Breaking into any field as a woman is hard but a field which has mainly been made dominated is ever harder for a woman to get opportunities. I feel like we as a society are so incredibly rigid about how men and women are and should be that we kinda just focus on the person’s gender rather than their capabilities, skills, qualifications etc. And this is something that almost every woman who is trying to build a name for herself in the world deals with. Sports also is something that has been majorly associated with men and even today, women’s sports are not taken as seriously as men’s sports are. Hence, it is not surprising that a woman would probably experience a field like sports journalism or sports broadcasting differently compared to a man. Sports journalist Mayanti Langer has spoken about what it has been like to be a woman in her field and made revelations about the same.
1. Her appearance was spoken about more than her work
Mayanti Langer spoke about her own experience and also that of Mandira Bedi where despite being competent at their actual jobs, they were constantly being targeted for the clothes they wore and how they looked. If she was overweight or her dress was too short, people would immediately shame her for that rather than focusing on her actual work.
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2. She was targetted for her husband’s performances
Mayanti Langer is married to former Indian cricket player, Stuart Binny who announced his retirement in 2021. Langer spoke about times when she was attacked for her husband not being able to do well on the field and how nasty people were on social media about it. We have seen the same thing happen to Anushka Sharma who is married to cricketer Virat Kohli wherein she is targetted and called a “distraction” when he has a bad game.
3. She was shamed for doing her job
Mayanti Langer spoke about a time when her husband had had a particularly bad game in the T20 match against West Indies. Langer was hosting that match and while her heart hurt for her husband, she knew she had to remain professional on screen and not let her emotions show through. So despite personally being upset, she remained professional and did her job that day which she was shamed for. She was told that she doesn’t care for her husband and it escalated to a degree where she was asked to commit suicide!
4. Sports broadcasting has a safe space for women now
Mayanti Langer said that when she first joined sports journalism, she was “the only girl in the room”. However, after being in the industry for 16 years, she can say that there more women in the industry not only in front of the camera but also behind the camera. She said that this has created a safe space for women.
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5. She had to be able to compete with her male colleagues
Mayanti Langer said that if she wanted the same pay, screen time and opportunities as her male colleagues, she had to be able to handle the same pressure and responsibilities as them. She added that she didn’t pay too much heed to the gender aspect and focused on her own capabilities and skills.