 per game.

Through a revenue share model, if Netball New Zealand makes an increasing profit, netballers received a portion of that.

Sarah Leberman, professor of leadership in the Massey University School of Management, said it was good that the issue of prize money and pay equity was being considered.

The Government has called for more investment in women and girls' sport and recreation including professional sporting opportunities.

Last year, it announced that, through Sport NZ, the Government will invest at least $10 million over the next three years on the strategy.

It will go towards a number of initiatives, including a marketing campaign to increase participation, visibility and value of women and girls in sport.

The Silver Ferns are the second-best-paid sportswomen in the country, behind the Black Ferns sevens. But many have part-time jobs to support themselves.

Leberman said the lack of prize money was symptomatic of a lack of investment in women's sport by broadcasters, governments and sponsors.

There needed to be a strategic effort to change that, she said. "Nothing happens by chance."

She said it was difficult to be a full-time Silver Fern. "My recollection is when Irene van Dyk was playing much of her income was from endorsements."

She said sport was moving in the right direction but netball in New Zealand and internationally needed to attract more sponsorship to offer better money to players.

"It's staggering that in 2019 we have this."

In the US, the World Cup-winning women's football team is fighting for pay equity, and has now been backed by sponsor Proctor & Gamble. They are paid less than half what players on the men's team receive.

Even at the governance level, rugby pays better - Brent Impey, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby board got $132,777 in its most recent financial year. The Netball New Zealand board chair received $25,000.

TEN HIGHEST-PAID FEMALE ATHLETES

10) Angelique Kerber - US$7 million ($10.35m)

9) Danica Patrick - US$7.5m

8) Simona Halep - US$7.7m

7) PV Sindhu - US$8.5m

6) Venus Williams - US$10.2m

5) Maria Sharapova - US$10.5m

4) Garbine Muguruza - US$11m

3) Sloane Stephens - US$11.2m

2) Caroline Wozniacki - US$13m

1) Serena Williams - US$18.1m

- with BusinessInsider.com.au

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Netball World Cup prompts call to invest in sports pay equity

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More investment in women's sport is needed if female athletes are to see the same sort of financial windfall as their male counterparts, one academic says. The issue of women's remuneration in sport is getting attention because the World Cup-winning netballers will pick up no prize money.

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There is an assumption that the association between sport and masculinity is so taken for granted that few people challenge the fact that media coverage is heavily weighted in favor of men. Those who are speaking out against the media’s focus on male sport also struggle to have their concerns taken seriously. There have been studies taken which demonstrate gender imbalances are ‘persistently rejected as irrelevant’ and the results are often ‘ignored or trivialized’ by the majority of the media. Yet the only thing which women and advocates of women in sport hope for is for them to be apart of the media, in the media, something which males in sport are receiving on a daily basis. Women athletes want to be recognized for both their complexity and diversity. It is very visible that media sport presents ‘an essentially male-skewed world, one in which females have reason to wonder about their social position and role. Another example would be that men are better then women at Rugby this is a very common assumption made in New Zealand’s society. This heavily impacts how much media coverage is given to these women athletes, therefore there are people who are not given the opportunity to view just how much these women are capable of and they are stuck with an assumption created by our society that men are better then women at rugby. Men are consistently put in the spotlight to be the strongest or the best team. But where are the women, yes the men's national rugby team have a huge influence on younger generations of both boys and girls who aspire to be the greatest just like their idols yet why can’t our women athletes be given the same spotlight so the younger generations of girls have role models to look up to who are of the same gender and have been in the same position. Therefore they will have the assurance that it is possible to be a professional women athlete, with confidence that they will be recognised by the media fairly in the future within the society of New Zealand.

A new assumption is that Men are not as good as women at netball. Yet New Zealand recently hosted the international netball competition where the New Zealand Men's netball team came out as favorites and also took out the competition. This showcased the talent of men in this women dominated sport and hindered the assumption that ‘men are not as good as women at netball’ which is commonly made within New Zealand’s society. Therefore does Netball New Zealand allow the men to become a national team or to compete within our ANZ Netball Premierships? Despite the scientific facts of men being much more physical, stronger or fitter then women, in order to bring equality amongst the genders within Netball. Or do we bring equity and fairness which means that Netball New Zealand creates initiatives to grow the men's game or create their own Men's Netball league so that they are given the same opportunity? Not only should we consider this for Netball, but all sporting spheres should have similar concepts.

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Over the last 12 months, there has been a rise in concern of the issues of gender inequalities within sport, this has gained significant traction not only in New Zealand but all around the world. Research has shown there is a bias in New Zealand sports coverage, revealing female athletes are receiving less coverage on average across their career than male athletes that have not achieved the same level of success. Kiwi sportswoman at the top of their game have gone without financial reward for a long time. Apart from a selected few, woman have been unable to claim sport as a primary career. They train, play and travel around the world taking time off their ‘real jobs’. Sport for the majority of women in New Zealand has been a hobby. Even after the cash injections from the government or a change of heart from sporting organizations over time, pay disparity between genders remains. For reasons such as earning power, crowd numbers or television viewers, sponsorship deals and player profiles. Sport can often be the weakest link when it comes to company revenue, therefore the pay gap stays open. The representation of women in positions of women in governance roles is well depleted within New Zealand's sporting society, for example the New Zealand Rugby board is composed of all men except for one Dr Farah Palmer, the only woman on the board however Sport New Zealand has started an initiative to empower women within these higher roles from both grassroots through to professional and elite sports.

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Sport is the heart of our national identity, as a Kiwi I perceive sport or any physical activity to have an approach of bringing our people together and creating a sense of belonging within our society. Sport and physical activity offer people the opportunity to shape their self-confidence, it contributes to building more vibrant and simulating communities and also allows over 53,000 New Zealanders to be employed within the sport and recreation center. New Zealand Minister of Sports Grant Robertson recognizes the promotion of women in sport to be a number one priority. Sport is the heart of New Zealand’s identity, yet we still allow blatant sexism and underrepresentation of women to continue, therefore that will be the heart of our identity, which none of us want.

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New Zealand sport has been damaged by gender inequalities and the assumptions which have been comprised by this disparity since women began playing sport in the early 1870’s, introduced sports such as croquet, lawn tennis, swimming, golf, cycling, hockey and netball - then known as basketball were the first to be participated in, engagement in more vigorous activities were quite often commented on and generally not approvingly. In the later 20th-century women athletes were no longer limited to sprints, hurdles, and only a few field events. Women’s rugby was eventually taken more seriously in the late 1980s. How is it possible the Black Fern’s (National women’s rugby team) have won four world cups yet they still maintain a lower status and less funding then the All Black’s having won three World cups? This is one of many inquiries I have as this is a pinnacle example of gender inequalities in sport.

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Within this report I am to provide a critical examination of a current physical activity issue and its impact on New Zealand’s society.  I have chosen to examine how ‘Gender inequalities in sport’ has impacted on New Zealand’s society. I will be looking at various sports that both men and women play and I will be investigating  pay parity, media exposure and coverage.

Throughout history, women have always been faced with intense discrimination due to a lack of legal rights and also very minimal independence generally from their husbands, as they were looked upon to be inferior. In the majority of our world's societies let alone New Zealand’s, women have long been viewed as less then human, this links in with the gender issue within sports. Strides have been made yet sport still remains an institution dominated by men. There are issues caused due to gender inequality such as a male athlete earning more compared to a woman athlete not only is the pay difference a major issue, athletes generally make large sums of money for the organizations which they play for, therefore there is a huge demand to watch these athletes and people will obviously pay to do so, enabling a profitable business. There lies another problem, television coverage of sport which is still dominated by men, identifying that men are making more money for their organizations.