Gender In Sports

According to Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in [the] Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” Because of the establishment of this international document, much progression toward the equality of rights for all with inherited and acquired traits has been achieved over time. In particular, gender equality has made a great deal of headway since the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. Even though this may be the case, there is no doubt that female athletes are far from considered equal as compared to male athletes in modern sports. In today’s sports society, women athletes are still discriminated against based on lower salaries, less media coverage, and lack of opportunity.

Within sport, as throughout society, gender differences exist. The socially constructed phenomenon of gender dictates a dichotomous system whereby females are feminine and males are masculine. Focusing on females specifically, society determines the feminine traits and roles ascribed to this gender. Being domesticated, slender, passive and heterosexual are a part of the desirable appearance that society has formed surrounding femininity (Wolf, 1991). On the other side of the dichotomy is the masculine realm that sport plays into. Sport is fuelled by muscle, power and aggressiveness, which are behaviours and images associated to masculinity. Sport therefore, defies all existing female gender ideals. It would be assumed that females have no place within this institution due to the gender clash. However, female athletes do exist, and many are very successful. For this to work, sport has established and reinforced the social constructions of gender that exist in society. Female athletes are viewed as inferior and are pushed into gender appropriate sports. Furthermore, they are often labeled as masculine until they can prove otherwise, and so great attempts are made to reassert femininity. The stigma associated to being masculine or homosexual for female athletes is so great that many have become irrationally fearful of this label. The sexualisation of the female body and overt displays of heterosexuality are used in

It is also believed that female athletes become objectified in the media as an “attempt to limit female power, thereby reinforcing hegemonic masculinity” (Pederson,2002). Mass media and sports are one of the most commanding hegemonic social institutions and there is a strong link between athleticism and masculinity. It is due to this hegemonic masculinity that women, in many ways are considered inferior to men and treated as if they have no place of their own in sports, where only male power dominates.

The abuse of power to exploit and dominate women within sporting bodies is not a new concept to society and may seem complex however, to gain insight on this topic one may observe the role of masculinity in sports. Sport has been a masculine domain where men are able to assert their dominance, strength, and bravery. Directly addressed by the three I’s: inferiority, injury, and immorality in Authors Eileen McDonagh’s and Laura Pappano’s article Playing With the Boys: Why Separate Is Not Equal In Sports women have been marked as physically inferior to men (McDonagh and Pappano, 2008, pp.181-187). Additionally, society feared that if women were allowed to compete in masculine sports it would promote damage to their vital organs, homosexual affiliations,

The issue of inequality within the sporting world affects the whole of the cultural and social makeup of Australia. In modern society there is great pressure upon people and communities regard women as equal to men. Women have come along way in one hundred years. From women being join the armed services, allowed to vote, and hold prestigious places within society. However women are still not held in the same esteem as men when it comes to sport. Therefore Australia should make it a priority of society to close the gap between men and women’s sport. But to do this, we must first understand the stakeholders and the issues surrounding them to correctly target and work to fix these issues. There are a number of barriers that effect women’s

Gender challenges in sports have been around for centuries. Male and female genders are treated differently in more than one way. The research I have gathered show the differences in all aspects of sports related business areas such as, ticket sales, facilities, price of tickets, media coverage, Sports Illustrated covers, and sports reporters. The purpose of this research is to bring attention the disparities that women follow in the business of sports. Women are stereotyped, discriminated against, and harassed in all aspects I have discussed. So my final thoughts on my research are that women will always be acknowledged for their beauty, body, and sex appeal. A woman’s knowledge of sports, athleticism, and love for the

It is expected that women were not very involved in athletics due to their domestic responsibilities, but as time progressed, more women stepped out of their separate spheres to pursue opportunities that were thought to be “masculine.” The Olympic Games was crucial to the emergence of women participation in societal events since it broke the social barriers that prevented them from gaining equality. Although the first modern Olympic Games only allowed male

In other words, men are the default in sport and women are “othered.” While women have been, and continue to be, disadvantaged by sport media, a newer gender issue has been given more attention in recent years. As the typically restrictive categories

b. Sport sociology: relationship between sport and society by examining its inherent institutions (race, genders…)

“Women who play men’s sport have constantly to negotiate their status in traditional cultural contexts of men’s power and privilege, and in a general discourse of femininity, patriarchy and compulsory heterosexuality” (Craig & Beedie, 2008).

This study reveals much about the attitudes that persist in society today regarding sport and gender. Early on, sport was created to serve men, evolving as a celebration of maleness, valuing strength, power, and competition. It idealized, promoted, and rewarded successful, elite athletes, established “the dream” as a professional career in sports, and viewed mass participation in sport as a tool to weed out the weak (Hill, 1993). In contrast, women’s sports originated to “address the expressed need for healthful exercise” (Huckaby, 1994). Unlike the competitive warrior mode

The adverse topic of women in sports stems from society's disregard to viewing women as persons. Women were, and in other parts of the world continue to be viewed as property of men and have no significant role in society. Being allowed into the Olympics was a step in the right direction for women across the world, but it was meager attempt equality. Women were still restricted by what events they were allowed to compete in, how they were trained and coached and even limited as to what they could wear. A woman’s femininity played a large role in the way they were perceived by society; weak. Women were seen as incommensurate to men and it was something that has taken us centuries to reverse. Today, women are given the rights we should have

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.

The sports industry has been around since the 19th century and since then has always been dependent upon sport communication. Sport communications is a powerful activity because it has the ability to influence public opinion. “Sport communication is defined as process by which people in sport, in a sport setting, or through a sport endeavor share symbols as they create meaning through interaction,” (Laucella, Miloch, & Pedersen p.10). In other words, as long as athletes keep playing their sports, they are usually considered role models. Their daily examples cannot only affect the engagement into sports, but also social and individual behavior of people. At the same time, the debate about different gender, racial, and national groups engaged in sports is very important because it defines what topics are present in the public opinion and which are discussed. Unfortunately, in today’s news sport communication is still maintaining status quo relative to the different minority groups and violence in sports.

While it is well know that sport and athleticism can transform the human body, they also have the power to reshape cultures and national identities. This way of thinking was witnessed during the colonial era with the introduction of ‘gentlemanly sports’ as a means of pacification and social control (Presterudstuen and Schieder 2016, p. 224). Through the acceptance and