Women's World Cup: Back to the 1950s for Lionesses Turned Heroes
A well-meaning tweet on the official England Twitter account
sparked outrage on Monday when England’s Women’s World Cup squad returned home from Canada.
 |
| buzzfeed.com |
The England Twitter account removed the tweet less than an
hour after it was originally posted, but the damage had already been done. Some
Twitter users called attention to the fact that it reduced England’s Word Cup
side back to stereotypes. Another user missed the point and complained that the
Women’s side have been given special treatment because they are women, but others
quickly pointed out that in finishing third, Mark Sampson’s squad are the most
successful World Cup team of either gender since 1966.
@england Hopefully most, if not all return to being professional club footballers today, like their less successful male counterparts.
— Bert Swattermain (@BertSwattermain) July 6, 2015
The FA told BuzzFeed that the tweet was part of a homecoming
feature intended to reflect the many personal stories of the England squad, but
was taken out of context. An FA employee made an apology via Twitter in which
he rejected any accusation of sexism.
One Facebook commentator was baffled that the team had won
third place in the World Cup and that was the headline the FA chose. She
spelled out the problem, writing that the tweet insinuated that the England
Women’s team were first of all mothers, partners, and daughters, and not
professional athletes. A similar headline about male sports players, it should
be said, is hard to imagine. The tweet appears to conform to the notion that the
women’s profession is only secondary to the traditional role society has
constructed for them, instead of applauding their talent. Women have
historically been defined in terms of their relationship to men – as the wives and
daughters of men, and as the mothers of children – before anything else. Equally
insulting is the insinuation that women cannot be professionals and mothers,
partners, and daughters at the same time – as if they stopped being those
things because they are at work or on the pitch.
@england ??????? Do male players return to be fathers and husbands? Own goal here!
— Shaun@Dr.T (@DoctorT1992) July 6, 2015
An article about the US Women’s soccer team published on the
Guardian website on Saturday provoked a similar reaction from readers. "The pursuit
of a World Cup requires the three mothers on the US team to leave their
children with husbands and parents, seeing them but for an hour each day before
sequestering away in a secure hotel far from scraped knees and cries in the
night...Then when the World Cup comes,
the children must go." Must they?
The comment box is filled with cries of sexism. "Years of
reporting on men’s football and suddenly it’s all about mothers abandoning
their children?" asked one offended reader. "This article brought to you by the
1950s", quipped another. But a case can be made that unlike top level professional
men, their female counterparts don’t earn a salary adequate enough that they
can support their families from abroad. The winners of the Women's World Cup receive a $2m cash prize from Fifa. When the German men won the World Cup in Brazil last year, they were given $35m.
Most would agree that the FA’s tweet wasn’t intended to be
sexist, but that it reveals in both event and reaction that the construction of
gender roles is still to some degree intrinsically sexist. Yes, the Women’s World Cup team are mothers, partners, and
daughters – but they are also footballers. When the women step off the pitch,
they are still athletes – the two are not exclusive of one another.
Aaron Waterhouse
 |
| reuters.com |
Aaron is a recent English graduate from Durham University who is now working as a content writer intern. An enthusiastic traveller, he hopes to become a journalist and report from around the world. Follow him @AaronAtSMF
Women's World Cup: Back to the 1950s for Lionesses Turned Heroes
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Wednesday, July 08, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Wednesday, July 08, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
Keeping you up to date on social media, digital marketing, apps, news & reviews. Social media, and digital marketing as a whole, are rapidly and constantly changing, adapting to new developments at an ever increasing rate. Just keeping up to date can be a nightmare. Our team of writers know their field, and keep an ear to the ground. We aim to keep you informed of all recent developments in the online world, and teach you a little something along the way. So whether you just want to stay connected, or gain some knowledge for yourself, the Social Songbird will keep on singing! More articles are posted every day so keep checking back! Join the discussion on Twitter - #SocialSongbird Or contact us directly - @SocialSongbird_
Entrepreneur, international speaker on Social Media Marketing. First one in the UK to write and speak in conferences about Twitter as a marketing tool. Consultant to Corporate Companies, Government Organizations, Marketing Managers and Business Owners.
Aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He hopes to one day drop that 'aspiring' prefix. He started as a writer and soon after he was made Executive Editor and Manager of the team at Social Songbird. A position he held for 5 years.
Adrienne is a passionate writer with experience in editing, content creation, and social media marketing. She’s a lover of animals, helping others improve their writing, and 2000s pop culture.
Musician, audio technician, professional tutor and a Cambridge university English student. Interested in writing, politics and obsessed with reading.
Recently graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Exeter, and he is about to study an MA in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He is an aspiring journalist and novelist; in his free time he enjoys playing chess, listening to music and taking long walks through nature.
Lucy is an undergraduate BSc Politics and International Relations student at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Anna Coopey is a 4th year UG student in Classics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is a keen writer and researcher on a number of topics, varying from Modern Greek literature to revolutionary theory.
Ellie is a recent BA English Literature graduate and aspiring publisher with a passion for writing. Her favourite pastimes include reading and shopping.