We blurred the gender of soccer players and had people rate their performances − with surprising results
It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French national players such as Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud.
- It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French national players such as Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud.
- We obscured the gender of soccer players and asked participants to rate the performances of the athletes they viewed.
A pay and coverage gap
- But any fan, casual or serious, can readily observe striking gender differences in media coverage and player salaries.
- Outside of the Olympics, only about 4% of all sports media coverage around the world is devoted to women’s sports.
- In 2022, the two sides came to an agreement guaranteeing equal pay.
- The existence of stereotypes points to an alternative possibility: Gender biases might influence perceptions of the quality of the games.
When gender is obscured, differences disappear
Prior research shows that biases likely play a role when people evaluate the performance of women on the field and in the workplace. It includes the work of Claudia Goldin, who was recently awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. Her fascinating 2000 study with economist Cecilia Rouse showed how blind auditions for symphony orchestras resulted in more women being hired.
- What if we could prevent soccer fans from identifying players and test for whether gender bias influenced evaluations of the players’ athletic performance?
- We set up an experiment and showed more than 600 participants highlights from men’s and women’s professional soccer videos.
- For the experimental group, we blurred the gender of the players, making it impossible for participants to distinguish the men from the women.
A market that’s ripe for growth
- The findings reveal that gender biases influence fans’ perceptions of women’s soccer – and possibly other women’s sports.
- The findings, however, challenge conventional wisdom about the potential of the women’s sports market.
- Any evaluation of quality in women’s sports should stop and think about whether biases are playing a role.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.