I decided to select the article about Professional Women’s Career Experiences in the Sports Industry because my future is to work in Athletics and the Sports Industry. Also, me being a woman I felt this article had a lot to do with things that I may face in the future. The main purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of professional women’s career histories and experiences in sport psychology. This study was done by qualitative research, on eight professional women working in the field of sport psychology. The people who did this study were interested in the factors that stimulated their entrance into the field, and obstacles or barriers they went through throughout their careers professionally and personally. The analysis of data …show more content…
All of these women had an interest in this field of sport due to personal involvement in sports as athletes or coaches. I agree with people that conducted this research. Most people working in the sport industry have some type of liking to sports because they participate in them now or participated during their childhood. The coparticipants in the study considered themselves as feminists. Five were hesitant to provide a soliid definition of what feminism meant to them. Most of the participants considered feminism to incorporate other forms of oppression such as race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and ability. I believe that women should be treated as potential intellectual equals and social equals just as men are. I feel that women in this industry need social support as well as mentors to help them through obstacles that they have to face in the …show more content…
Having to prove that you can work just as a hard as a male or proving that you are just as qualitified for a position. Reports from the Association for Women in Sports Media shows that in 1991, fewer than 50 women were working as sportscasters out of the 630 affiliate stations. During this time there were only 37 women Athletic Directors out of 313 athletic directors in Division I sports, according to the N.C.A.A.'s latest reported statistics. Out of 65 universities in the Big Five conferences only three employ women as their full-time athletic directors. Within the next five years I want to work at a University in the Athletic Department. But looking at stats I realized the obstacles that I will have to face. During my time in college I interned with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) athletic department and working with them was when I first realized the athletic industry is a male dominaint one. At NCCU the Athletic Director is an African American woman. I looked up to her so much because I knew the job she had was not an easy one. Every day when I would go into my interenship I would see how hard she pushed several athletic issues and watched her build the athletic department up. Now NCCU has won several Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships in not only football but basketball. This shows that gender has nothing to do with getting a job done. Planning, organizing, staffing, directing,
The following commissioned report was compiled for the Health Studies Faculty of Brisbane Girls Grammar. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the nature of women’s sport, not only in society, but also at the Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
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. When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a Man can play, with equal skill, if not better.
(Coaxley, pike 2009, p.277) The article also looks at how both men and women faced seemingly insurmountable barriers when attempting to break into a spoit that is not “proper or stereotypical for their gender to participate in. But society seems to be making some headway towards equality in sports their is still a long way to go. Evidence still shows that as a society we are still far more comfortable with women being involved in the traditional sports such as field hockey rather than boxing and men participating in sports such as rugby rather than synchronized swimming this is because they are pre conceived as “ NORMAL” for a specific gender.
There are many women in today's society that fight for equality in just about everything. They want the same job opportunities, the ability to be given a good deal on a car, and the right to choose to stay home . Another area that women have recently begun fighting for equality in, is the sporting world. From professional sports teams such as the Women's National Basketball Association down through college, high school, and even elementary age teams, women are fighting for equality in a variety of sports activities.
Gender discrimination is prominent in every industry, but it is as though the sport industry is one of the worst. Women in the work force currently receive only 80 cents to every man’s dollar (Holmes, 2016). However, female athletes both in America and internationally receive a far lesser compensation for their attributes. The only difference of the sports being played is who plays them. There should be no reason why a male athlete receives better pay simply because he had a 50% chance of being born a man. At birth, no one controls the gender, but as they grow and mature, they control their personality and development. Payment should be on personal skills and not gender. As a female STHM student focusing on sport management and a former athlete,
... women, but especially athletic women, and is socially constructed to dictate women’s appearance, demeanor and values (Krane et al, 2004).” Females, for example, are expected to look and behave in a feminine way in order to satisfy heteronormative practices such as marriage. However, to participate in a sport, a traditionally male dominated realm, female athletes must acquire more traditionally masculine characteristics like strength, aggression, competitiveness, and assertiveness; characteristics that betray hegemonic gender and societal norms. Issues pertaining to feminine behavior and appropriate gender roles continue to be the root cause of discrimination not only in sport, but also in modern society as “sport is a sub culture within a larger society, therefore nothing typically occurs in sport that does not occur in the larger culture (Vodden & Schell, 2010).”
Women have forever had this label on their back of being too small, too weak, too feminine, and too boring. The traditional gender roles of the female interfere with the extortionate nature of competing in sports. Men are usually the ones to go 100% and give whatever they got, and to show masculinity while doing it. The standard masculinity of being strong, smart, and taking charge over dues the feminine traits of being soft, gentle, and polite. That’s what society has taught us to learn and accept. But the traditional female gender role is diminished when participating in athletics and people may think it’s weird to see females compete at the same level as males do. Men have always had the upper hand in the professional, collegian, and high
When we think of "professional athletes," the names that come to our minds are players such as Kurt Warner, Andre Agassi, Mark McGwire, Michael Jordan, Brett Hull, and Steve Austin to name a few. These male athletes are very popular in the professional sports world. But what about Dot Richardson, Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes, Mia Hamm, and Cammi Granato to name a few more? These are female professional athletes that some might recognize, but their names are not as popular as the men's names. Their names may sound unfamiliar to most of us because women's professional sports are not recognized as much as men's. However, thanks to the passing of the 1972 Education Amendment to the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, women are participating more than ever in the sports world and funding has been increasing. Title IX states that "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
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.
Since sports and athletics have been brought into our society it has always been gender specific. For example, it is seen that males should be playing the rough and tough sports or athletics such as rugby and football, whereas the women should be participating in less competitive sports and athletics such as swimming, or running. Can you imagine that the world population of women is around forty-nine percent and they still aren’t given the same opportunities or respect as men? Being a women in the twenty-first century playing one of those “non-traditional” sports is a tough task for these women. The women who choose to do so are usually questioned about their sexuality and
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
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.
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.
Women in Sports Challenges appear to be part of the human experience. In the course of history, very little has come easily. The progress that women have made in sport in the United States over the course of the last 100 years seems remarkable for the amount achieved in so little time. In relation to the other advances made in this century, including men's sport, that achievement dims. While women have made great advances, they haven't, in comparison, come that far.
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.