The portrayal of female athletes in the French media: Perspectives of French experts, journalists, and athletes.

Introduction: Women's participation in sports has come a long way since they were allowed to compete in the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France. More than a century later, and in the same city, the 2024 Games has achieved gender parity. Despite the progress towards gender equality in sport, female athletes still face several obstacles, including their portrayal in the media. Against this backdrop, this study aimed to provide an empirical insight into how female athletes are portrayed in the media, focusing on the current situation in France. Methods: Data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted with a variety of French participants, including ten athletes and five media/academic related professionals involved in the field of sport, who provided various perspectives and insights on the topic. Results: The results are fourfold as follows: the shift of gender marking and stereotypical representations; the remain of manifestation of sexism and sexualization in the French media; the pressure of female athletes to conform to femininity norms; the occurrence of under-mediatization of women in sports. Conclusions: The positive developments in the representation and mediatization of female athletes in the French media, including a clear increase in the visibility of women in sport, especially in sports traditionally associated with men, and less extreme forms of sexualization in their portrayal. However, further progress is needed to combat gender stereotypes and improve social representation in order to achieve real equality in the media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]