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The development of women’s football in Britain during the 19th century illustrates the transformation of gender roles in British culture in the context of Victorian era values and women’s football: “‘The Cultures of sport in Britain have been distinctively male, rooted in masculine values and patriarchal exclusiveness’” Through the introduction of female football into British society the system of Victorian values were challenged by expanding gender roles. The institution of women’s soccer in the late 19th and 20th century was supported by the wartime need to reorder gender roles during WWI, and it challenged traditional feminine ideology. Further a growing feminist movement in response to the economic, political and social changes which took place over the course of the Victorian period encouraged women’s organizations and expanding freedom from traditional gender roles. Women's football this way became a focal point for issues and debates in Victorian society regarding, feminine ideology, gender inequality, rigid class structure, and social devotion to the past.
The dominance of the upper-class elite in Victorian England ensured the propagation of traditional gender roles and hegemonic masculinity in British culture. In addition the middle-class established higher social standing, gained wealth and began to enjoy leisure activities that had previously only been reserved for the aristocracy. Consequently widening the gap between the working-class and instigating further class separation. Moreover the staunch gender roles in 20th century British culture are reflective of 19th century Victorian society. This is evidenced by the restrictive female sporting culture:
If a woman participates in a suitably non-contact feminine sport,...
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...ical politics. Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2011.
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Boys- and more and more girls-who accept Jock Culture values often go on to flourish in a competitive sports environment that requires submission to authority, winning by any means necessary and group cohesion,” says Robert Lipsyte. In Kate Nolan’s article, boys are only allowed to play sports. Kate Nolan mentions, “A lot of people like to justify women’s supporting role in sports media by saying, “Well, they’ve never played the game, so they just aren’t qualified to speak about it.” Women are known to not play football because coaches never give them the chance to try. Another difference is Bill Stowe.
In 1991 there was so little media interest in the event, almost no one even knew the United States had a team, and even less people knew that the United States won. Eight years later, “tickets sales reached 388,000,” more than triple the amount of sales in the 1995 Women’s World Cup (Longman). FIFA was depending on this World Cup to gain popularity, they needed more interest to spark people to play. If the United States had not won, it was predicted that not many in the suburban would not have much interest in soccer. Millions of young girls across the United States came to this event. After the World Cup it “will celebrate the explosive growth of soccer for women in the United States, where 7.5 million female players are registered, according to a recent survey by the Soccer Industry Council of America, a trade group. In suburbia, where the game flourishes, girls' soccer has become as popular as sport utility vehicles” (Longman). This World Cup team changed the perspective that soccer was only for males. “‘ We're fighting the myths and prejudices that women's soccer felt in the U.S. in the 70's,'' said Andrea Rodebaugh… 'That there are sports for boys and sports for girls and that soccer is not for girls, not feminine’” (Longman). This team changed the lives for many girls. The team gave little girls hope and faith they could make it in soccer. This team made them believe they could follow their passions.
The Gender roles of the 1900s were strictly defined in society, providing rigid boundaries for human existence and expression. Men were envisioned dominant and aggressive, and women were submissive. Male aggression was demonstrated through the playing of sports (Becker et Schirp). Society determined the role of the woman was to be a wife and a mother with little individuality. Jennifer Gray states, “The hegemonic institution of nineteenth-century society required women to be objects in marriage and in motherhood, existing as vessels of maternity and sexuality with little opportunity for individuality” (53). Women’s roles were strictly determined and any deviation from these roles could be grounds for isolation.
Before we told our daughters that they could be anyone, or anything they wanted to be, we told them that they could only be what was acceptable for women to be, and that they could only do things that were considered "ladylike." It was at this time, when the nation was frenzied with the business of war, that the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League decided that they could do and be whatever it was that they chose. These women broke free of the limitations that their family and society had set for them, and publicly broke into what had been an exclusively male sport up until that time.
...t and leisure, to creating equality amongst everyone. The history of sports has been marked by division and discrimination but also has affected modern popular culture and changing social attitudes and standards towards gender equality, social-class and race. During the Gilded Age and after, sports finally broke the barrier between gender, social-class, and equality. It allowed blacks to be able to play sports with whites, women to play sports with men, and it allowed the poor to play sports with the middle-class and wealthy. Not only did sports in the Gilded Age allow barriers to be broken, but it also allowed sports to be shared amongst different races, women, and social-classes. Different sports such as prizefighting, boxing, and swimming were introduced by the minorities in society, and have now become some of the most popular sports today.
Reagin, Nancy. “Historical Analysis: Women as ‘the Sex’ During the Victorian Era.” Victorian Women: The Gender of Oppression. Pace University, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
" Doris R. Corbett WaynePatterson." THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SPORT. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
Professional women's sports haven't been around too long, although it does have an extensive history and root system. In 1865, Vasser became one of the first women colleges in the United States. Within the safe boundaries of campus and away from the curious eyes of men, w...
Gender in sports has been a controversial issue ever since sports were invented. In the early years, sports were played only by the men, and the women were to sit on the sidelines and watch. This was another area of life exemplifying the sexism of people in which women were not allowed to do something that men could. However, over the last century in particular, things have begun to change.
It has taken many years for women to gain a semblance of equality in sports. Throughout history, women have been both excluded from playing sports and discriminated against in sports. Men’s sports have always dominated the college athletic field, but women were finally given a fighting chance after Title IX was passed. Title IX, among other things, requires scholarships to be equally proportioned between men and women’s sports. Although this was a huge gain for women, gender inequality still exists in sports today. An example of this persisting inequality can be seen when looking at men’s baseball and women’s softball. In college, baseball and softball are both major NCAA sports. It is widely accepted throughout today’s society that baseball is a man’s sport, and softball is a woman’s sport. Very few people question why the two sexes are separated into two different sports, or wonder why women play softball instead of baseball. Fewer people know that women have been essentially excluded from playing baseball for a long time. This paper will focus on why softball has not changed the way women’s basketball has, why women continue to play softball, the possibilities and dynamics of women playing baseball with and without men, and the most discriminating aspect of women being banned from playing professional baseball.
The sport of soccer has overcome many changes through the years. In particular, women’s soccer compared to men’s soccer has gained much notoriety. The widespread knowledge of soccer has spread throughout numerous countries. Soccer began as primarily a men’s sport, but today soccer is considered a sport that both genders participate in. Women’s soccer has changed dramatically over the years with the increase in popularity as well as new style and rules of the game.
Krane, V. (2001). We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women's sport. Quest, 53,115-133.
Connell states that masculinity is the end result of socialization and can, therefore, differ according to gender relations in regards to particular social settings (West, pg. 2, 2011). Historically sport has been an ideal means of addressing questions and concerns regarding hegemonic masculinity. Within the Western World, sports have been regarded as the most masculine institution, regardless of the recent progress within female involvement in sports, it is still largely organized, reported and run by men. The growth and development of organized sports since the turn of the 19th century, can be seen by some, as a means for men to regain the wavering ideology of male dominance after the integration of women into the labour force (West, pg. 5, 2011). Previous to the First World War, women were not eligible to work and were expected to stay and keep watch over the home while the husband was the bread maker. This all changed when men went to war leaving no other option than to employ women to work within the factories. As some might assume, this did not necessarily sit well with men as they had always been the ones making a living, and in some ways, by women entering the workforce, they felt as though they had been
Gorham, Deborah. A. A. The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982. Martineau, Harriet.
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.