The Role Of Gender Participation In Sport Essay

Woman’s sustained involvement in ‘male’ team sports has only occurred relatively recently. Woman’s participation in sport has been blunted by

The sports world has been a new area where women are recognized. In previous times women’s sports were almost non-existent. In schools many girl teams did not receive adequate funds for uniforms and equipment. Boys sports were much more popular, such as football or basketball. If a girl wanted to play a guy sport she would be labeled as a

Through the movies viewed in this course this semester, we saw women who were able to play against men and still keep their femininity. Nothing is lost when playing sports not traditionally meant for a particular race or gender. Society must become more understanding when it comes to the sports different types of people play and hinder from stereotyping anyone when they participate and perform well in that sport.

In recent years both the government and UK Sport have been working hard to promote higher participation levels in sport for women. The UK wants to be at the forefront of world equality in sport, and has been campaigning hard to educate the country. They have been explaining why sport has traditionally been considered an exclusively male activity, why this is now ‘old fashioned’ and why we must change these traditions in the 21st century, to progress sport and to promote the benefits to health and communities further. In this essay I’m going to discuss the barriers preventing female participation today, and what it was like for women in the past asking the question “have we progressed?” If so, where have we progressed? And is there enough progress? Secondly, what are the other barriers preventing gender equality in the wider society, not just for the elite and amateur athletes but for normal working men and women; is there anything we can do to help them? Lastly what are the National Governing Bodies of each sport doing to overcome gender equality, and are we seeing progress there?

Gender inequality in sport is a hot button issue in our society today. Women, for the most part, have been on the short end of the stick for centuries in reference to participation in sports. Way back in Ancient times, women were not even allowed to watch the Olympics games because they were deemed “ladylike”. Women slowly began to play sports beginning in the 1800s. Some notable events were the first all-women’s golf tournament in Scotland in 1811 and women’s single competition at Wimbledon in 1884 (Frantz, 2014). Women were allowed to participate in some Olympic sports in the 1900 Games such as tennis, golf, and croquet (Frantz, 2014). In 1928, women were allowed to compete in Track and Field events in the Olympics (Frantz, 2014). Women were officially allowed to play basketball beginning in 1971 (Frantz, 2014). Title IX was passed in 1972, which required educational institutions to provide equitable funding to help women’s sports programs. Eventually, more and more organized sport leagues for women sprawled into existence. However, there was still something holding them back.

In the well written article, “Women in Sport: Gender Stereotypes in the past and Present” written by Kristin Wilde, Wilde’s central focus is female inequalities, as well as the struggles females face when being traditionally stereotyped. This exceptional article points to the issue that stereotypes can be really hurtful and that female sports are questioned. Women sports can be as intense as male sports. For example, in the near past and present world males are expected to be strong, independent, and athletic, whereas females are expected to be quiet, obedient, and good looking.

Despite the increased opportunity, female participation in sports is still low (Environmental Scan 2010:18). An important concern in sports research is ‘’developing an understanding’’ of what encourages or discourages participants. Sports research that concentrates on sports participation is minimal while research that links drive to participate in sports is ‘’sparse’’ (Kilpatrick et al 2005:87). Unlike other research methods, in ethnography, the researcher ‘’become immersed into a group’’ (Jones 2012:231) leading to better understanding of behaviors in natural settings Skinner et al (2015:168). Studies by Holt et al (2013) on sports opportunities in Canada established that the best method to collecting data is through participation. This approach helped the researchers collect ‘hidden’ data which otherwise would go unnoticed (Jones 2012:230).This paper sets out to ascertain what influences women’s participation in sports. The initial section of this paper will tackle the research question and objectives. The main research question for this paper is; what are the obstacles and facilitators to women’s participation in sports? The objectives will be able to establish what the participants identify and what I observe as the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. In the second section of this paper, I will cover theoretical models and ethnographic background. The theories I will discuss include feminism, habitus, globalization and nationalization. I will use these theories to address the questions of how (Molnar and Kelly 2013:10) and why (Horn 2008:116) obstacles and facilitators impact on women participating in sports. I will outline how the theories will help me connect my data to existing knowledge. I will also identify the success and limitations of the theories in

Gender stereotypes have long been a contentious issue in sport. Sport requires participants to be competitive, courageous, determined, muscular, powerful and strong. These

The relevance of sports to nations cannot be overemphasised; it is the basis for calls from interest groups for more equal opportunities to participate in sports. Gaps in status between men (dominant) and women (dominated) highlight the association of nationalism and gender bias. Sports serve as a platform where the integration of nationalism and masculinity becomes more visible (Nauright 2010:281; Coakley and Dunning

The role of men and women in sports has been contested throughout history. Institutions of gender have shaped sports in various ways, one of them being participation. This gendered nature of participation in sports has assigned a subordinate role towards women within sports. Additionally, the prevalence of gender-based discrimination in sport mirrors traditional gender stereotypes and reinforces gender inequalities. For instance, the opportunities that are available for women and girls to participate in sport are often restricted. Women are frequently segregated involuntarily into different types of sports, events, and competitions specifically targeted to women. Even when participation is allowed, the dynamics of gender

Society today has more acceptance of women playing what were once considered male sports such as fencing and soccer . Sports once dominated by males, are available for women to play. Organisations and sporting groups are created to help promote equality in sports, encourage and support women in sport. The media play a large role in promoting women in sport. Despite all of these efforts, statistics still show that media coverage favours male athletes, and financial rewards, earnings and sponsorships through sport show a great inequality.

In the last one hundred years women have made tremendous inroads in many facets of life. Of that there can be little doubt. Women may now hold jobs, own property and participate in professional sports. Today women can compete in sports, once a vestige of male domination; there is now room for women in that arena. But even today women in sports are not portrayed in the same light as their male counterparts. To a large degree this is because of today's cultural ideal of women.

All around the world, women are confronted with inequality in many activities they take part in, one of them being sports. In the past, women have had fewer chances of being recognized. However, as the years have gone by, new opportunities have sprung up and women are now able to assume many of the roles alongside men. Moreover, there has always been a stereotype that women cannot be equal to men in sports. This is because of health issues or just simply because of their physical abilities. Women have strived for equality in all aspects of life including the sports world; however, society has not allowed these women to prove themselves valued because society keeps on giving importance to the thought that they as women

The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the factors that influence women’s participation in sports. The study is to enable me classify these factors into the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. To achieve this, I participated in various sports activities which granted me the opportunity of: “learning from people” rather than “studying the people” as posited by (Spradley 1979:3). This chapter explicitly presents the specific research techniques that was used for the study. The techniques include: the study design and method, sampling, sampling units, data collection, my personal experience, data recording, ethics and expectation.

The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the factors that influence women’s participation in sports. The study is to enable me classify these factors into the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. To achieve this, I participated in various sports activities which granted me the opportunity of: “learning from people” rather than “studying the people” as posited by (Spradley 1979:3). This chapter explicitly presents the specific research techniques that was used for the study. The techniques include: the study design and method, sampling, sampling units, data collection, my personal experience, data recording, ethics and expectation.