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The Treatment of a Women in Sports
"Women are always nervous about being aggressive. Parents don't even realize this. And it's not done on purpose. But girls are taught to be passive from the pink blanket to when she falls down, to how they are held, how they are talked to, how they are told they are pretty. If a boy falls down, the father says, "Get up, you're okay." If a girl falls down, they say, "Oh, are you all right?" She's being told to be passive. If a woman is aggressive, people say she's a bitch, they don't like it. But women and men need to be appropriately aggressive. And we're not."
Hall of Fame tennis player
- Billie Jean King
ABSTRACT:
Women’s Professional sports? In early 20th century the idea of women engaging in an aggressive or even a “perspiring” sport was unthinkable. Throughout history women have been creating stepping stones to achieve parity in exposure in compensation that is provided in today’s male sports world. With the 1996 induction of the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) a substantial leap was overcome, and the precedence of women in sports was changed not only for the 90’s but forever. Only with the help of Title IX legislation and the persistence of women athletes to demand equality was such an accomplishment to be achieved. Although, women are making strives towarRAB equality, and making progress in acknowledging females for their athletic ability, there are still many signs of sexism and poor treatment because of their endeavors.
Even today with the press towarRAB a new “equalitarian attitude” women athletes still encounter the old school view of the norm and the politics of a male dominated realm. This being the case women are still being ridiculed for playing sports. Many females with athletic ability are being stereotyped as “Lesbian” or masculine simply because of their accomplishments in sports. Simply stated, this is just another form of ridicule to hold down women in society. Is this sexism or “machismo” ever going to change? Through research I hope to grasp an understanding or the premise behind this type of treatment of women in today’s sports world.
INTRODUCTION:
Growing up it was understood that the girl’s part in sports was to be the cheerleaders on the sidelines, with pom-poms, short skirts, letter sweaters, and those funky white shoes. Girls weren’t athletes, they weren’t supposed to be. Sweating was very unladylike, and the idea of getting dirty was even worse. Even their participation in gym class was nothing more than the fulfillment of an educational requirement. Girls certainly couldn’t perform great feats of strength, speed, and agility. Women’s feats in athletics have been evolving to a greater level whether it be Martina Navratilova’s performance in battle with Chris Evert at Wirabledon and the French Open. Or, Billie Jean King’s sound defeat of Bobby Riggs in the infamous battle of the sexes at the Houston Astrodome. Many observers had finally heralded the accomplishments of these women as proof that modern women had finally cast off the physical and psychological shackles of the past. Yet others looked less favorably on these developments, perceiving women’s entrance into the sports arena as an unsettling and unwelcome intrusion into the realm of masculinity.
In the early seventies, as sexism became a household word, women began to resent the lack of college scholarships, the limited travel schedules, and the bake sales. They began to seek greater challenges, wider arenas in which to stretch, move, and run. “We want what the men have”! The Title IX passage to the Education Amendments Act of 1972, helped cross some of these unequal barriers for women in sports. Although, as we approach the year 2000, nearly twenty-five years after the passage of Title IX, girls and women in sports are still fighting an uphill battle. It is unbelievable that in 1999 girls and women in sports remain challenged by out-of-date beliefs and by an athletic system that is reluctant to change and continues to subdue equitable advances. The real questions is whether or not we truly will ever have equality is sports?
WHAT IS TITLE IX?
In layman’s terms, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funRAB. In brief it states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Salter 5-6). Title IX requires proportional participation opportunities. The percentage of female athletes in the athletic program (nurabers of athletes, not nurabers of teams) neeRAB to match the percentage of girls in your student body. It has provided women with greater athletic participation opportunities and more equitable facilities in addition to raising the salaries of coaches for women's teams allowing them exposure to higher caliber fundamentals and knowledge. As a direct reflection of these opportunities, Title IX has managed for women to receive athletic scholarships and in turn, opportunities for higher education that some may not have been able to afford otherwise.
Although, these are great strides in the progress women and girls have made under Title IX legislation they still fall far short of achieving gender equity. "The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, the organization that is charged with enforcing Title IX, is under funded and, despite the reluctance of schools to comply with the gender equity, has never pulled federal funding from schools or colleges that discriminate against women and girls" (Feminist Majority Foundation; Series #4). Enforcement of Title IX has, instead, been left to individuals. Women and girls have been left to file lawsuits on their own to challenge discriminatory practices in schools and colleges. While almost all of these lawsuits tend to favor of women athletes and coaches, this is an expensive and time-consuming avenue toward gender equity. Should this be something that is on the mind of an athlete when she is striving to mentally prepare herself for the sport? To excel and become the best at what she has worked so hard to achieve? Many don't realize the effects that this may have on the performance of an athlete (male or female).
Since the passage of Title IX, for the most part resistance has come from those who argue that the further we step towarRAB equity in sports it will ruin college football. Traditionally, NCAA has dedicated substantial proportions of athletic department budgets to football programs, including a disproportionately large nuraber of scholarships. Advocates for maintaining this irabalance suggest that it be warranted due to the revenue generated by football. The reality of it is that although many feel football is a key economic contributor to athletic funding, football is only 20% of the teams are making profit and 33% are actually losing money out of 554 schools that had teams in 1995. (Coakley, p.225) While this myth has been laid to rest this is just another example of the types of excuses backed by false information continues to hold down opportunity in women's athletics. Before it was said that women couldn't / shouldn't play because there was no funding available, now that resources have been allocated (from various sources), the story turns to finger pointing. Who is really taking from whom?
With Title IX setting the pathway of opportunity, there are several other areas that will need to be addressed in order for an "understanding" or middle ground to be found when it comes to the participation both of men and women in athletics. Some of these issues include; both genders understanding and accepting where it is that they are in respect to the evolution of their group (gender) within the sports world. By understanding and accepting this, a better model may be formed to balance existing error and move ahead rather than remain debating the same argument that has plagued women that have had the desire to be considered equal in sports. "It just isn't fair."
Gender Ideology
Achieving a more total form of gender equity requires fundamental changes in how we think about gender and it's effects on how we play sports. Generally everyone is brought up or taught at an early age what each gender's roles or gender logic are in society. For most we are taught to live and operate within a male dominated society that requires the understanding that men are the dominant figure and women are inferior next to men, in all aspects of life including each gender's participation in the sports world. Often times you may hear the phrase, "you throw like a little girl" or "stop playing like a girl" when describing to someone that they were unable to throw a ball or play a sport correctly. These derogatory comment simply further the notion of how society actually views women and their involvement in sports. These phrases not always expressed by men / boys, but also by women. They are no longer being taken at face value; rather they are simple descriptions of how we would view someone that is inferior. We should view the female athlete in the same way and recognize her ability, skill, and accomplishments, rather than comparing her performance to that of the male. In fact, if sports were entirely open, without any stratification or categories by age, sex, size, weight, etc., only the biggest, strongest males would ever get to compete -- in anything. According to Susan Cahn, author of Coming On Strong states, "In general, male athletes are generally more powerful (power = speed + strength) because they are able to develop more muscle mass per unit volume of body weight due to the male hormone androgen" (Cahn 23). However, there are women who are more powerful than some men are. It's important to know that there are few sports that require absolute strength or power (like weight lifting or shot putting). Most sports require skill. Skill is a corabination of accuracy and coordination. Females happen to be better than males in most fine motor skills. The bottom line is that differences in strength, power, skill and coordination between men and women don't really matter because in most sports, men play against men and women play against women. When men and women do compete against each other, it is usually a coed game with equal nurabers of men and women, so their strengths and weaknesses even out. Both girls and boys should be able to play any sport they like without criticism from others.
Although, reality shows us that girls and boys do get criticized, girls who excel in sports are labeled as "toraboys" and the boys who show no athletic ability are called "sissies". These children are socially marginalized because they don't fit what is taught as the traditional masculine or feminine characteristics of society. As they move through life, get older, and continue to play sports these stereotypes and labels begin to take different forms. If girls continue to play in sports and excel the adolescent term "toraboy" quickly transforms into the label of "lesbian." Homophobia in women's athletics is widespread. Christine Grant, University of Iowa women's athletic director, says, "homophobia in women's sports is like the McCarthyism of the 1950s. The fear is paralyzing" (Guttman 155). Female athletes in traditionally masculine sports challenge the social status quo of what proper behavior should be for females, for most the reasoning then goes, "there must be something wrong with them". Focusing on sexual orientation unfairly denies women opportunities in sports on the basis of personal preferences irrelevant to athletic abilities. According to Mariah Burton Nelson, in her book, Are We Winning Yet? "Homophobia in sports serves as a way to control women, both gay and straight. Whether a woman is lesbian or straight, homophobia in sports and the society at large tenRAB to discourage girls and women from pursuing traditionally "masculine" activities such as contact sports and team sports for fear of being labeled a homosexual" (Nelson 145). Only one well-known woman athlete, Martina Navratilova, has dared to bring her personal sexual preference out in the open. Even then, however, Navratilova lost corporate endorsements because of her sexuality. Homophobia in sports not only causes discrimination against lesbians, but it also hurts all women by heightening the stereotype that sports are not feminine. This being the case it often prevents some girls and women from enjoying athletic participation and successful careers in athletics.
There truly is no finish line when it comes to gender equity, the book remains open, whether it be in sports or otherwise. It is an ongoing challenge that we face every single day. Even as contemporary definitions of femininity have grown to include athleticism, sporting institutions continue to be dominated by men while the sports world continues to reflect a set of deep rooted sexist values and meanings which still threaten women's participation and enjoyment in sports today. The only way that we will seek true equity is in reconstructing or redefining the ideology of masculinity and femininity. By, not incorporating sexual preference, and or stereotyping people because of what society has labeled them merely for their appearance or what is deemed "masculine". This is ultimately what denies women opportunities based on something that is irrelevant to ones athletic ability.
With the help of legislation such as Title IX, women have been given a greater chance to reach or have the opportunity to prove that they too hold a place on the playing fielRAB along side any male and or person who is willing to challenge they are not. In addition to breaking the social norm of what is associated with female athletics. No single group or organization should expect more than what is given to another and it is for this reason alone women fight for equality in the sports arena. A woman's athletic freedom requires that certain attributes long defined as masculine become human qualities and not those of a particular gender. Based on the true understanding of sheer ability and poise should any judgments be made on an individual and their endeavors in athletics? Not only in the sports realm does these gender inequalities exist but, in every corner of society. Hopefully a woman will close this book of challenges to further the next generation of young female athletes.
"If you let me play - I will like myself more, I will have more self confidence, I will suffer less depression, I will be 60% less likely to get breast cancer, I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me, I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to, I will learn what it means to be strong - IF YOU LET ME PLAY SPORTS."
- Voice of a young girl, Nike Ad (1996)
"Women are always nervous about being aggressive. Parents don't even realize this. And it's not done on purpose. But girls are taught to be passive from the pink blanket to when she falls down, to how they are held, how they are talked to, how they are told they are pretty. If a boy falls down, the father says, "Get up, you're okay." If a girl falls down, they say, "Oh, are you all right?" She's being told to be passive. If a woman is aggressive, people say she's a bitch, they don't like it. But women and men need to be appropriately aggressive. And we're not."
Hall of Fame tennis player
- Billie Jean King
ABSTRACT:
Women’s Professional sports? In early 20th century the idea of women engaging in an aggressive or even a “perspiring” sport was unthinkable. Throughout history women have been creating stepping stones to achieve parity in exposure in compensation that is provided in today’s male sports world. With the 1996 induction of the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) a substantial leap was overcome, and the precedence of women in sports was changed not only for the 90’s but forever. Only with the help of Title IX legislation and the persistence of women athletes to demand equality was such an accomplishment to be achieved. Although, women are making strives towarRAB equality, and making progress in acknowledging females for their athletic ability, there are still many signs of sexism and poor treatment because of their endeavors.
Even today with the press towarRAB a new “equalitarian attitude” women athletes still encounter the old school view of the norm and the politics of a male dominated realm. This being the case women are still being ridiculed for playing sports. Many females with athletic ability are being stereotyped as “Lesbian” or masculine simply because of their accomplishments in sports. Simply stated, this is just another form of ridicule to hold down women in society. Is this sexism or “machismo” ever going to change? Through research I hope to grasp an understanding or the premise behind this type of treatment of women in today’s sports world.
INTRODUCTION:
Growing up it was understood that the girl’s part in sports was to be the cheerleaders on the sidelines, with pom-poms, short skirts, letter sweaters, and those funky white shoes. Girls weren’t athletes, they weren’t supposed to be. Sweating was very unladylike, and the idea of getting dirty was even worse. Even their participation in gym class was nothing more than the fulfillment of an educational requirement. Girls certainly couldn’t perform great feats of strength, speed, and agility. Women’s feats in athletics have been evolving to a greater level whether it be Martina Navratilova’s performance in battle with Chris Evert at Wirabledon and the French Open. Or, Billie Jean King’s sound defeat of Bobby Riggs in the infamous battle of the sexes at the Houston Astrodome. Many observers had finally heralded the accomplishments of these women as proof that modern women had finally cast off the physical and psychological shackles of the past. Yet others looked less favorably on these developments, perceiving women’s entrance into the sports arena as an unsettling and unwelcome intrusion into the realm of masculinity.
In the early seventies, as sexism became a household word, women began to resent the lack of college scholarships, the limited travel schedules, and the bake sales. They began to seek greater challenges, wider arenas in which to stretch, move, and run. “We want what the men have”! The Title IX passage to the Education Amendments Act of 1972, helped cross some of these unequal barriers for women in sports. Although, as we approach the year 2000, nearly twenty-five years after the passage of Title IX, girls and women in sports are still fighting an uphill battle. It is unbelievable that in 1999 girls and women in sports remain challenged by out-of-date beliefs and by an athletic system that is reluctant to change and continues to subdue equitable advances. The real questions is whether or not we truly will ever have equality is sports?
WHAT IS TITLE IX?
In layman’s terms, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funRAB. In brief it states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Salter 5-6). Title IX requires proportional participation opportunities. The percentage of female athletes in the athletic program (nurabers of athletes, not nurabers of teams) neeRAB to match the percentage of girls in your student body. It has provided women with greater athletic participation opportunities and more equitable facilities in addition to raising the salaries of coaches for women's teams allowing them exposure to higher caliber fundamentals and knowledge. As a direct reflection of these opportunities, Title IX has managed for women to receive athletic scholarships and in turn, opportunities for higher education that some may not have been able to afford otherwise.
Although, these are great strides in the progress women and girls have made under Title IX legislation they still fall far short of achieving gender equity. "The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, the organization that is charged with enforcing Title IX, is under funded and, despite the reluctance of schools to comply with the gender equity, has never pulled federal funding from schools or colleges that discriminate against women and girls" (Feminist Majority Foundation; Series #4). Enforcement of Title IX has, instead, been left to individuals. Women and girls have been left to file lawsuits on their own to challenge discriminatory practices in schools and colleges. While almost all of these lawsuits tend to favor of women athletes and coaches, this is an expensive and time-consuming avenue toward gender equity. Should this be something that is on the mind of an athlete when she is striving to mentally prepare herself for the sport? To excel and become the best at what she has worked so hard to achieve? Many don't realize the effects that this may have on the performance of an athlete (male or female).
Since the passage of Title IX, for the most part resistance has come from those who argue that the further we step towarRAB equity in sports it will ruin college football. Traditionally, NCAA has dedicated substantial proportions of athletic department budgets to football programs, including a disproportionately large nuraber of scholarships. Advocates for maintaining this irabalance suggest that it be warranted due to the revenue generated by football. The reality of it is that although many feel football is a key economic contributor to athletic funding, football is only 20% of the teams are making profit and 33% are actually losing money out of 554 schools that had teams in 1995. (Coakley, p.225) While this myth has been laid to rest this is just another example of the types of excuses backed by false information continues to hold down opportunity in women's athletics. Before it was said that women couldn't / shouldn't play because there was no funding available, now that resources have been allocated (from various sources), the story turns to finger pointing. Who is really taking from whom?
With Title IX setting the pathway of opportunity, there are several other areas that will need to be addressed in order for an "understanding" or middle ground to be found when it comes to the participation both of men and women in athletics. Some of these issues include; both genders understanding and accepting where it is that they are in respect to the evolution of their group (gender) within the sports world. By understanding and accepting this, a better model may be formed to balance existing error and move ahead rather than remain debating the same argument that has plagued women that have had the desire to be considered equal in sports. "It just isn't fair."
Gender Ideology
Achieving a more total form of gender equity requires fundamental changes in how we think about gender and it's effects on how we play sports. Generally everyone is brought up or taught at an early age what each gender's roles or gender logic are in society. For most we are taught to live and operate within a male dominated society that requires the understanding that men are the dominant figure and women are inferior next to men, in all aspects of life including each gender's participation in the sports world. Often times you may hear the phrase, "you throw like a little girl" or "stop playing like a girl" when describing to someone that they were unable to throw a ball or play a sport correctly. These derogatory comment simply further the notion of how society actually views women and their involvement in sports. These phrases not always expressed by men / boys, but also by women. They are no longer being taken at face value; rather they are simple descriptions of how we would view someone that is inferior. We should view the female athlete in the same way and recognize her ability, skill, and accomplishments, rather than comparing her performance to that of the male. In fact, if sports were entirely open, without any stratification or categories by age, sex, size, weight, etc., only the biggest, strongest males would ever get to compete -- in anything. According to Susan Cahn, author of Coming On Strong states, "In general, male athletes are generally more powerful (power = speed + strength) because they are able to develop more muscle mass per unit volume of body weight due to the male hormone androgen" (Cahn 23). However, there are women who are more powerful than some men are. It's important to know that there are few sports that require absolute strength or power (like weight lifting or shot putting). Most sports require skill. Skill is a corabination of accuracy and coordination. Females happen to be better than males in most fine motor skills. The bottom line is that differences in strength, power, skill and coordination between men and women don't really matter because in most sports, men play against men and women play against women. When men and women do compete against each other, it is usually a coed game with equal nurabers of men and women, so their strengths and weaknesses even out. Both girls and boys should be able to play any sport they like without criticism from others.
Although, reality shows us that girls and boys do get criticized, girls who excel in sports are labeled as "toraboys" and the boys who show no athletic ability are called "sissies". These children are socially marginalized because they don't fit what is taught as the traditional masculine or feminine characteristics of society. As they move through life, get older, and continue to play sports these stereotypes and labels begin to take different forms. If girls continue to play in sports and excel the adolescent term "toraboy" quickly transforms into the label of "lesbian." Homophobia in women's athletics is widespread. Christine Grant, University of Iowa women's athletic director, says, "homophobia in women's sports is like the McCarthyism of the 1950s. The fear is paralyzing" (Guttman 155). Female athletes in traditionally masculine sports challenge the social status quo of what proper behavior should be for females, for most the reasoning then goes, "there must be something wrong with them". Focusing on sexual orientation unfairly denies women opportunities in sports on the basis of personal preferences irrelevant to athletic abilities. According to Mariah Burton Nelson, in her book, Are We Winning Yet? "Homophobia in sports serves as a way to control women, both gay and straight. Whether a woman is lesbian or straight, homophobia in sports and the society at large tenRAB to discourage girls and women from pursuing traditionally "masculine" activities such as contact sports and team sports for fear of being labeled a homosexual" (Nelson 145). Only one well-known woman athlete, Martina Navratilova, has dared to bring her personal sexual preference out in the open. Even then, however, Navratilova lost corporate endorsements because of her sexuality. Homophobia in sports not only causes discrimination against lesbians, but it also hurts all women by heightening the stereotype that sports are not feminine. This being the case it often prevents some girls and women from enjoying athletic participation and successful careers in athletics.
There truly is no finish line when it comes to gender equity, the book remains open, whether it be in sports or otherwise. It is an ongoing challenge that we face every single day. Even as contemporary definitions of femininity have grown to include athleticism, sporting institutions continue to be dominated by men while the sports world continues to reflect a set of deep rooted sexist values and meanings which still threaten women's participation and enjoyment in sports today. The only way that we will seek true equity is in reconstructing or redefining the ideology of masculinity and femininity. By, not incorporating sexual preference, and or stereotyping people because of what society has labeled them merely for their appearance or what is deemed "masculine". This is ultimately what denies women opportunities based on something that is irrelevant to ones athletic ability.
With the help of legislation such as Title IX, women have been given a greater chance to reach or have the opportunity to prove that they too hold a place on the playing fielRAB along side any male and or person who is willing to challenge they are not. In addition to breaking the social norm of what is associated with female athletics. No single group or organization should expect more than what is given to another and it is for this reason alone women fight for equality in the sports arena. A woman's athletic freedom requires that certain attributes long defined as masculine become human qualities and not those of a particular gender. Based on the true understanding of sheer ability and poise should any judgments be made on an individual and their endeavors in athletics? Not only in the sports realm does these gender inequalities exist but, in every corner of society. Hopefully a woman will close this book of challenges to further the next generation of young female athletes.
"If you let me play - I will like myself more, I will have more self confidence, I will suffer less depression, I will be 60% less likely to get breast cancer, I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me, I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to, I will learn what it means to be strong - IF YOU LET ME PLAY SPORTS."
- Voice of a young girl, Nike Ad (1996)