Research suggests that punters do not back female jockeys in winning races, as per horsetalk.co.nz.
This bias was noticed after a study conducted in Britain based on 20 years of data.
University of Liverpool PhD student Vanessa Cashmore and her team analysed data from 664,536 runners in 68,993 National Hunt races between January 2001 and January 2021. These races, where male and female jockeys face off, need horses to jump over fences and ditches.
The team used starting prices and the odds at the start of each race to calculate each horse’s probability of becoming a winner.
Daily Telegraph
After that, they assessed the expected finish position per horse. These predictions were then compared with the final results.
As per the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, results for horses with female jockeys were better than the odds predicted. Punters paid badly for underestimating them.
Click Here: Mats Hummels Jersey Sale
“The market might recognise some improvement in female performance but may be failing to adapt at the speed with which female jockeys are professionalising,” it said in the journal.
Telegraph
“Any beliefs regarding female weakness or inability to cope with injury might particularly strongly influence bettors’ wagering decisions in the case of National Hunt racing,” it added.
“This could be considered unexpected given the rising profile of female jockeys and increasing opportunities afforded them in recent years,” it went on to say.
“Our results highlight the importance of recognising the challenges faced by female jockeys. Contrary to the current media representation that females are now considered equal to males, this analysis suggests the persistence of gender bias in British horseracing,” it continued.
“More broadly, the work also indicates the possibility for gender discrimination in other areas of the industry and highlights the need for examination of gender bias at all levels,” it concluded.