INTRODUCTION

Economists and sociologists have long been attracted to the study of labour markets in professional sports. Much of this research has focused on race and ethnicity, and it has often found that discrimination is endemic in markets for professional athletes (Kahn ). Over many years sport has provided a rich environment in which to examine racial discrimination, because the abundance of data on performance allows researchers to control for individual differences in productivity – something not possible in most industries. However, exploring gender discrimination through the lens of sport is much more problematic, given that men and women typically compete in separate tournaments because they cannot compete with each other on equal terms, such as in disciplines in which physical strength is a major input. Labour markets for female athletes exist in a variety of sports but, in the main, women do not regularly compete against men and parameters often differ by gender (e.g. the number of attempts permitted in competitive high diving or the number of tennis sets played). Equestrianism is one of the few professional sports in which men and women compete on equal terms, allowing direct comparison of gender differentials. Consequently, horse racing provides a rare opportunity to explore possible gender discrimination in a professional sport setting. This chapter focuses on current and historic trends in horse racing to explore equality issues, with lessons to be drawn for the industry itself and more generally. 1991

ARE WOMEN STRONG ENOUGH TO BE JOCKEYS?

It is no coincidence that horse racing, equestrianism and motor racing are sports in which men and women compete in the same contests. In most sports, performance depends on attributes for which male physiology confers too great an advantage. It is the presence of apparatus, such as a car or a horse, that levels the playing field by eliminating advantages of strength. In these sports, female physiology presents both advantages and disadvantages. For flat racing in particular, size and weight requirements favour female jockeys. Since women are, on average, shorter and lighter than men, they are more frequently able to meet the criteria.