Understanding Audience Perceptions of Gender Equality in Contemporary Sports Media: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The underrepresentation and gendered portrayal of female athletes in sports media have significant implications for how audiences perceive and evaluate male and female athletes in contemporary society. Despite growing scholarly attention to this issue, the literature remains fragmented across disciplinary traditions. This scoping review, guided by PRISMA-ScR, examines the impact of gendered sports media representation on public perceptions of male and female athletes. Studies published in English between 2005 and 2025 were identified through Scopus, SPORTDiscus and SocINDEX and screened in Rayyan. Eligible studies used content analysis, framing analysis, or qualitative methods to examine gendered sports media portrayals and audience perceptions. 54 studies were included. For each study, the country, media type, sport, method, design or sample, and findings on portrayal and on audience perception were charted. The findings were synthesised using reflexive thematic analysis, which produced five themes: 1. Underrepresentation and Marginalisation; 2. Sexualisation and Trivialisation; 3. Framing Asymmetry; 4. Audience Perception and Gender Socialisation; and 5. Digital Media as a Site of Contestation. From a practical perspective, these five themes and the evidence underpinning them provide broadcasters, sport managers, and policymakers with a theoretically grounded and empirically supported basis for developing more equitable and impactful strategies for the representation of female athletes across contemporary sports media platforms.