Gender Inequality in Women's Rugby

The primary opposition to the allowance of transgender and intersex females in women’s sport, argues that these individuals should be excluded because they are not ‘real’ women. Sex segregation in sport exists because it ensures fairness for women. If men and women were to compete against one another it is undeniable that sport

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.

Australia is widely regarded as both characterised and united by sport. Sport has an elevated place in Australia's official and popular national culture, and the country’s reputation for being a 'paradise of sport' has become a largely unquestioned aspect of the Australian way of life. Gender is a social construct that outlines the roles, behaviours, characteristics and actions that a specific society deems appropriate for men and women (WHO, 2014). The established relationship between gender equality and sport is a widely regarded issue in not only Australia, but all around the world. Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including sport and physical recreation

Upon analysing equity and access in sport, it is important that I am aware of what levels of the framework have influenced my sport participation. In Queensland especially, the sport of AFL comes with primarily negative connotations. These preconceived notions about the sport and the cultural have had a negative effect on my participation and approach towards the sport. Gender stereotypes have also been a deterrent in my participation. Sports, such as AFL, require participants to be competitive, courageous, powerful and strong. These qualities are largely associated with male gender stereotypes. Sport reinforces hegemonic masculinity by celebrating stereotypically masculine and activities and attributes, and restricting the behaviour of women.

Since sport, mateship, masculinity, and ultimately the athlete’s perspective is an overarching factor in this production, it was a logical decision to research these themes. As an athlete myself, a lot of the information gathered is from first-hand experience with team sports and professional sport. However other research was conducted online in order to find other perspectives on these themes and how they play apart in society. Through the research, the majority agree that mateship and masculinity can ‘make or break’ an athlete. Mateship is something that can affect a player in both in a negative and positive way, if you get along with the group then it can be seen as an encouraging environment, however if you do not fit in with the team and are constantly picked on, the effects can be very detrimental to certain athletes. Masculinity is defined as being ‘manly’ which consists of being ‘tough’ and ‘able to hold your beer’ in most cases associated with sport. To onlookers this can been seen as just a funny concept, but to an athlete it is a case of fitting in, and this is further explored in the

A sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sports originated in early history as males only, and was often used to see which male was more dominant. In today’s society sports have a different meaning and is played by both genders, but still holds a mentality of superiority. In this essay, I will be arguing the Social Constructs of Masculinity in Sports in the language and the actions used when performing these activities through both genders and how some actions are acceptable for one gender and not for the other. Using Laurel Richardson’s article Gender Stereotyping in the English Language, and X: A Fabulous Child’s Story by Lois Gould. The article and story will help distinguish the use of words in our society and how they are incorporated in sport and how the actions of a person that does not fit the social standard faces repercussions for their actions.

According to Heather Skyes in her article “Transsexual and Transgender Policies in Sport”, the vast variety of genders that make up our society today including transsexuals and transgender are still not accepted into the world of sports due to anxieties from large sporting organizations. In our culture, there is a ‘binary structure’ which separates male from female. When a person is transsexual or transgender, the binary structure becomes challenged. There are so many exceptions to the binary structure, that it becomes nearly impossible to universalize “gender inclusive policies”. These individuals increase the ‘anxieties’ that Skyes suggests sporting organizations have, because transsexual and transgender people do not fit the norm.

At Browns Plains State High School, where the student body consists of adolescent girls, it can be expected that in alignment with research conducted by Allender et al, (2006) the barriers to participation that are most prevalent range from negative experience, lack of self-confidence, restrictive uniforms, gender, favouritism, cultural identity, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, socialisation, society’s expectations and lack of teacher and peer support. Figueroa’s Framework also looks at issues such as race, religion, cultural upbringing, policies, funding, media, development programs, marketing, sponsorship and how these issues affect access and equity/participation in Physical Education. One specific barrier that impacts upon students access to Netball is hegemonic masculinity. Gender stereotyping presents itself in Physical Education classes/the Browns Plains community via the preferential treatment of students, especially boys, who display higher level athletic

When a person of a specific gender enters a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex, many social and moral issues will arise challenging that person involved in that particular sport. The intentions of the individual will be questioned as well as their personal interest in the sport. Before any of these questions are asked, there must be a redefinition of gender roles, femininity, and masculinity. In order for a person to enter a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex without being criticize about gender morality, society must set flexible definitions for femininity and masculinity.

Over the course of time, sports have come to signify masculinity; athletics such as football and basketball easily having come to deem where one fits in terms of societal norms regarding gendered bodies. One could argue that sports, in a modern context, have come to be synonymous with the idea of athletic and/or muscular bodies, which are those that are not regarded as the bodies of ideologically feminine ones given the intense and high pressure nature. In “Sports and Male Domination: The Female Athlete as Contested Ideological Terrain” written by Michael A. Messner in 1988 sheds light on the idea that traditional images of femininity have come to solidify male privilege through the construction and naturalization of gendered characteristics regarding women such as weakness, fragility and dependency .

“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).

Women’s Rugby League is the fastest growing area of the game, and continues to break new ground with new competitions and improved pathway programs to promote participation and equal opportunity.

Gender is an important feature in identity relations and identity politics that are reflected in sports. Feminism helped women to flee from the dominance of patriarchy and masculinity (Fenton & Pitter, 2013). Tylor is recognised due to his study on long-term changes in human sociology. As per Tylor, culture comprehensively includes arts, beliefs, knowledge, customs, laws, morals and various other habits/ capabilities, which are acquired by humans from the society (Stocking, 1963). Thus, culture frames out the outline of the power and values, basing on which masculinity dominates the realm of sports. Rugby is one of them.

As the nation’s gender inequality continues to diminish, things like sports stereotypes, and labour force conflict cannot be understood without understanding the term of identity. Identity work is explained by Schwalbe and Mason-Schrock in 1996 as “anything people do, individually or collectively, to give meaning to themselves or others” (as cited in Ezzell, 2009, p. 1). I propose to examine inequality based on gender identity and in depth the process of stereotype issues, - how people construct stereotypes in gender inequality in the context of sport- among women Rugby. The academic literatures are based on gender identity/ inequality, where it provides many examples of individuals deflecting the norms “by ... creat[ing] a unique identity as heterosexy-fit— simultaneously tough, heterosexual, and conventionally attractive” (Ezzell, 2009, p. 14). By deflecting/ creating an exception to these norms, it only creates greater issues as not only does society view them in a certain way, but also the player themselves. The overarching goal of the proposal is to address the social issue and understand why society to this date gives harsh views towards women’s rugby with a common stereotypical view. These views were described by Ezzell (2009) who conducted a personal communication with some female rugby players who stated that other views them as: “scary, butch lesbians,” “she-males,” “he-shes,” “lesbian man-beasts,” and “butch, big— definitely gay” (p. 8). This study will aid in

Despite all these interventions and modifications, organised sports still remains the institution that perpetuates gender inequality (McDonagh and Pappano 2008:247) and a platform where inequality prospers (Zoonen 1994:150). Messner (1989)