Talk about hitting the nail on the head, the article ‘Men must learn to let women do the talking’ (The Daily Telegraph Monday 23 May), was not only timed with perfection after a weekend of sporting drama, but it also raises an extremely valid point that is screaming to be passed around and discussed. 

Despite the Sky sexism debacle earlier in the year, what has actually changed in terms of boosting the profile of women within what was unveiled (as if we didn’t already know) as a particularly male-dominated industry? Not a lot it would seem. 

Jonathan Liew’s article makes the excellent point that women are simply not getting into sport commentary roles in the UK, and the reason they are not getting into these jobs is because of prejudice hailing from the male-dominated audience. How much longer will British sport continue to starve itself of a sex that is perfectly capable of bringing its fair share of comment, praise and opinion to the sporting calendar? 

To rub salt into the wound, we as a nation are desperately trailing on an international scale. South Africa is one nation, according to the article, that has addressed this issue ahead of us, though Italy and the West Indies both have women representation in football and cricket, arguably their best-loved sports respectively. 

I’ve talked before about changing cultures and transforming the way people think and act on certain topics, and this is no different. Developing leadership and corporate training is more than capable of making this necessary shift. 

If a woman possesses the ability to analyse and report on sport in the same way a man does, why is she not permitted a seat in the press box? Yes, a handful of women have made the grade, but it is far from equal. 

In fact, the few women who do appear on our radios and television as sports reporters, don’t just fill a gap, or replace what a man should be doing, but generally add a different quality, and those who listen to broadcasts by both men and women can appreciate the skills and qualities that both genders have to offer. In Liew’s words, “broadcasters have had 80 years to create a meritocracy and have utterly failed”.  

To see how we are all suffering because of the paucity of women in senior positions within financial services, download our research study on 109 women in senior roles by clicking here: Leader Training.

Karen Murphy

Muika Leadership – our Next Developing Leadership Skills programme