Episode 10: Women's sport (the state of play) - Dr Jessica Francombe-Webb & Dr Fiona Spotswood

In this episode we explore some of the contemporary tensions within women’s sport. On the one hand, we are seeing the collective celebration of progress - fuelled by recent successes such as those in football not only in terms of performances, broadcast reach and viewer engagement - yet on the other hand, gender inequalities persist. You'll hear from leading experts in women’s sport research, Dr Jessica Francombe-Webb and Dr Fiona Spotswood, for a discussion about postfeminism, media representation and some of the complexities that shape women’s sport experiences and the different levers of change. Drawing on their extensive research expertise, they unpack the some of these tensions around inspiring advances and persistent challenges. They celebrate the progress narrative, whilst also raising critical questions that challenge some of the inequalities in sport. These include, of course, gender-based violence experienced by women who exercise and play sport; the gender gap in participation rates; and some of the challenges around leadership. The views and opinions of those taking part in this video are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Bath. bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/disclaimer Useful links: - Dr Jessica Francombe-Webb: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/jessica-francombe-webb - Dr Fiona Spotswood: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Fiona-Spotswood-eed34c90-5332-4fc1-a08d-65a5baf0aa74/ - The emergence of new mountain biking media practices: toward a culture of inclusive mountain biking https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2024.2424556