As jornalistas de desporto em Portugal: Minorit rias e com pouco poder

Abstract

Sports journalism has been traditionally seen as a masculine ocupation. This is still a remaining paradigm (Strong, 2007). Women who work in this professional area are considered outsiders, precisely for being women. However, as professionals, they are insiders because they tend to embody rules and values of the main professional culture (Hardin & Shain, 2006). There are more women than man entering into portuguese journalism which points to a feminization of the profession (Fernandes, 2008). Despite that, this scenario is not visible when we discuss sports journalism, in which women as professionals are still outnumbered. At the same time, their presence at the top management or editorial coordination in national media companies, specifically in sports sections, remains rare (Subtil, 2009). In this article we present the results of a focused study about journalists who work at media sports departments in Portugal, data collected using an inquiry applied to 19 national media companies (news agency, written press, radio, television and digital). We conclude that a gender asymmetry persists, as women remain a minority - 15% -, and possess few power positions in the composition of media structures - 16% -.