A British fishing competition is facing claims of discrimination after the first place female angler pointed out the huge discrepancy between her £25 prize money and the £1,000 fund allocated to the first place male winner.
Shelley Bassett has won the women’s category at the British Open Sea Fishing Championship in 2011 and 2012, but told organisers she was disappointed with the value of the prize.
The 21-year old accused competition organisers of being sexist in its treatment of female anglers.
Deal Angling Club 1919 who organised the event defended their decision, saying it wasn’t a sexism issue as women could compete for the overall male prize as well, saying the women’s category has only been introduced to give female competitors a chance:
“There were four ladies entered out of 300 anglers, so it’s hard to give that amount of money out for both. It’s not just for men. It’s overall for the one that catches the most.”
Bassett responded to the comments, saying the prize was still sexist as it meant women now had two chances to win prizes.
The club have since changed the rules this year, and have introduced a £500 prize fund for the first place winner, regardless of the gender.
