Sexism In Sport Essay

721 Words2 Pages

SEXISM IN SPORT
While sport has the potential to operate as a unifier, life guide and aid to a healthy lifestyle, in its prominent capacity, it also bears significant potential to be a discrimination facilitator, hooligan encourager and ethical perspective repressor. I believe that Humphreys’ view, although unconventional, deserves careful consideration as a reality due to sport’s generally innate impartiality towards gender discrimination which, considering our being in the 21st century, seems antiquated thus unjustifiable.
The London Olympics in 2012 were the first Olympic Games in history in which women were allowed to compete in every Olympic Sport. There are 164 different Olympic sports and prior to the IOC’s decision in 2009, women were only participating in 124 of them. The first Olympic Games were held in 14 B.C so this means that it has taken the sporting world over 2000 years only to begin to recognise women as equals. Furthermore, Fifa’s first woman executive was only elected in 2013 AND the word ‘sportswoman’ was used for the first time in the 21st century! This introduces the question: is imposing quotas the only way to combat under-representation?
Although my main focus within sexism in sport is on women, I believe that the unrestrainable issue caused essentially by stereotypes effects men as well, for example, male cheerleaders, dancers and gymnasts are often assumed to be gay and are homophobically discriminated against accordingly just because of the sport they do. (Likewise, while the world is prepared to take advantage of the elegance shown by women in sports like ice-skating, ‘tomboyish lesbianism’ is connoted by women hockey, football or cricket players.)
In an ideal world, all opportunities, including sporti...

... middle of paper ...

...f sports media coverage is devoted to women’s sports and without this increasing so to increase public awareness of women’s talent we cannot expect the situation to improve.
Sport is a most powerful tool in swaying a country to believe in its people and unify its nation. This way sport certainly has the potential to improve women’s recognition as equals in the world however I believe it is currently not doing that. We cannot let something that has the potential to be so beneficial to our lives become dangerously, morally blinding. William Arthur Ward said: “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records”, with this in mind, the hope is to keep women motivated so they continue to triumph, surprising the world until eventually, men realise that we are as capable as they are and deserve the same benefits of the sporting industry as they do.

796 WORDS

Show More
Related

  • A Sociological Perspective of Women in Sport in Australia

    2304 Words  | 5 Pages

    The report will refer to the sociological perspective of women’s sport in Australia which leads to the changes within women’s sport, Athletics at Brisbane Girls Grammar, women’s sport in the media and then an evaluation and recommendation on the topic ‘Women in Sport’.

    Read More

  • Women and Sport in Girlfight, Billy Elliott and Dare to Compete

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    When a woman or man joins a non-traditional sport for their gender or sex, it can have drastic social and cultural costs. These impact not just the individual but also the entire community. When a person challenges the gender roles of society, then they change the perceptions of what men or women are capable of doing, they further androgynize cultural norms, and they open up sports for others.

    Read More

  • Title IX

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports, heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Sport Essay

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Girls are told to stay indoors and play with their dolls or bake, while boys are encouraged to go outdoors, get dirty, and be adventurous. Wade and Ferree also state “sports are squarely on the masculine side of the gender binary” (Wade and Ferree, 174). Hence, we are brought up with the understanding that playing and talking about sports is a boy’s thing, which further promotes the notion that sports are a very masculine thing. Furthermore, as playing sports is competitive and is a way to show excellence, young boys are considered as “real boys” and “real men” later on. However, when boys do not talk about or play sports, they are considered feminine or “not real men.” The same rule applies for young girls. If young girls are too into sports, they are considered to be “too masculine.” This is true for me too. When I was younger, I was told to not play too much outdoors and to behave “like a girl.” The stigma that only boys should be allowed to play sports and it is not a feminine thing needs to be erased for us to welcome a more gender-equal

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: Promoting Women's Sports

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    Looking through the flaws of not having women’s sports promoted as much as they should be, shows how much they need to be advertised to continue keeping sports

    Read More

  • The Lack of Women's Sports Coverage

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout history, women have had to struggle for equality in all elements of  our society, but no where have they had a more difficult time than in the area of athletics.  Sports is a right of passage that has always been grafted to boys and men.  The time has come for our society to accept women athletes and give them the attention they deserve.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Role Of Women In Sports

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first perspective is that women are disadvantaged at any sport. Some people reiterate the difference of men and women in sports. This is influenced by strength and the natural power men hold, comparable to women. Rodriguez questions “Is this because female athletes don’t have what it takes to make it in the world of sports or could it be more of a social issue?” This perspective seems to be a social issue based on the notable skills women acquire vs. the apparent judgments of gender issues. The second perspective is the idea that women deserve and inherently earn their right of equal attention and equal pay. “Sometimes, the secret to equality is not positive discrimination, it 's equal terms. It 's the shrug of the shoulders that says "what 's the difference?" The moment worth aspiring for is not seeing people celebrate the world-class female cricketer who competes at comparatively low-level male professional cricket, but the day when people are aware that she does, and don 't find it notable at all” (Lawson). Lawson makes it a point to confirm the biased notions against women in sports and relay an alternative worth working toward and fighting for. Both outlooks can be biased but only one has factual evidence to back it up. The second perspective reviews an ongoing gender issue. This problem is welcome for change depending on society’s

    Read More

  • Media, Sexualisation and Female Tennis.

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within todays sporting community, certain aspects of sport and its practices promote and construct ideas that sport in general is a male dominated. Sports media often provides an unequal representation of genders. Women athletes are regularly perceived as mediocre in comparison to their male equivalents (Lenskyj, 1998). Achievement in sport is generally established through displays of strength, speed and endurance, men usually set the standards in these areas, consequently woman rarely reach the level set by top male athletes. Due to this, the media significantly shows bias towards male sports while we are ill-informed about the achievements in the female sporting community. On the occasion that a female athlete does make some form of an appearance in the media, images and videos used will usually portray the female in sexually objectified ways (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). This depiction of female athletes can cause males to take focus solely on the sexual assets of the athlete in preference to to their sporting abilities (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). Sexualisation of sportswoman in the media is a prevalent issue in today’s society, it can cause physical, social and mental problems among women of all ages (Lenskyj, 1998).

    Read More

  • Gender Roles And Women Sports

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gender roles and gender stereotypes greatly affect men and women sports. They affect men and women sports so much that men sports are far more popular than women sports. Gender roles are what or society expects of us, and gende2r stereotypes are fixed and oversimplified beliefs. The difference is that gender roles are what we observe in society, and gender stereotypes are what we assume about certain individuals (Rathus, 2010, p.447).

    Read More

  • Gender Discrimination in Sports Media

    1867 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most people watch some form of sports, whether it be the Olympics or the highlights on ESPN. The NBA and NHL playoffs are underway and theyit seems to be the only news on ESPN. There is almost no coverage of the WNBA playoffs or any female athletics. Tennis isone of the only big sports on ESPN for women. While during the Olympics the coverage seems to be non-stop and close to equal. Women’s participation in sport is at an all-time high and has almost become equal with men’s, however,. sSports media does notfails to show this equality and skews the way we look at these athletes. Through the disciplines of sociology and gender studies, it can be seen that despite the many gains of women in sports since the enactment of Title IX, “traditional” notions of masculinity and femininity still dominate media coverage of males and females in sports, which is observed in Olympic programming and sports news broadcasts.

    Read More

  • Essay On Hegemonic Masculinity

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    The concept of hegemonic masculinity, as described by R. W. Connell, is becoming more applicable than ever, namely in the world of sport. This notion was developed nearly twenty-five years ago, yet remains highly influential in the social construction of gender roles. In current Western societies, there is an automatic assumption that women involved in sports are all lesbians, and men posses more masculine traits than one who is not involved in sports. This double standard emphasizes the inequalities within the athletic community. The emphasis on masculinity brings forth different consequences for men and women, where men are regarded as strong and powerful, while women are intrinsically seen as more masculine (Baks & Malecek,

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Sports Essay

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.

    Read More

  • Women In Golf

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Once women were permitted into the sport, many accomplishments were completed. Yet, they were still never given recognition from men. Throughout history, the role

    Read More

  • Women in Sports

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    The more the current conception of what is permissible for either gender as well as what is possible is challenged, the closer we come to a re-examination of how unequal the history of sport has been for both sexes and the actions that need to be taken in order to prevent such inequalities from existing in the future. The more individuals take on challenges like this, the more they force society to closely examine the way they think about what makes people and their activities different in the first place. These re-examinations and re-evaluations all lead to one eventual goal: the elimination of a true inequality between men and women in terms of their positions in society and in sport. The fewer inequalities that are allowed to exist, the closer society comes to a point at which it can be described as being truly tolerant and accepting.

    Read More

  • Female Participation In Sports Essay

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the last few decades there can be seen a major shift in female participation within sports and physical activity. Many have the mentality that due to making immense headway recently, means that females can cease to worry about their ability to participate, however I do not agree with this. Despite a noticeable shift in female participation over the last few decades, women continue to face adversity through trying to prove the legitimacy of female athletes and sports, a lack of shift in gender ideology, and being seen as equals to males within the world or sports and physical activity in general.

    Read More

More about Sexism In Sport Essay

Open Document