When Billie Beat Bobby Analysis

Women still face gender discrimination today. Even though it may not be as prominent as it was in the past, it is still there. The video, “When Billie Beat Bobby,” gives us a good look at what kinds of gender discrimination women faced only twenty-30 years ago. Drawing from this movie, we can compare and contrast how gender discrimination has gotten better, and how it has stayed the same.
When you watch this movie, you feel the immediate sense of discrimination towards the women in the film. The first noticeable sign, is the fact that the men, specifically Bobby Riggs, seemed to believe that men were better at sports than women. Of course I only speak out of opinion, but the men had the automatic assumption that, well, because they were men, they were faster, stronger,
and more capable of sports than women. Nowadays we find more women playing sports at the same level as men. Even in my own school, we can witness women playing on the same sports team as men (baseball). This proves that men are beginning to accept that women are worthy competitors in sports.
Another factor of gender discrimination that I noticed in the film, was that men thought of women as mere housemaids.
Yes, they were wives, but many regarded them simply for their cooking, cleaning, and more “feminine” aspects. Women weren’t expected to stand up to men. Males were thought of as dominant/superior, which lead to females being deemed as inferior. Men assumed the position as head of the household, and women were just followed behind them. Even today, many women still perform the daily household duties, but I choose to believe that it is because of tradition rather than discrimination.
One of the biggest issues of gender discrimination covered in the film, was unequal wages. Women could work the same exact job as men, and still, their salary would be less. Although it has gotten better, this can still be found prominent today. More and more women are fighting for the right to equal pay. Honestly, I cannot seem to understand why women have gotten a lower salary in the first place. I believe that they can accomplish the same amount of work at the same level as men. I think that I would have to be in the shoes of a person who disagrees with me, to fully understand their reasoning for
this.
Although it is still around, after watching this movie, I have realized how fortunate us women are in the face of gender discrimination. I cannot imagine being treated the way that women were treated back then. I found myself exceedingly angered while watching the film. It’s hard for me to understand why the women didn’t fight back for their rights; but then again, I wasn’t there and I didn’t personally experience it. Billie Jean King, made a big impact in the face of gender discrimination. She gave women hope, and made them believe that they could do anything just as well as men. The men may have felt irritated and annoyed by her, but in the end, I’d like to think that she also gained some respect from them.