Forum looks at women's sport sponsorship March 14, 2013 - 5:32PM Australian sportswomen struggle to get the recognition they deserve despite often performing better than their male counterparts, says TV presenter Stephanie Brantz. Sports sociologist and author Dr David Rowe agrees and says the disparity in sponsorship between men and women in sport has deep historical roots based around TV coverage. "You need attention to acquire the sponsorship," he told AAP. How do you get the attention? You get on TV. How do you get on TV? Well, you're an established male sport. Brantz says it's a shame when you consider that the Opals traditionally rank higher than the Boomers in world basketball for example. "And the Matildas are ranked higher than the Socceroos," she said. The Southern Stars could probably beat the Australian men's team in cricket at the moment. The pair will discuss sponsorship and other issues at a two-day Women in Sport forum at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney on March 15 and 16. The forum comes after hurdler Sally Pearson claimed last month that she had lost sponsors rather than gained them following her gold medal at the London Olympics. Forum curator Kiersten Fishburn said the Pearson issue showed there was a lot of work that needed to be done in the area of sponsoring elite women's sport. "If the corporates aren't coming to the table, how are women athletes and sportswomen going to be able to sustain their careers," she said.