Has Women's Soccer Made It to the Mainstream?

Has women's soccer made it to the mainstream? The current women's soccer World Cup, which is culminating this Sunday in the final match between England and Spain, has generated major media interest. In a survey among UK and German respondents this July, a larger majority of respondents agreed that female soccer is on the rise. However, the answers also show that there is still a long way to go until women's sports have caught up with their male counterparts.

While a high of 71 percent in the UK called women's soccer stars inspirational, only 64 percent in the country wanted to see more women's soccer on free TV and only 57 percent said women in soccer should be paid the same as men. All three data points were closer together in Germany, at 56-66 percent each.

40 and 44 percent said that they preferred their country's national women's team to the men's team.