Scotland: Eilidh Barbour, Gabriella Bennett, Women Sports Journalists’s Group Call Out Sexism In Industry

Location: Scotland, Glasgow              
Date: May 17, 2022

Photo Credit: Getty Images

TV presenter Eilidh Barbour and sports journalist Gabriella Bennet have called out sexist and crass humor at the gala dinner recently hosted by the Scottish Football Writers’ Association (SFWA) in Glasgow. Similarly, Women In Journalism Scotland, a country-wide network of women in media issued a statement decrying misogynistic attitudes prevalent in both the news media and sports industries. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands by these women and calls for immediate measures to redress sexist attitudes in both these industries.

Eilidh was among the guests who walked out from the SFWA’s dinner in protest on May 8, 2022, after speakers resorted to using sexist and homophobic language.  She took to Twitter to express her discomfort with the language used in the event. 

“Never felt so unwelcome in the industry I work in than sitting at the Scottish Football Writers Awards. A huge reminder there is still so much to do in making our game an equal place,” wrote Eilidh on Twitter, decrying racist, sexist and homophobic jokes made by the keynote speaker.

Never felt so unwelcome in the industry I work in than sitting at the Scottish Football Writers Awards. A huge reminder there is still so much to do in making our game an equal place #callitout #equalgame

— Eilidh Barbour 💙🤍 (@EilidhBarbour) May 8, 2022

Barbour’s tweet speaks to the larger culture of misogyny and sexism that is rampant in the journalism industry. Female sports players are asked sexist questions and female sports journalists are reminded that the sports field is ultimately a boys’ club. 

Similarly, in a column for The Guardian, sports journalist Gabriella also shared the struggles young sports journalists face due to the culture of misogyny in the industry. She shared findings of a study conducted by Women In Journalism Scotland that reveal the abysmal numbers of women in the industry.  “We discovered that only three of 95 staff writers in print Scottish sports media were women,” she wrote. 

The study found that a significant wage gap for women journalists as compared to their male counterparts and misogynistic attitudes, often escalating to abuse, acted as deterrents for many aspiring sports journalists. The findings, collected in collaboration with two gender studies students at the University of Strathclyde, revealed that female sports journalists are frequently subjected to misogynistic vitriol from football fans, paid less than their male counterparts and overlooked for promotion in newsrooms.

“Female journalists surveyed said they suffered vile misogynistic abuse at the hands of football fans and were paid less than their male counterparts (data from the UK government puts the gender pay gap in newspapers at 5-21%). They were subjected to sexist remarks in newsrooms and felt overlooked for promotion,” wrote Gabriella. 

She connected these findings to the SFWA’s dinner and cited the event as further proof that a massive overhaul is needed in the industry to ensure a safe working environment for sports women journalists. She denounced the language used at the dinner on social media as well. 

“I was at these awards tonight and sat through the same sexist and racist jokes made by a keynote speaker. My table walked out at the same time Eilidh’s did,” tweeted Gabriella. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Eilidh Barbour, Gabriella Bennett and the Women In Journalism Scotland. The sexist and misogynistic trends they identify in the Scottish sports industry are noticeable in other parts of the world as well. The CFWIJ has documented similar cases in the United States, in Italy, France, Pakistan and India, for instance. We vehemently condemn the culture of misogyny that is prevalent in this industry and continues to be propagated by men in positions of power. Such attitudes reflect how women are viewed on and off the field. The CFWIJ calls for immediate measures to redress these concerns including gender sensitization training and support from media houses for their female reporters. We hope that the walkout at the SFWA’s dinner encourages a much-needed change in the assumption that sports and their consumption exist only for the male gaze.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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