Tournament Earnings and Performance Differentials between the Sexes in Professional Golf and Tennis

Abstract

While a number of issues have been investigated about the relationship of women to sport, little attention has been paid to the economic status of women in professional tennis and golf, both recognized as sports that have allowed women to gain a measure of prestige and mobility. This study attempts to examine recent trends in the earnings of women (compared to men) in professional tennis and golf and to relate earnings differentials to existing sociological literature on the relative position of women in the labor market. Also, the research attempts to uncover the relationship between earnings and player perfor mance between men and women on the respective sports. Data obtained from secondary sources indicate a convergence in earnings between men andwomen in tennisand golffrom the late 1960sto the late 1970s. Women who are in the lower earnings brackets in both sports lag behind their male counterparts, although a convergence is noted. Based on a comparison of performance, women professionals in tennis and golf earn less than men for comparable performance.