Working title: Do me a favour, love: a discursive analysis of how the media construct the

roles of women in men’s football in the UK.

‘Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don’t know the offside rule.’ (The

Guardian, 2011, reporting on recorded comments made by Andy Grey and Richard Keys

during a Premier League match). This literature review will evaluate three research papers

on the subject of sexist attitudes towards women in football in England and Scotland in

order to provide the historical context. The papers were selected as they explore the history

of, and the achievements made by, women in a male-dominated industry. The rationale for

the dissertation is to investigate how media may reinforce elements of social

constructionism (Thirkettle, Stenner & Harrison, 2023) and how, specifically the footballing

media in reporting to supporters, also widely employ social identity theory (Davies, HortonSalway & Harrison, 2023) in an attempt to maintain their grip on the sport as symbol of

masculinity. There is little research available covering the topic across the UK to ascertain if

there are differences in the language used to report on women in the footballing arena

across the four home nations.

In The Woman in Black (2013) Jones and Edwards argue that references to the psychological

and biological differences between women and men in non-playing jobs are irrelevant as

these do not impact upon the competencies required to excel within these roles. The paper

touches on the ban for women in England from 1921 to 1971, and the setbacks this caused

for what was a flourishing female sport. From the ages of twelve and over, the FA bans the

playing of mixed football and separates team by gender, which may have the potential to

reinforce stereotypes and hinder progress for women wishing to officiate in the male arena.

Although the FA oversees dedicated female leagues, which have grown exponentially since

the ban was lifted, there has been relatively slow progress in terms of officiating and

tackling sexist attitudes, despite the commitment from footballing authorities to do both. As

the research shows, much of the resistance comes from the male-dominated sport and

details the basis on which women are deemed unsuitable, such as physical, psychological,

and knowledge-based, which makes defining sexism difficult. In addition to looking at the

dissenting voices of others, the paper also helpfully provides background into the debates

about gender differences from the perspective of equality and gynocentric feminists into

how women view and attempt to tackle the issue.

Overall, the research carried out into the history of women’s football provides excellent

context for how problems were created and sustained, and the information about the FA

commitments provide a glimpse of how industry guidance in working towards tackling

sexism and harassment may provide more opportunities for women in non-playing roles. It

also gives detail of arguments from both sides of the debate, as well as concluding that,

despite some progress, the fact that the industry is male dominated at all levels makes it a

very challenging task.

While the study provides excellent discursive analysis of a number of studies and research

into the subject of sexism which are likely relevant to the UK, the background into the FA

and the media coverage of sexist comments relates solely to England. Since the dissertation

will focus on the picture across the UK, it cannot be assumed that the findings are

generalisable and, as such, this is a gap that the dissertation will aim to fill. The paper also