The Southern African Media Diversity Journal: Issue 7

From 11 June to 11 July 2010, South Africa will host the FIFA World Cup.
An estimated 2.7 million spectators will watch the global mega-event’s 64 matches played around the country. And when the final is shown, a television audience of up to 28 billion people will have their eyes on South Africa. One of the most popular sports in the world, known both as soccer and football, the “beautiful game,” is at the centre of the region’s agenda right now.

Yet the event’s impact goes far beyond this one month. Preparations have been underway for years, including the building of new stadiums, improving infrastructure, enhancing transport systems, and beautifying cities. Small businesses are also getting ready for the massive influx of tourists, adding new items on their menus, adding new stock to their shelves, extending accommodation spaces, etc.

Though there has been much discussion about linking social development and economic empowerment to the event, a crucial part of the equation has been missing – a gender perspective. Gender has been missing from the discourse around 2010, including in the media. As a matter of coincidence, at the same time this issue of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal was being conceptualised, the media frenzy about 18-year old 800-metre runner Caster Semenya’s “gender test” burst onto the global sporting stage. This solidified the urgent need for more dialogue around gender, sport, and the media.

This issue of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal on Gender, Media, and Sport was initiated as a small step to help fill the huge gap that exists related to gender, sport, and media, both for 2010 and beyond. As Cora Burnett proposes in her contribution, making gender count for and beyond 2010 relies on stakeholders to firstly report on the achievements of men and women equally, whilst profiling a wide spectrum of sport in which female role models and powerful athletic bodies might transcend gender stereotypes.”

ISBN: 978-1-920550-40-0
Publisher: Gender Links
Edition: 7
Year of Publication: 2009
Download : 10449_gmdj7__chapter_1.pdf
Download : 10450_gmdj7__chapter_2.pdf