Gender Barriers in Sports
Since way back in the day there’s always been that big barrier blockading females and males when trying to engage in a sport that is not “appropriate” for their gender. It had always been that some sports are aimed towards the male gender and others towards the females. When a man or women joins a sport that is not originally for their gender, it is not something that many people want to accept.
Gender is defined as an ongoing cultural process that socially constructs differences between men and women. This day in age, men still have more privileges than women do. Men have more wealth and power, many role-models are males, and women are seen as child raisers. Dr. Jack C. Watson says that women in sports face such things as “social isolation.” Many women have been put down for sports participation because it is more of a male kind of thing to do and were expected to be more cheerleaders than the actual players. As stated in the Seventh Edition Child Development by Laura E. Berk, “Women is more compassionate than man and has a greater propensity to tears…But the male….is more disposed to give assistance in danger, and is more courageous than the female.” (Aristotle, cited in Miles, 1935)
There has always been that big deal about social barriers. For example some myths about biological and physical weaknesses towards women are that women are more likely to get hurt, women are psychologically weak, that sports masculinize women, and even that sports are for lesbians. It is something that I am truly against because women and men should be given the equal opportunity for such things as sports. Before the 1970’s there were many “only boy teams.” Nine states prohibited inter school sports for females during this time period also. There was this amendment that came about that was called the Title IX of the educational amendments of 1972. This stated that, “No person in the United Stated shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be defined
Gender is defined as an ongoing cultural process that socially constructs differences between men and women. This day in age, men still have more privileges than women do. Men have more wealth and power, many role-models are males, and women are seen as child raisers. Dr. Jack C. Watson says that women in sports face such things as “social isolation.” Many women have been put down for sports participation because it is more of a male kind of thing to do and were expected to be more cheerleaders than the actual players. As stated in the Seventh Edition Child Development by Laura E. Berk, “Women is more compassionate than man and has a greater propensity to tears…But the male….is more disposed to give assistance in danger, and is more courageous than the female.” (Aristotle, cited in Miles, 1935)
There has always been that big deal about social barriers. For example some myths about biological and physical weaknesses towards women are that women are more likely to get hurt, women are psychologically weak, that sports masculinize women, and even that sports are for lesbians. It is something that I am truly against because women and men should be given the equal opportunity for such things as sports. Before the 1970’s there were many “only boy teams.” Nine states prohibited inter school sports for females during this time period also. There was this amendment that came about that was called the Title IX of the educational amendments of 1972. This stated that, “No person in the United Stated shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be defined