Linguistic Representation Of Sports Women In Pakistani English Newspapers

Abstract

Women are integral to social progress and development. They participate in all walks of life and contribute their fair share for the overall good. Globally, they have been contributing in sports and have brought a positive change in the outlook of societies in favour of gender balance. Conversely, primitive and less developed societies restrict women to domestic sphere and discourage them to participate in public life. They also view sports as masculine domain and frown upon the participation of women in any sports. In Pakistan, the situation is no less different and with a predominantly patriarchal social structure, the country does not cater to the needs of female players in provision of facilities and infrastructure. Despite the growing number of renowned female players, the attitude of the people in general and the government in particular is biased and discriminatory. This study intends to qualitatively analyze newspaper reports through the application of linguistic tools. The reports are purposively selected from published Pakistani English newspapers about women sports available online. The findings reveal that women are underrepresented and narrowly described for their achievements. The study further reveals that they are faced with the challenge to overcome conservative cultural narrative that discourages female sports.