Although attitudes towards women in sports are generally shifting, inequality seems to be lingering in women’s golf in the U.K., according to a recent study. Golf insurance company Golf Care conducted a national survey of over 2,000 U.K. residents looking at golf and 21 other sports, gathering opinions on a range of issues around women’s role in the game, professional and amateur games, TV viewing, participation, competitive events, and ongoing stereotypes. The majority of survey respondents (77 percent) said that inequality exists within the game of golf. Among those who acknowledged inequality, 80 percent were women vs. 74 percent of men.
More than a quarter (28 percent) of men said they have watched men’s golf, versus 11 percent of men who have watched women’s golf. Just 12 percent of people, male and female, have watched women’s golf. Nearly half (45 percent) of all people, and 60 percent of men, said they generally prefer to watch men’s sport than women’s. Sadly, almost one in ten people said that the opinions of female pundits are less valid than that of their male counterparts, although this view was most prevalent among survey respondents aged 55 and over.
The survey also looked at gender inequality at school, showing that 70 percent of women and 55 percent of men believe girls still face barriers when it comes to participation in golf. When asked “Do girls face barriers to participation in sport?”, 75 percent of respondents in Northern Ireland said yes. This was followed by 62 percent of people in the South East of England and 58 percent of people in the North East. In Wales and Scotland, only 44 percent and 45 percent of people respectively said yes.
A clear difference also emerged in the numbers of men and women who consider golf as a hobby or a career choice. Nearly a third (30 percent) of men consider playing golf as a regular hobby, while one in ten has also considered a career in professional golf. As for women, just 14 percent consider playing golf as a hobby, with almost no women saying they have considered it as a career.
The survey was conducted by Golf Care among 2,011 U.K. residents in January 2023.
