Gender Differences In Sports Research Paper

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

Before we told our daughters that they could be anyone, or anything they wanted to be, we told them that they could only be what was acceptable for women to be, and that they could only do things that were considered "ladylike." It was at this time, when the nation was frenzied with the business of war, that the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League decided that they could do and be whatever it was that they chose. These women broke free of the limitations that their family and society had set for them, and publicly broke into what had been an exclusively male sport up until that time.

Ever since 1887 when softball first became a sport, individuals compared the two. In the past, baseball was the most watched sport in the United States, which earned baseball the nickname of America's’ Pastime. During that time, individuals did not take women’s athletic abilities seriously, for which no females

Women’s participation in sports has changed over the centuries. In ancient times, men dominated societies. Women were viewed as the caretaker, a provider for life. Women who did participate were criticized and were thought of as threatening. In 18th century America, women were considered inferior to men because of the belief that women are the weaker sex. A woman’s purpose in life was to take care of the house, children, and husband. When they did want to participate in recreational sport, they need to be able to negotiate with men and with other women because societies did not make it easy for women to participate. For example, there was a

This essay is going to critically evaluate whether ‘sports initiatives are a great way to empower females’. Gender is ‘the assignment of masculine and feminine characteristics to bodies in cultural contexts. It is a socially constructed category that involves roles, expectations, and responsibilities that are not biologically determined’ (Grewal & Kaplan, 2006). This definition shows us that it is not just physical things that define what gender is but also what roles there are. It is important as one of the big issues in sport in gender inequality, when males and females are not treated as equals in sport as well as in everyday life. For example in sports such as golf the males and females play the U.S. Open on different weeks and the

Female athletes and sports leagues are viewed as less important than men’s professional athletics. This is because gender stereotypes are still evident in our society, which is shown in the way women are presented in sports media and that sports leadership roles are mainly male oriented in our society. There is a small percentage of female voicing at the higher levels of sports organizations, in Australian and Canadian leagues. This reflects why we need more women at the heads of these organization to make women’s sports more diverse in terms of both genders. Kids grow up watching male dominated leagues and most families don’t ever watch any female sporting leagues and don’t introduce their kids to those leagues. Young boys have all these male athletes to look up to and young girls don’t have that same opportunity as there is nowhere to watch female athletes. When female athletes are presented in media they are usually sexualized and only viewed for their physical features. This research essay will explore how women are viewed as second class athletes and why they are presented in media less than men.

Sport is any physical activity that makes your body consume more power than it would ordinarily. It also makes you inhale harder and makes your heart pulsate quicker. Exercise is a particular form of physical activity. It is always planned and carried out with the intention of acquiring fitness or other health benefits ('Exercise and physical …' 2009). Anything physical can be a form of exercise. For instance, a short distance of walking or bike riding, dancing, and household chores. Sport is always very topical, it is also an activity that can be different for men and women. Doing sports to keep healthy might be the most important reason for people who participate, especially for overweight people because they would generally be advised to put a lot of effort into doing exercise. The participation rate of both men and women has risen in recent years. However, "There are 1 million more men than women taking part in sport at least three times a week," ('Women’s Sport and Fitness … 'n.d.).

For many years, women have been underappreciated. They are seen as individuals who should only cook, clean, and take care of the kids around the house. As the years move on, women are starting to break those stereotypes and becoming strong and independent. One of the ways that they are doing this is through the sports world. Many professional women athletes have been helping to tear down those stereotypes and let the people of the world know that women are capable of what men can do too. Even though men’s sports are more popular than women’s, the media should acknowledge women’s sports just as much as men’s because the physical activities that women do in the sports world encourage girls to play them, breaks through the gender barrier and increasing the recognition of women’s sports increases funding for them.

Women in professional sports fits into the Sex and Power: Global Gender Inequality class because many female athletes have experienced the inequalities in a professional sports setting. Female athletes are being put down by gender inequalities, causing less females participating in athletic programs. Women athletes are being paid less than their male counterparts. Along with being paid less, female and males are receiving unequal benefits in the form of scholarship, media coverage, transportation, and stadium conditions. The professional sport’s world is filled with the obsession of body image and sexuality. Through this obsession, female athletes have been abused from the people they trust the most. There is an increasing inequality in women’s professional sports in the form of pay, sexuality, and abuse.

During the 19th century, women’s teams at six different colleges as well as other outside sources began playing baseball. Baseball was a chance for these women to step out side of their comfort zone almost and gain a freedom that they otherwise did not have before. Martha Brady states it best with her quote from article “Creating Safe Spaces and Building Social Assets for Young Women in the Developing World” When she says, “To a degree, being involved in sports appears to work against the repressive effects of conformity and femininity and allows girls access to the more action-oriented realm of adolescence that is typically enjoyed by boys (Brady, 42). During this time a couple women stood out and began to

The All American Girl’s Professional Baseball League both challenged and reinforced traditional women’s roles. The AAGPBL only lasted for eleven years, but its effects are not forgotten. Towards the beginnings of the lead, along with the influential leaders, the players were the ones to make it famous. The AAGPBL made women athletics a possibility today and helped America to emerge to why women athletes are necessary. After the men returned from war, the league began to decline and the women were eventually forced back into being housewives and back into the households.

In his essay “Throwing like A Girl”, author James Fallows explores the fundamentals behind throwing a baseball and whether woman live up to the stereotype as being weak or valueless in the sports world. He suggests that the misconceptions of the phrase “throwing like a girl” has nothing to do with a someone’s gender but whether they’ve acquired the skill to throw a baseball. Fallows cites several sources to support his statement about females in sports.

Baseball, some would argue, is America’s favorite past time. Many can recall their experiences as they enjoyed the game as a child and then continue to share it with their children. The sport has brought us many great moments such as when Jackie Robinson broke racial barriers as the first African American to play in the major leagues. When one thinks of professional baseball, many times, names of greats such as Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays come to mind. What many fans over look about America’s favorite past time is the period when fewer men were available to continue their participation in the sport, as many were drafted to serve in World War II. Not wanting the game to come to an end, the league brought in women hoping the spirit of the game would continue to thrive. Even though these female leagues were formed, the sport was not truly the same as the women athletes were held to different standards and not given the same opportunity as the men who had played the game.

Women’s equality is an issue that has been around for awhile. While women have been given many rights to increase equality, including the right to vote and go to college, the problem hasn’t completely vanished. One area that still sees this is in sports. Women’s sports do not draw nearly as many fans and are not covered in the media as much as men’s sports, pay differences between male and female athletes are large, and female athletes have to wait longer to start their professional career than men, which risks their professional career before it even starts.

Laura E Berk, who is a child psychologist mentions in her recent novel that “somewhere between ages 9 and 11 kids begin to develop gender stereotypes” (Berk, 2015). Berk also suggests that “it’s best to separate prepubescent girls and boys based on ability and cognitive development rather than gender” (Berk, 2015). However, by creating an environment where boys and girls are able to play in the same sport, it is an opportunity to curb these notions before they begin. From pewee leagues to professional sports woman are stereotyped by society in several aspects. These stereotypes occur all across the world, in variety of sports and in several other ways. Gender stereotypes do exist in sports and are likely due to traditional gender norms of our society. These norms exist because, for centuries woman were painted as the weak by men. Woman are constantly being evaluated by physical appearance rather than focused on skill level and performance. For example, the word softball is indicative of a gender stereotype. Baseball is also known to be called hardball, the woman’s sport is known as softball is gender stereotype in itself. This also creates the assumption that woman must compete at a softer and a less competitive level compared to men athletes. To add on “the equipment is also alerted based on gender as well. The size of a baseball in comparison to a softball is much smaller, making it more difficult to hit than a softball” (Patchan, 2015). This assumes