Racing for gender equality in the world of motorsports
A passionate advocate for gender equality in media and sports, journalist Natasha Bird, shares how support from E.ON is helping bridge the gap for women in sport.
If there is one thing I can be relied upon to do, it’s talk with my hands. Hard not to be animated about a topic so close to my heart though…
Namely, discussing how we can inch closer to gender equality in the media and in sporting industries, at E.ON’s Women In Sport forum in Sheffield. As a woman in media who covers women’s interests more broadly, but very often women in sport, I am acutely aware of the enormous progress that has been made over the last decade. The amazing female voices I shared the stage with - including Scarlett Archer, Amber Jones, Ali Donnelly, Molly Taylor, Heather Cowell, Amber Wildgust, and the men who were up there flying the flag for us too, Kevin Hansen, Tom Stanton and Alan Hyde - are wonderful evidence of this.
However, I am also deeply invested in the path we’ve yet to travel to get close to parity. In my own industry, for example, a mere 24% of the top editors globally are women. Considering 40% of journalists are female, the fact that they aren’t progressing in anywhere equal numbers into the top positions needs looking at. And need we even mention the staggering gulf that is the gender pay gap?
When it comes to women in sport, while we now have incredible women role models in almost every sport that was previously dominated by men, there are huge mountains still to surmount, such as the fact that women are rarely picked over men for sponsorship, seat time, track time, national caps and the opportunity to make sport a salaried career, rather than just a spare time pursuit.
As we all know, the success of an athletic career, regardless of talent, relies primarily on two things: funding and opportunity. If those two things aren’t meted out in equal measure between men and women, female athletes don’t stand a chance.
For this reason, it’s crucial and also impressive for big brands to stake an investment in women’s future. If E.ON, with its reach and influence, is making it clear that women are a priority, then others are bound to follow suit. So I want to thank E.ON, E.ON Next Veloce Racing and MPA for putting on an incredible event that both supported female talent and also demonstrates their willing to put their money where it matters and where it stands to make a difference.
The Women in Sport forum felt really gratifying and full of community and smart, engaged girls. I am humbled by the next generation of women that attended and who have a stronger sense of themselves and the importance of their camaraderie than I ever really did at that age. The future is bright.