CHART: Female Athletes Are Still Underrepresented In The Olympics
The number of female athletes participating in the Olympics has grown significantly over the last 30 years. However, the number of female athletes still lags behind the males.
In 1984, 23% of the athletes in the Summer Olympics were women. During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, that number was up to 44% as the number of female athletes have risen sharply and the number of male athletes has actually declined.
During the 1984 Winter Olympics, 22% of the athletes were women, a number comparable to the Summer Olympiad. In 2010, the number had grown to 41%, a significant increase, but a slower rate than the Summer games. We don't yet have the final numbers for the Sochi Olympics, but it will be interesting to see if the gap has narrowed.
