In the world of sports, where talent and skill should be the primary determinants of success, Bangladesh, much like other nations, experiences significant gender inequality. Despite strides toward narrowing the gender gap across various sectors, the domain of sports remains entrenched in masculine dominance, sidelining women athletes. The contrast in audience engagement between men’s and women’s sports highlights this discrimination.

In Bangladesh, cricket and football dominate the sporting sector, with a large audience and enthusiastic support. However, the imbalance between support for men’s and women’s sports remained a vital issue. During men’s cricket matches, the whole nation seems to engage with the game, but when it comes to women’s, despite their persistent victories, the support falls short.

The social media metrics are evidence of the discrepancy in audience support, as male players seem to have millions of followers in contrast with female athletes. For example, the differences between the Facebook followers of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Nigar Sultana, captains of Bangladesh men’s and women’s cricket, highlight the unequal distribution of support, as it counts 1.3 million and 143 thousand, respectively. Also, some responses often lean towards negativity, such as demeaning comments, abuse, and bullying, which characterize the mindset of most people about women’s sports.

“Our society is raised in such a way that they tend to see women as weaker entities. Thus, when it comes to women’s football or cricket, subconsciously, some common mindsets are, ‘The match is silly’, ‘They don’t know how to play the game’, ‘waste of time’, and so forth. So, it’s kind of obvious that people here usually don’t tend to follow women’s sports,” said Mahfuza Hilali, a women’s activist and associate professor at BRAC University.

One of the primary causes of this issue is the patriarchal social structure of Bangladesh. The country is influenced by societal and religious norms that often restrict women from participating in sports. The traditional views on gender roles are a significant reason for families’ apathy towards supporting women.

“My family does not support me in playing so I practice secretly. Once a someone took photo of me practicing and sent them to my family along with obscene comments and once I told the incident to the other players and built a protest the person teamed up with locals who opposes women playing football came to beat us. Although others were able to run away but I was beaten. That’s what social support for us looks like,” said Sadia a football player of Bangladesh.

“The people who cannot accept the fact that girls are practicing due to their belief system, expecting them to watch us playing matches in stadium or tv seems a bit ridiculous to me. I’m not saying we are not getting support but the number of them are not so many,” she added.

Moreover, the politicization of religious identity further complicates these matters. According to Pfister’s study, religious restrictions prevent women from participating in sports. Social leaders frequently invoke religious discourses to reinforce gender norms and curtail women’s independence, leading to a gender bias in women’s sports among audiences.

The intersectionality of gender, religion, ethnicity, and social structure adds layers of complexity to the issue. “Gender plays a huge role. But you can’t look at gender alone without looking at other so-called intersecting categories. It’s also religion and, in some cases, ethnicity and social structure. I think it’s a very complex situation that determines the picture here,” said Verena Lenneis, Associate Professor of Sport & Social Issues at Aalborg University.

In a society driven by capitalism, sports and athletes are commercialized and marketed for mass appeal. While male athletes often benefit from extensive promotion, women athletes remain underrepresented, leading to a general lack of awareness about them.

“It’s also too easy to just blame the audience and say people are not interested in it. I think it’s really about the structures built to support female players,” Lenneis added.

The gap in support between men’s and women’s sports is deeply rooted in societal prejudices in Bangladesh. Despite their commendable achievements, female athletes have to continuously fight for support and recognition due to persistent gender stereotypes and societal norms.

Audience engagement is pivotal in shaping the narrative of women’s sports. It also significantly impacts the level of support they receive.

The future success of women’s sports in Bangladesh is highly dependent on a dedicated effort to challenge and transform the prevailing gender stereotypes. Active involvement with women’s sports and a shift in attitudes towards female athletes are essential for fostering a more equitable sporting culture.