Essay On Masculinization Of Sports

Educational institutions are essential for the social processes that build the cultural meaning of sport and its connection to masculinity and femininity. Schools, as well as parents, peers and the media, take part in the process of defining the cultural meaning of sport as masculine, constructing and emphasizing the social norms, which encourage males to play sports so that they develop a masculine identity. The association of sport and masculinity, in other words the masculinization of sport, forms and describes both men’s and women’s relationship to sports. At the same time that men are fortified to participate in sport to reinforce their masculinity, the creation of sport as a mainly male activity calls into question the relationship between female athleticism and femininity. I believe that there are at least two ways that educational institutions participate in the masculinization of sport: firstly through the structuring of sport leadership, and secondly through the cultivation of a masculine culture in their sports programs.
Regarding the first way in which educational institutions participate in the masculinization of sport, the male-dominant leadership structures in place in athletic departments shape men’s and women’s relationship to sport.
They do this at the level of athletic culture, by linking sport leadership (and, by extension, competence in sport) with masculinity, and at the level of experience, by placing female but not male athletes in a situation where their gender is an added vulnerability in a relationship that is already defined by a marked imbalance of power. However, the leadership structures in sport are just the beginning of the analysis of the masculinization of sport. A broader account of sex inequality in sport must look at how institutions shape sexism and male dominance within the culture of sport
itself.
The second way through which educational institutions participate in the masculinization of sport refers to the cultivation of a masculine culture in their sports programs. The reconstruction of sport culture is crucial to transform both men’s and women’s relationship to sport. The cultivation of sport as a way for males to attain a privileged masculinity plays an important role in shaping male athletic participation. The strength of the masculine ideology of sport—and the use of sport as an avenue for proving one’s masculinity—greatly influences the decision of boys and men to play sports. At the same time, it puts girls and women on notice that their place in sport is precarious, influencing their participation as well. The identification of sport with a dominant masculinity has important implications for women in sports. As long as sport is defined as a male domain, and the culture of sport emphasizes the development of a dominant masculinity, sport will continue to be unequal terrain for women.
Sport’s role in perpetuating a dominant masculinity is increasingly contested as gender relations within sport are challenged. As more women participate in sport, and their participation becomes more highly valued, sport itself becomes less associated with masculinity, and the culture of sport is subject to change. At the same time, female participants in sport have the potential to experience concrete gains in their own satisfaction and sense of empowerment.