Latest news with #genderdivide
The Independent
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Women in Sport charity founder says she and Anne discussed how sport has changed
The Princess Royal said 'it used to be a lot of old grey men' running sports but 'gradually it is changing', the founder of a women in sports charity said after Anne formally made her a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Dr Anita White, founder of the Women in Sport charity, the International Working Group on Women and Sport, and the Anita White Foundation, was among those honoured at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. In the hallway of the royal residence she reconnected with the ParalympicsGB chef de mission, who two decades ago was selected for a leadership development course that Dr White was arranging. Penny Briscoe had also just been made a CBE and Dr White said they had not seen each other since the course. Describing her discussion with Anne, Dr White told the PA news agency: 'We spoke about how sport had changed, how it used to be a lot of old grey men running sport and how gradually it is changing.' The Princess Royal asked what sports the former captain of the England field hockey team had played. Dr White, who was left wing, told PA: 'I was captain of the England team and we won the World Cup in 1975 and we didn't get much recognition at the time – that made me aware of the kind of gender divide that there was, and I've been campaigning for women in sports ever since.' The 'huge change' she has witnessed in her career has been 'at the top level'. This can be seen in the attention garnered by the Lionesses squad, as well as the number of female sports presenters and women in leadership roles, she said. Dr White added: 'Inevitably there's still a certain amount of inequality in the way that girls are socialised. 'So they are terribly concerned with their appearance on social media, and not getting out there, maybe missing out on the pleasure and fun and good things that there are in sport.' 'There might be some regression of people thinking, well, because we see women in the media, we've cracked it – women in sport has been done and dusted – but of course that isn't the case,' she added. Ms Briscoe is the director of sport at the British Paralympic Association and has been selected as chef de mission for Los Angeles 2028. Dr White said people like Ms Briscoe 'ending up in a very senior position' is 'exactly one of the things that I continue to work for'. She added that, during their conversation at Windsor Castle, Ms Briscoe offered to help 'in any way she can with future work'. Dr White said she is particularly working on getting women into high-performance coaching. Anne said 'not you again' as Ms Briscoe collected her medal, the chef de mission told PA. ParalympicsGB last year finished second in the medal table for the third consecutive summer Games after winning 124 medals – 49 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze – across 18 sports in Paris. LA 2028 will be Briscoe's 12th Paralympics and sixth as chef de mission – a role she first fulfilled at the 2014 winter Games in Sochi. Paralympic sport 'stepped out of the shadows' at the 2012 London Olympics, she said after collecting her honour for services to Paralympic sport. 'I definitely feel like I've been part of two eras of para sport, the pre-London era, where we had great athletes, we delivered great performances, but the media hadn't embraced para sport. 'It wasn't until our home Games, where every stadium was full – venues, the sport presentation, and the media, every kind of media, embraced para sport.' She added: 'I think the growth of the ParalympicsGB hasn't just been on the field of play, it's been what it's enabled off the field of play. 'So the platform that the Games provides for our athletes to have that voice, to demand changes in society.' Before joining ParalympicsGB in 2001, she was an athlete and then a coach in canoeing, which took her to the Olympics in 1996 and 2000.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women in Sport charity founder says she and Anne discussed how sport has changed
The Princess Royal said 'it used to be a lot of old grey men' running sports but 'gradually it is changing', the founder of a women in sports charity said after Anne formally made her a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Dr Anita White, founder of the Women in Sport charity, the International Working Group on Women and Sport, and the Anita White Foundation, was among those honoured at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. In the hallway of the royal residence she reconnected with the ParalympicsGB chef de mission, who two decades ago was selected for a leadership development course that Dr White was arranging. Penny Briscoe had also just been made a CBE and Dr White said they had not seen each other since the course. Describing her discussion with Anne, Dr White told the PA news agency: 'We spoke about how sport had changed, how it used to be a lot of old grey men running sport and how gradually it is changing.' The Princess Royal asked what sports the former captain of the England field hockey team had played. Dr White, who was left wing, told PA: 'I was captain of the England team and we won the World Cup in 1975 and we didn't get much recognition at the time – that made me aware of the kind of gender divide that there was, and I've been campaigning for women in sports ever since.' The 'huge change' she has witnessed in her career has been 'at the top level'. This can be seen in the attention garnered by the Lionesses squad, as well as the number of female sports presenters and women in leadership roles, she said. Dr White added: 'Inevitably there's still a certain amount of inequality in the way that girls are socialised. 'So they are terribly concerned with their appearance on social media, and not getting out there, maybe missing out on the pleasure and fun and good things that there are in sport.' 'There might be some regression of people thinking, well, because we see women in the media, we've cracked it – women in sport has been done and dusted – but of course that isn't the case,' she added. Ms Briscoe is the director of sport at the British Paralympic Association and has been selected as chef de mission for Los Angeles 2028. Dr White said people like Ms Briscoe 'ending up in a very senior position' is 'exactly one of the things that I continue to work for'. She added that, during their conversation at Windsor Castle, Ms Briscoe offered to help 'in any way she can with future work'. Dr White said she is particularly working on getting women into high-performance coaching. Anne said 'not you again' as Ms Briscoe collected her medal, the chef de mission told PA. ParalympicsGB last year finished second in the medal table for the third consecutive summer Games after winning 124 medals – 49 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze – across 18 sports in Paris. LA 2028 will be Briscoe's 12th Paralympics and sixth as chef de mission – a role she first fulfilled at the 2014 winter Games in Sochi. Paralympic sport 'stepped out of the shadows' at the 2012 London Olympics, she said after collecting her honour for services to Paralympic sport. 'I definitely feel like I've been part of two eras of para sport, the pre-London era, where we had great athletes, we delivered great performances, but the media hadn't embraced para sport. 'It wasn't until our home Games, where every stadium was full – venues, the sport presentation, and the media, every kind of media, embraced para sport.' She added: 'I think the growth of the ParalympicsGB hasn't just been on the field of play, it's been what it's enabled off the field of play. 'So the platform that the Games provides for our athletes to have that voice, to demand changes in society.' Before joining ParalympicsGB in 2001, she was an athlete and then a coach in canoeing, which took her to the Olympics in 1996 and 2000.
Forbes
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
The Global Gen-Z Gender Divide And Brand Responsibility
The Global Gen-Z Gender Divide The share of women in the U.S. workforce increased from 20% in 1920 to nearly 50% in 1970. Women's participation in the labor market boosted productivity, economic growth and consumer spending. Women now control or influence 85% of consumer spending. In general, women's rights have improved, but we now face a new social challenge: the growing gender divide between young men and women. The splinter is causing political polarization, audience fragmentation and brand atomization. We study generations to understand how shared formative events—political, economic, technological, legal and environmental—shape our values and how we see things. Historically, people born within the same generation tend to have more unified views on social issues, but Gen-Z seems to be the exception. Young men and young women are drifting further apart. Gen-Z is two generations rolled into one. But why are we seeing a growing gender divide? What can brands do about it? The Ideological Divide The gender divide is most noticeable in voting patterns. Young men are becoming more conservative and young women are becoming more progressive. In the U.S., Donald Trump won 56% of the votes from young men compared to 39% from young women. In Germany, the far-right AfD party secured 25% of young men's votes compared to 17% of young women. In South Korea, young women propelled the liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung to victory. There is one consistent trend: Gen Z is rejecting establishment political parties because they have failed them. However, the rejection manifests differently amongst young men and women. Gen-Z men and women have the widest political gender gap compared to older generations. It would be easy to dismiss politics as unrelated to marketing, but ideology is the invisible force that shapes our values and actions, including our choice of brands and response to advertising. The Attainment Gap It would be remiss to discuss the Gen-Z gender divide without acknowledging the progress women have made in various fields despite systemic barriers. Women continue to outpace men in higher education. In the U.K. and several U.S. cities, young women are out-earning young men. Young women are less likely to feel financially and socially dependent on men than previous generations. In contrast, young men feel lost and confused about their place in modern society. The decline of the manufacturing industry, coupled with women's progress in education and work, has warped men's role as producers and providers. The traditional markers of manhood, like being the breadwinner and having a romantic partner, are out of reach for many young men. Much has been made of the rise of incel culture (involuntarily celibate) but there's a much broader and moderate feeling of alienation amongst young boys. This sentiment is compounded by men's struggle to maintain relationships and emotional connections. For some young men, social pressures, unrealistic expectations and lack of emotional support create the illusion of a zero-sum game, where opportunities for young women and other groups come at the expense of their future. Digital Segregation The gender divide isn't only economic and political, but social. Young men and women no longer occupy the same spaces or experience the same culture. The change is mainly due to young people spending more time online and less time in the physical world. In 2000, less than 5% of couples met online. In 2024, more than 60% of couples met their partner online. In developed countries, there are fewer third spaces where young men and women can interact. Young men and women are spending less time in each other's company. Online, social media algorithms serve men and women different content, generating two different versions of reality. Exacerbating the divergence in personal taste, cultural references and shared language between Gen-Z men and women. Media consumption vastly differs between Gen-Z men and women. For example, 80% of The Joe Rogan Experience listeners are men. Conversely, 70% of Call Her Daddy listers are women. On platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit, men outnumber women two to one. At the same time, when exploring the global gender divide, it's important to remember that a growing number of young people are rejecting gender norms. Nearly 7% of Gen-Z identify as non-binary and 30% as LGBTQ+. Brand Responsibility Brands are already operating in a highly charged political environment. Marketing leaders are walking a tightrope between retaining existing consumers and attracting new consumers. Suddenly, brands need to navigate ideological differences within generations. Bridging the gap between young men and women is the only way to maximize your brand reach. Not taking action means missing out on half the total addressable market. Global brands have the power and responsibility to showcase more positive role models for young men. They can and should bring young men and women together to form shared, real-world experiences again. Doing so requires divestment from media platforms that segregate young men and women: feeding them two different versions of reality. How can we create a shared future when we're experiencing different realities?
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
China has millions of single men - could dating camp help them find love?
To say China's women are outnumbered would be an understatement. With a staggering 30 million more men than women, one of the world's most populous countries has a deluge of unattached males. The odds are heavily stacked against them finding a date, let alone a wife - something many feel pressured to do. To make matters worse, it's even harder if you're from a lower social class, according to Chinese dating coach Hao, who has over 3,000 clients. "Most of them are working class - they're the least likely to find wives," he says. We see this first-hand in Violet Du Feng's documentary, The Dating Game, where we watch Hao and three of his clients throughout his week-long dating camp. All of them, including Hao, have come from poor, rural backgrounds, and were part of the generation growing up after the 90s in China, when many parents left their toddlers with other family members, to go and work in the cities. That generation are now adults, and are going to the cities themselves to try to find a wife and boost their status. Du Feng, who is based in the US, wants her film to highlight what life is like for younger generations in her home country. "In a time when gender divide is so extreme, particularly in China, it's about how we can bridge a gap and create dialogue," she tells the BBC. Hao's three clients - Li, 24, Wu, 27 and Zhou, 36 - are battling the aftermath of China's one-child policy. Set up by the government in 1980 when the population approached one billion, the policy was introduced amid fears that having too many people would affect the country's economic growth. But a traditional preference for male children led to large numbers of girls being abandoned, placed in orphanages, sex-selective abortions or even cases of female infanticide. The result is today's huge gender imbalance. China is now so concerned about its plummeting birth rate and ageing population that it ended the policy in 2016, and holds regular matchmaking events. Wu, Li and Zhou want Hao to help them find a girlfriend at the very least. He is someone they can aspire to be, having already succeeded in finding a wife, Wen, who is also a dating coach. The men let Hao give them makeovers and haircuts, while he tells them his questionable "techniques" for attracting women - both online and in person. But while everyone tries their best, not everything goes to plan. Hao constructs an online image for each man, but he stretches a few boundaries in how he describes them, and Zhou thinks it feels "fake". "I feel guilty deceiving others," he says, clearly uncomfortable with being portrayed as someone he can't match in reality. Du Feng thinks this is a wider problem. "It's a unique China story, but also it's a universal story of how in this digital landscape, we're all struggling and wrestling with the price of being fake in the digital world, and then the cost that we have to pay to be authentic and honest," she says. Hao may be one of China's "most popular dating coaches", but we see his wife question some of his methods. Undeterred, he sends his proteges out to meet women, spraying their armpits with deodorant, declaring: "It's showtime!" The men have to approach potential dates in a busy night-time shopping centre in Chongqing, one of the world's biggest cities. It's almost painful to watch as they ask women to link up via the messaging app WeChat. But it does teach them to dig into their inner confidence, which, up until now, has been hidden from view. Dr Zheng Mu, from the National University of Singapore's sociology department, tells the BBC how pressure to marry can impact single men. "In China, marriage or the ability, financially and socially, to get married as the primary breadwinner, is still largely expected from men," she says. "As a result, the difficulty of being considered marriageable can be a social stigma, indicating they're not capable and deserving of the role, which leads to great pressures and mental strains." Zhou is despondent about how much dates cost him, including paying for matchmakers, dinner and new clothes. "I only make $600 (£440) a month," he says, noting a date costs about $300. "In the end our fate is determined by society," he adds, deciding that he needs to "build up my status". Du Feng explains: "This is a generation in which a lot of these surplus men are defined as failures because of their economic status. "They're seen as the bottom of society, the working class, and so somehow getting married is another indicator that they can succeed." We learn that one way for men in China to "break social class" is to join the army, and see a big recruitment drive taking place in the film. The film notably does not explore what life is like for gay men in China. Du Feng agrees that Chines society is less accepting of gay men, while Dr Mu adds: "In China, heteronormativity largely rules. "Therefore, men are expected to marry women to fulfill the norms... to support the nuclear family and develop it into bigger families by becoming parents." Technology also features in the documentary, which explores the increasing popularity of virtual boyfriends, saying that over 10 million women in China play online dating games. We even get to see a virtual boyfriend in action - he's understanding, undemanding and undeniably handsome. One woman says real-life dating costs "time, money, emotional energy - it's so exhausting". She adds that "virtual men are different - they have great temperaments, they're just perfect". Dr Mu sees this trend as "indicative of social problems" in China, citing "long work hours, greedy work culture and competitive environment, along with entrenched gender role expectations". "Virtual boyfriends, who can behave better aligned with women's expected ideals, may be a way for them to fulfil their romantic imaginations." Du Feng adds: "The thing universally that's been mentioned is that the women with virtual boyfriends felt men in China are not emotionally stable." Her film digs into the men's backgrounds, including their often fractured relationships with their parents and families. "These men are coming from this, and there's so much negative pressure on them - how could you expect them to be stable emotionally?" Reuters reported last year that "long-term single lifestyles are gradually becoming more widespread in China". "I'm worried about how we connect with each other nowadays, especially the younger generation," Du Feng says. "Dating is just a device for us to talk about this. But I am really worried. "My film is about how we live in this epidemic of loneliness, with all of us trying to find connections with each other." So by the end of the documentary, which has many comical moments, we see it has been something of a realistic journey of self-discovery for all of the men, including Hao. "I think that it's about the warmth as they find each other, knowing that it's a collective crisis that they're all facing, and how they still find hope," Du Feng says. "For them, it's more about finding themselves and finding someone to pat their shoulders, saying, 'I see you, and there's a way you can make it'." Screen Daily's Allan Hunter says the film is "sustained by the humanity that Du Feng finds in each of the individuals we come to know and understand a little better", adding it "ultimately salutes the virtue of being true to yourself". Hao concludes: "Once you like yourself, it's easier to get girls to like you." The Dating Game is out in selected UK cinemas this autumn. Why don't Chinese women want more babies?
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Dating Game: How dating camp could help China's millions of single men
To say China's women are outnumbered would be an understatement. With a staggering 30 million more men than women, one of the world's most populous countries has a deluge of unattached males. The odds are heavily stacked against them finding a date, let alone a wife - something many feel pressured to do. To make matters worse, it's even harder if you're from a lower social class, according to Chinese dating coach Hao, who has over 3,000 clients."Most of them are working class - they're the least likely to find wives," he says. We see this first-hand in Violet Du Feng's documentary, The Dating Game, where we watch Hao and three of his clients throughout his week-long dating camp. All of them, including Hao, have come from poor, rural backgrounds, and were part of the generation growing up after the 90s in China, when many parents left their toddlers with other family members, to go and work in the cities. That generation are now adults, and are going to the cities themselves to try to find a wife and boost their Feng, who is based in the US, wants her film to highlight what life is like for younger generations in her home country. "In a time when gender divide is so extreme, particularly in China, it's about how we can bridge a gap and create dialogue," she tells the BBC. Hao's three clients - Li, 24, Wu, 27 and Zhou, 36 - are battling the aftermath of China's one-child policy. Set up by the government in 1980 when the population approached one billion, the policy was introduced amid fears that having too many people would affect the country's economic a traditional preference for male children led to large numbers of girls being abandoned, placed in orphanages, sex-selective abortions or even cases of female infanticide. The result is today's huge gender imbalance. China is now so concerned about its plummeting birth rate and ageing population that it ended the policy in 2016, and holds regular matchmaking events. Wu, Li and Zhou want Hao to help them find a girlfriend at the very least. He is someone they can aspire to be, having already succeeded in finding a wife, Wen, who is also a dating coach. The men let Hao give them makeovers and haircuts, while he tells them his questionable "techniques" for attracting women - both online and in person. But while everyone tries their best, not everything goes to plan. Hao constructs an online image for each man, but he stretches a few boundaries in how he describes them, and Zhou thinks it feels "fake". "I feel guilty deceiving others," he says, clearly uncomfortable with being portrayed as someone he can't match in reality. Du Feng thinks this is a wider problem. "It's a unique China story, but also it's a universal story of how in this digital landscape, we're all struggling and wrestling with the price of being fake in the digital world, and then the cost that we have to pay to be authentic and honest," she says. Hao may be one of China's "most popular dating coaches", but we see his wife question some of his he sends his proteges out to meet women, spraying their armpits with deodorant, declaring: "It's showtime!"The men have to approach potential dates in a busy night-time shopping centre in Chongqing, one of the world's biggest almost painful to watch as they ask women to link up via the messaging app WeChat. But it does teach them to dig into their inner confidence, which, up until now, has been hidden from view. Dr Zheng Mu, from the National University of Singapore's sociology department, tells the BBC how pressure to marry can impact single men."In China, marriage or the ability, financially and socially, to get married as the primary breadwinner, is still largely expected from men," she says. "As a result, the difficulty of being considered marriageable can be a social stigma, indicating they're not capable and deserving of the role, which leads to great pressures and mental strains."Zhou is despondent about how much dates cost him, including paying for matchmakers, dinner and new clothes. "I only make $600 (£440) a month," he says, noting a date costs about $300. "In the end our fate is determined by society," he adds, deciding that he needs to "build up my status". Du Feng explains: "This is a generation in which a lot of these surplus men are defined as failures because of their economic status. "They're seen as the bottom of society, the working class, and so somehow getting married is another indicator that they can succeed."We learn that one way for men in China to "break social class" is to join the army, and see a big recruitment drive taking place in the film. The film notably does not explore what life is like for gay men in China. Du Feng agrees that Chines society is less accepting of gay men, while Dr Mu adds: "In China, heteronormativity largely rules. "Therefore, men are expected to marry women to fulfill the norms... to support the nuclear family and develop it into bigger families by becoming parents."Technology also features in the documentary, which explores the increasing popularity of virtual boyfriends, saying that over 10 million women in China play online dating games. We even get to see a virtual boyfriend in action - he's understanding, undemanding and undeniably woman says real-life dating costs "time, money, emotional energy - it's so exhausting". She adds that "virtual men are different - they have great temperaments, they're just perfect". Dr Mu sees this trend as "indicative of social problems" in China, citing "long work hours, greedy work culture and competitive environment, along with entrenched gender role expectations"."Virtual boyfriends, who can behave better aligned with women's expected ideals, may be a way for them to fulfil their romantic imaginations."Du Feng adds: "The thing universally that's been mentioned is that the women with virtual boyfriends felt men in China are not emotionally stable."Her film digs into the men's backgrounds, including their often fractured relationships with their parents and families."These men are coming from this, and there's so much negative pressure on them - how could you expect them to be stable emotionally?" Reuters reported last year that "long-term single lifestyles are gradually becoming more widespread in China". "I'm worried about how we connect with each other nowadays, especially the younger generation," Du Feng says."Dating is just a device for us to talk about this. But I am really worried."My film is about how we live in this epidemic of loneliness, with all of us trying to find connections with each other."So by the end of the documentary, which has many comical moments, we see it has been something of a realistic journey of self-discovery for all of the men, including Hao. "I think that it's about the warmth as they find each other, knowing that it's a collective crisis that they're all facing, and how they still find hope," Du Feng says."For them, it's more about finding themselves and finding someone to pat their shoulders, saying, 'I see you, and there's a way you can make it'."Screen Daily's Allan Hunter says the film is "sustained by the humanity that Du Feng finds in each of the individuals we come to know and understand a little better", adding it "ultimately salutes the virtue of being true to yourself".Hao concludes: "Once you like yourself, it's easier to get girls to like you."The Dating Game is out in selected UK cinemas this autumn.
