Women's sport has reached new heights this year with success, while attendances and interest are at an all time high. But are they receiving fair treatment off the pitch? The athletes have their say.
Jenny Murphy (Rugby)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
No. The men's game is professional, so they can fully focus on being the best rugby player possible.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
Female rugby players in Ireland work full-time and manage training around their nine to five. England, New Zealand and France are making huge steps in bringing the women's game into a professional era. Many players are semi-professional and this does so much for the game.
It means less financial stress and more time training with your team. You don't need to worry about becoming injured and it affecting your work/career etc. You become a better player and the quality of the games increases.
The countries that have gone down this route are playing some fantastic rugby and young girls can look to their national team and see a viable career. The divide between these teams will grow if other unions don't act and invest more in their women's teams.
3. If you could make one change for the better, what would it be?
I'd love an Under-20s team, allowing more players to play at a high level against some top quality teams. It would give them greater experience, an easier transition into the senior team and more playing time together. There is so much talent in this country.
Diane Caldwell (Soccer)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
No.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
There are many barriers. I think the biggest ones are equal possibilities, pay inequality, discrimination and stereotyping, cultural barriers and promotion
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
I would change one thing in each of the barriers.
Equal possibilities - To create equal participation possibilities and open pathways to grow the women’s game. There needs to be equal opportunities on and off the field, with more women in key positions and decision-making roles within the game, be it at FIFA, UEFA or national level.
Pay inequality - Football's gender pay gap is worse than in any other profession. The bottom line is that there must be decent and secure jobs for women as professional footballers.
Discrimination and stereotyping - To create positive female athletic role models against the discriminating stereotype.
Cultural barriers - Women's football must be available and accessible to all women and girls who want to be a part of our sport.
Promotion - To celebrate and promote women's football for what it is, as an important member of the football family. Sponsors and brands need to be able to recognise how they can harness the power of women’s sport. Sponsors and governing bodies need to promote and stage competitions that inspire the next generation of young girls – creating platforms on which female footballers can shine.
Ciara Mageean (Athletics)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
I am very lucky in my sport because I feel it is one of the few sports in the world were men and women are somewhat equal. We compete in the same venues on the same day, with the same tickets sold.
That also means that the TV coverage and media coverage of my sport of athletics is usually equal. Our prize money is the same and our chance of sponsorship is even.
Historically this may not have always been the case but for me, I am lucky enough that I am on an even footing with my male counterparts.
In saying that, I know I am one of the lucky few. I try my best to follow my fellow female sports women and to keep track of the progress of our boxers, GAA players, rugby players, footballers, badminton players, golfers and so many more.
There are challenges to do with minority sports being represented and that is a conversation for another day. It is very clear to me that our female sports stars do not get the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
Seeing the battle our footballers faced last year is one example. I can also remember picking up a paper to read about our rugby ladies a number of years ago and saw nothing. Page after page of male sport, not a single mention of female sport at all... you would think women didn't play sport!
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
There are a number of barriers but for me one of the biggest one is coverage.
Coverage on the TV, in the newspapers and on social media. You need to actively seek out news on female sport, you do not need to do the same for male sport.
With more coverage would come more sponsorship, more support, greater participation etc.
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
I would increase the coverage of female sport. The 20x20 campaign has highlighted the disgraceful lack of coverage. I would love to pick up a paper and see as many female sports reports as male.
I'd love for young children to be able to look up to their sporting idols and for them to see both male and female stars.
Fiona McHale (Gaelic Football)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
No, not even close. Ladies football has made massive strides over the past decade in terms of media coverage, sponsorship deals and participation levels with public interest also growing, as seen from record breaking attendances in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.
Having said that, I feel this covers over the cracks for the general public in how they view the female player and there is a lack of awareness of the massive gender disparities that exist in our games.
Budgets for inter-county teams are minuscule compared with our male counterparts, with a typical ladies football team’s yearly budget the equivalent of some of the top men’s teams training camps.
Female teams are still battling with the use of local facilities for training, home county ground use for league and championship games and most struggle to bag the major sponsorship deals that admirably some of the more established teams are making.
The lack of financial support in terms of food provision after training for some and travel expenses for all leaves some very talented players with no other option but to choose part-time jobs over playing inter county football.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
For us in Gaelic games, attitudes need to change. In particular the willingness at grassroots level to trial the one club model that has been successful for some.
Sharing of facilities on an equal basis at club level is not something that is seen everywhere contrary to what people may think.
At county level sharing of facilities and in particular those with centres of excellence and not "charging" teams would be a small step for the GAA but would prove a massive financial help for the women’s teams allowing them to use their limited resources for performance like strength and conditioning, quality coaching etc.
Integration has been on the agenda for a long time with many small steps being taken in different corners of the country.
However, until we are all singing off the same hymn sheet or even playing ball on the same pitch the barriers will be harder to break down.
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
Women’s games should be played at all county venues for league and championship. It should not be a privilege for Ciara O’Sullivan to play in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Louise Ward in Pearse Stadium or Aine Tighe in Pairc Sean MacDiarmada.
In the past few years there has been significant progress in playing women’s league games before men’s games when there is a similar fixture.
The GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association need to build on this and provide even more opportunities for this to happen on a more regular basis. I feel there have been so many missed opportunities for more exposure of our games with the men’s team playing at one venue in a certain county and the female team playing 30 minutes down the road on the same day or weekend. It’s a no-brainer.
Young children going to MacHale Park on a Sunday afternoon to watch Diarmuid O’Connor and Aidan O’Shea might even come home with a few new heroes!
Lindsay Peat (Rugby)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
No, unfortunately not yet. Women's rugby is still very much in its infancy in this country as regards its participation levels, the amount of clubs involved in women's rugby at grassroots level but it is certainly growing and growing rapidly.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
I think it's just an overall issue across the board in women's sport. We need investment and promotion of the game.
This will help in growing numbers of players, coaches and clubs in just driving the development and exposure of the game.
We have seen huge strides over the last 12 months in women's rugby. Leinster have employed Larissa Muldoon as their community rugby officer for female development.
Larissa is an Irish international, Ulster captain and Railway Union AIL player, so she is an excellent choice for this role. She has played and worked in Wales and her experience both on and off the field, knowledge of rugby and her personality will play a pivotal role in growing the girls' game in the province.
She will also work closely with Nora Stapleton the IRFU' s development officer. We've had the launch of the strategic plan which is now a blue print to work from and we also had the launch of the AIL League which was a joint launch for both men's and women's league.
All results and reports are put up on the IRFU website. We now have media push where the club's send on videos of the women for try of the month candidate and if chosen there's a €250 reward each month. So if we can keep all of the great work being done going I see a hugely bright future for not only women's rugby but for women's sport on a whole.
3. If you could make one change for the better, what would it be?
I would like it if people valued women's sport as much as we do men's. That it wasn't so much thought about and that our household sporting names were just mentioned regardless of gender.
We are trying to change history and a social attitude. Things are changing and its great but there are a lot of facets to this topic. We've seen it done in other countries and I can't see why it can't be the same here in Ireland.
It's just going to take time and patience to keep building and developing. So I suppose I'm going to pick money and a time machine.
To go back in time and invest money a lot sooner so I can help direct and see what heights women's sport in Ireland can reach.
Aoife Murray (Camogie)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
No, but there are slight improvements year on year.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
It is hard to point out one barrier as there are a few major issues. Firstly, the obvious thing to say is camogie is not part of GAA.
Secondly women do not overly support women's sport.
Thirdly, camogie has made great advances in S&C, skills, coaching etc, yet the rules of the game have not overly developed with us.
Finally, financially we need more support. The Women's GPA have greatly helped with funding and I have directly seen the benefit of this funding with our set-up in Cork. However, we need more corporate sponsorship or at the very least more interest in sponsoring women's sport.
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
For me it would be the rules and how the game is refereed. In fairness to the referee's currently overseeing our games, it has to be hard for them to do so with the current set of rules and guidelines.
We need hurling followers to follow camogie and for this to happen, our rules need to mirror those of hurling.
I have deep respect for those who have brought camogie to where it is today, but we need to now bring the rules in line with the advances players and managers have made.
Deirdre Duke (Hockey)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
Domestically in Ireland, due to the lack of funding and media exposure within the sport as a whole, I do think both male and female hockey are on relatively even footing when it comes to gender equality.
The biggest issue with women’s hockey compared to the men’s is the attendance figures. Particularly when there are international fixtures in Ireland, the number of people attending the women’s game would be considerably fewer than the men’s.
However internationally at club level the men’s game is far better supported, funded and reported on than the women’s game. Many Irish male players get the opportunity to play professionally in countries such as Belgium, Holland and Germany.
Although we also have the opportunity to play in European leagues, the support you receive as a women is incomparable to the men.
I'm currently playing semi-professional hockey in Düsseldorf, Germany. I work three days a week in order to be able to support myself while also playing.
Any Irish male players that are playing in European leagues are paid considerably more, which means they do not need to work.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
In hockey generally in Ireland, the biggest barrier in terms of equality is media exposure. Very few people, prior to the Hockey World Cup, were aware there was an Irish Women’s hockey team or when we play international fixtures.
However the media exposure of the men’s game is also extremely limited.
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
I think in order to develop the women’s game and increase the attendance figures at hockey games, it all comes down to media exposure and awareness of people.
This over time will eventually generate more funding within the sport. Without media backing and funding, it’s impossible for women’s hockey to grow.
By increasing the exposure of female sport to the general population through media outlets this will in turn grow the interest, awareness, support and eventually the funding that we receive as female athletes which will allow the sport grow even further.
Olwen Carey (Gaelic Football)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
I think over the last two to three years the gap between the men and women's games has gotten smaller but there is still a lot more to be done before they are on equal footing.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
I think the biggest barrier is probably the perception around the women's game not being up to the same level or standard as the men's game rather then recognising it in its own right.
Even though over 50,000 people come to the finals in September it's the perception around the game that leads to a lack of attendance at games throughout the year which leads to a lack of coverage and support which leads to a higher drop out rate in the women's game.
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
I think the increase in double header games for all county teams will make it easier for people to go to both games and will allow for increased coverage of the women's national league games all over the country.
Gina Akpe-Moses (Athletics)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
I do think men and woman are on an even footing spot in my sport. In athletics it’s all about your achievements, so if a woman has won three world titles and so has a man, they would both get an evenly distributed amount of recognition.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
N/A
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
If I could make one change, I'd make sure women get acknowledged more in other fields of sport or even in the workplace. It would make us feel more appreciated and not as if all our efforts are in vain.
Aine O'Gorman (Soccer)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
I don't think so.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
For me the support and resources available aren't good enough. Women in sport can be an afterthought however things are slowly starting to change.
3. If you could make one change for the better what would it be?
Tough questions need to be asked and there needs to be more backing from associations. There should also be higher expectations standards.
Ailish Considine (Ladies Football)
1. Do you feel men and women are on an even footing in your sport?
No. I feel women’s sport in general lacks the same support as their male counterparts. Whether that be in funding, access to professional structures within their sport or frequent media coverage, there is still a gap to bridge. Even though there has been significant improvements in the last couple of years, there is still a long way to go.
2. If not, what in your opinion is the biggest barrier?
Personally I think there is a lack of media coverage. People don’t know players because they are not exposed to them enough. Exactly what the 20X20 campaign says, "Can’t see, Can’t be". Support for female athletes cannot be generated if it is not made more easily accessible/visible for the the public to see them. Also, maybe consider the current relationship the LGFA has with the GAA and how a possible merger may be the answer to equal status for male and female players.
3. If you could make one change for the better, what would it be?
Young girls need role models, they need someone they can relate to and aspire to be when they grow up. I think increased media coverage of games, sponsorship and the use of female players for promotion of the sport will help make this happen. Letting the public get to know the players as people and athletes because they have so much to offer on and off the field.
This Thursday watch The Big Picture: A Woman's World at 9.35pm on RTÉ1. Keep an eye on the RTÉ Player and RTÉ Social channels for more content exploring gender equality in Ireland this week.
