In a pioneering effort, ShareOfVoice.ai conducted the first-ever study on the gender balance of International Sporting Federations, athletes, and teams ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. This landmark analysis, a continuation of our initial findings, examines Instagram follower demographics and reveals minimal shifts in gender distribution post-Olympics, underscoring the challenge of influencing established gender norms through short-term events.
Overall Gender Breakdown
The study analysed Instagram follower demographics across 32 International Sporting Federations.* Here are the key findings:
These figures highlight the significant male skew across most federations, with a slight increase in male dominance when weighted by audience size.
Dominant Male Followership
Sports such as wrestling and cycling demonstrate the most significant male dominance. Wrestling retained 90.78% male followers, unchanged after the Olympics, while cycling saw a slight increase from 88.60% to 88.94%. Both sports remain heavily male-dominated, with wrestling being most popular in the USA, Russia, and Iran, and cycling in the USA, Italy, and Brazil.
Predominantly Female Audiences
Equestrian and gymnastics are among the few sports with predominantly female followership. Equestrian's female audience increased slightly to 79.32% from 78%, and gymnastics saw a small adjustment to 69.32% from 70%. These federations are the exception to the male-dominant trend, with significant engagement from the USA, UK, and France for equestrian, and the USA, Brazil, and Italy for gymnastics.
Modern Pentathlon and Gender Balance
Modern pentathlon stood out as one of the most balanced federations in terms of gender distribution, with 54.72% male and 45.28% female followers post-Olympics. This federation shows a relatively equal appeal to both genders, with significant followership in Egypt, Russia, and Mexico.
Strategic Insights
Despite the global platform provided by the Olympics, the event had little impact on shifting the gender balance among federation followers. This suggests that more sustained and strategic efforts are necessary to meaningfully alter these demographics.
To grow their female follower base, federations could analyse wider social media conversations to identify where women are engaging and understand the type of content they consume. Leveraging this data to create targeted campaigns, highlight female athletes, and foster community-driven engagement could help federations attract a more balanced audience.
Footnote
*The analysis includes IBA (boxing), even though it was not present at the Paris 2024 Olympics, to understand the demographics of the sport before the event. Data from the @realworldboxing account was also analyzed, reflecting 1,600 followers, with 74.62% male and 25.38% female audiences.
Data provided by Audiense
Resources:
From Data to Diversity: Unveiling the Gender Tracker for Paris 2024
Bridging the Gender Fan Gap in Sports Through AI: A Focus on TikTok Engagement for Paris 2024
Women’s Boxing: Fighting for Equality Amidst Social Media Gender Imbalance
Can we bridge the gender gap within the social media followers of International Sport Federations?