Gender Inequality : Sport Is Becoming Popular

Upon starting college, I was done with sports as far as participating on a team. I knew I wanted to be involved wherever I could be. I enrolled in a class titled, “Girls & Women in Sport.” The class was built upon a sociological approach. In this class, I learned the importance of sex versus gender, the role of Title IX in sports, gender roles, as well as the psychological impacts of athletic participation on women.

Men throughout history have been the dominant gender, from the times of hunting with stone weapons to the modern day metal and automated machines. Many negative connotations are thought of when comparing women to men like strength, but less so when comparing men to women. Is it the society’s view that women are weaker than men or is it a natural fact brought to light? In sports women experience many prejudices, but even so some sports are equal or even female dominant. However the sheer majority lie in the male dominated section leaving women feeling oppressed and as if they have unequal rights, and they mostly do. Some instances of women oppression or unequal rights in sport belong to the sponsorships they receive, the effect media plays on children and women and also the history of sport and of gender inequality itself. The physical make up of each gender also effects stereotyping and how people perceive each gender.

Women have struggled for more than two centuries to be taken serious as professionals. There should not be a double standard in sports especially if it is loved and played by both genders. Over the years, females have competed against the stereotype of being too fragile both mentally and physically to play strenuous sports. The passion and work ethic of the female professional athletes is just as strong as the males and everyone should be treated equal and be able to have a chance at making a better living for themselves as well as their family. One area that still faces a continual struggle in sports is gender equality. Female

Sports have been a large part of society throughout history. They have brought out happiness, joy, hard work, determination, and teamwork in the individuals that have participated in them. However, there have been negatives involved with sports throughout history also, including gender roles, which are defined as the public image of being a particular gender that a person presents to others. These roles have been created by society and passed down from generation to generation, informing one another of false beliefs that say that one gender, usually males, are better than females. In sports, these often say that women have significantly lower performance levels, show less drive and that women see competition as unnecessary. In reviewing the initial beliefs and problems before Title IX, the role of Title IX, the problems still existing today, and the modern movement, it is seen that progress has been made, but also that there is also more to do.

Therefore, the country’s legislators felt that America was better than that and decided to form a law that would reflect the gender diversity of the American people. This led to the Title IX which aimed at abolishing discrimination based on sex in the system of education in America. Formation of the Act saw some girls participating in athletes grow from 16,000 in 1970 to 200,000 in 2012 (Brake 2). The participation in health, socioeconomic activities were some of the gains realized with the enactment of the statute. These benefits derived from the acts are well documented to serve as an example to the many regarding the few whose stories are told. It is hard to watch women Olympics without hearing commentators mentioning the successes of Title IX and the positive impact it has brought to American women and the entire world. Even though this law was formed to give women more power in participatory athletics, women coaches are yet to get a grip on athletics.

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

Title IX is a federal law passed in 1972 guaranteeing girls and women access to equal sports opportunites as boys and men. Title IX in athletics is a very controversial issue that has opened up the world of athletics for millions of women all across the United States. Although it is a win for women athletes, it has created an issue for male athletic programs sufforing from the effects of Title IX. This literary review shows the phenomenon of Title IX and how it affects participation in female sports. It shows the contriversy of Title IX opening doors for female athletes and “closing” doors for male athletes. It also explores the discrimination still in affect towards women in all sports. It also explores the issues Title IX rasies in both male and female sports.

More than 30 years later developments are continuing to be made. Women have begun to dominate many different sports including aerobic exercises, kickboxing, iceskating, swimming, and volleyball. This gains have not only been seen at the recreational level, but also at the high school, collegiate level and even Olympic level. This rise has created great interest in female sports and has increased popularity. Sports like women’s tennis and basketball have been driving forces of the success, thanks to athletes like Venus and Serena Williams and the UCONN and University of Tennessee woman’s basketball programs (Woods, 228-229). With all that being said, “there's been real growth in the number of women who participate in sports, receive scholarships, and benefit from increased budgets. There are more opportunities to compete at elite levels through competitions like the Olympics, World Championships and professional leagues. Even more importantly, we know that playing sports makes women healthier. They're less likely to smoke, drink, use drugs and experience unwanted pregnancies. Studies also link sports participation to reduced incidences of breast cancer and osteoporosis later in life. These health benefits for women and society alone should be reason to keep Title IX strong.” Not only do the benefits of sport give women and equal right to participate, but they

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

Gender in sport has been an ongoing issue, especially for women, with many factors influencing their participation in sport

How is it fair that a men's college basketball team is able to be transported on planes and dine on steak, while a women's team from the same college, travels in a van and eats fast food? It's not, but this occurs often nowadays even with laws passed preventing this type of discrimination. In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, which prohibits discrimination against girls and women in federally funded education, including athletic programs (Kiernan 3). Many schools and colleges have not been able to comply with the Title IX standards mostly because of money. Some of the problems in high schools and colleges consist of insufficient scholarships for girls, not enough coaching jobs, a lack of equipment, and a limited amount of supplies. Not only

To finish, the article by Knoppers, Meyer and Comeaux explored the method of gender, by showing the point of view in every context of sport for female such as soccer and basketball. However, both of those sports demonstrated that how woman, gender is not different, but able to do anything men are able to accomplish. First of all, those articles discussed the result that physical movement involved with playing sports does not harm any woman's players' body, in fact, it provides a better health and reduce any types of sickness or mental health condition. Nowadays, women sports have increasingly developed around the world, at this time and moment, women are starting to earn more than they used to be, society have more respect for them and the

In highschool girls are treated differently in sports than boys. This is not fair for girls, we deserve as much attention as boys and the support that they get from the school. Us girl work are butts off as much as the guys and get nothing. This makes young athletic girls not want to pertisipate in any school sports. Women’s equality rights are still far from being achieved.

Throughout history it is clear that not only women, but both genders have faced seemingly insurmountable barriers when attempting to break into a sport that is not "proper" or stereotypical for their gender to participate in. Though as a society we are making strides towards equality in sport, such as the advent of Title IX, it is clear that we still have a long way to go. Though breakthrough policies such as this are moving in the right direction,

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.