Margaret+Moonstone

 

Women in Sport
Abstract Women are given far less FEWER  opportunities then men, especially within sports. Title IX was a law enacted for the equality of men and women. Title IX has created many opportunities for women in sport, but still has not eliminated many gender prejudices that seem to be everlasting. These prejudices against women in the sports arena are somewhat silly, for example the idea that women cannot handle the intensity of a team sport so individual sports are considered feminine, or that woman are not as strong as men, and therefore they are unable to measure up to physically demanding sports. Ideas that stand against women in athletic activities even relate back to what children are taught growing up, young boys are handed toy cars and guns, while girls are learning to cook with their Mommy or playing with dolls. The truth is, we all grow up with these ideas instated into our minds that women are not as worthy as men, and although laws have been created for equality, the discrimination against women in sport still exists.

Women have always been placed lower than men throughout time. Sweeping generalization. You need support for this statement.  Men are typically given more opportunities in life, but especially in sport. The media promotes men’s sport more often than woman’s sport, giving Americans the idea that sports are a man’s domain. Example? Many are led to believe that women must only participate in individual sports in which require beauty and grace because team sports are for men along with anything that demands heavy lifting or exertion. We’ve all been fed this idea at some point in time, the idea that men are athletic and women are not, the idea that men are the providers and women are the dependant ones. The enactment of Title IX helped to diminish this idea, but not completely. Title IX gave women more opportunities to participate in sport, and also provided leadership opportunities within sports for women. You should explain a little more about the law  Sport participation in women is something that can be positive in many ways, for example in academic subjects such as science. The issue is that men are still perceived as athletes while women are not. Even between different sports there is discrimination against what sports are manly, feminine, or neutral. Women still struggle to fight off the stereotype that they are not equipped to participate in sports the way men can. None of this is supported by an example, a quote, or a statistic.

When Title IX was created and enacted, the amount NUMBER  of girls and women who participated in sport increased dramatically. Before Title IX, there were very few females who played sports, and most people were likely to stereotype sports. Although women were able to participate pre-Title IX, they did not have quite as many options as they do now. Though children of this generation have grown up with more opportunities and with less gender discrimination in sports, many still give sports typical stereotypes. Mary Hardin, author of “The Influence of Gender-Role Specialization, Media Use and Sports Participation on Perceptions of Gender-Appropriate Sports,” reports, “…youths who have grown up with Title IX and who have had real-life experience with a wider array of sports than any previous American generation are almost as likely to use traditional gender roles to type sports as previous generations” (Hardin 220). This shows that although laws have been enacted to create equality between men and women in sports, Americans still tag certain ideas around which sports are meant for either men or for women. Though the government has even taken initiative and done something to help reduce the large amount of discrimination against women in sport, it is still unstoppable. Hardin writes, “Gender stereotyping is a ubiquitous, invisible regulator of relationships and opportunities” (Hardin 208). This meaning, that no matter what is done to prevent the stereotyping between genders, it will still happen, as shown previously when stereotyping still occurred although laws were set in place to rid of such business. I don't know if you can prove this. The law was passed, but the stereotypes stayed. Isn't that the real problem?  Though Title IX has opened many doors for girls and women in sports, they still do not have the same opportunities as men. Sandra L. Hanson, author of “Young Women, Sports and Science,” states that, “Title IX has not dismantled all of the barriers to women’s participation in sports in U.S. schools, and differences in media coverage of women’s and men’s sports reflects the ‘lower status’ of female athletes in the broader culture” (Hanson 156). This reflects the fact that women are still underrepresented and unappreciated within the sports arena. Though this law was created in order to reverse this effect, changes have still not been completely made.

At a young age, Children are taught gender roles. Those roles usually translate to gender roles within sports, and which sports are appropriate for which gender. Hardin states, “As children are introduced into sports, their experiences are based on gender roles and expectations. The construction of sports as appropriate replicates gender-typed toys: rough and tumble symbols for boys, domestically oriented symbols for girls” (Hardin 209). Girls are taught to be feminine and passive as children, so Americans assume that these roles should continue throughout life and even into sports. Women are considered fragile and they are raised to think that they should remain that way throughout their lives. It is demeaning to women especially when it comes to athletics because it automatically places women on a lower standard then man. Hardin also states, “Adults still privilege boys and men in the athletic status system and marginalize girls and women” (Hardin 209). This is all still occurring even after Title IX has passed; a law that was enacted to create equality between women and men within the athletic arena. Women have been automatically placed with this stereotype that they cannot perform at the same level as men, so when children are growing up, that is what they are taught. Children are programmed to think that sports are for boys and girls are to step aside and let the boys play. Gender roles also translate into which sports are appropriate for men to participate in, and which sports are appropriate for women to participate in. Hardin writes, “Sports recognized as masculine involve contact and use of force or heavy objects…Sports-related attitudes such as devotion to a team, stamina, and competitive spirit also are perceived as masculine. Thus, team sports are considered more masculine than individual sports. Sports in which aggressiveness is considered an essential part of the game, including ice hockey and football, have been regarded as masculine” (Hardin 209). Women are technically not supposed to be aggressive or strong or competitive, so they are ignored in sports that require these qualities. Since sports like these are considered manly, men are given more opportunities when it comes to participating in these <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">sports, while women can either sit back and watch or work three times as hard to make it in the sport. Hardin also writes, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Sports that have been historically been perceived as feminine, such as figure skating or gymnastics, are those that allow women to exhibit gender-role attributes such as grace and beauty while participating. These typologies reinforce ideas of difference; they showcase constructions of men as stronger and faster, thus deserving a higher rank in the overall social order, than women. (Hardin 209) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This shows that women are placed in a position where they can remain feminine and conform to those sports in which require feminine attributes or risk being unfeminine and participate in sports that are considered masculine. The idea that sports that require more energy and power are meant for men, gives men an advantage above women, indicating that men are better and therefore they can participate in sports that are more difficult.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Women are discriminated against within the sport arena for reasons that are not completely feasible <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">. They are tagged with certain qualities that bring them down within their sport, they are also viewed as unruly when they do participate. According to Hanson, “Traditionally, women were viewed as ill-equipped to participate in sports, and their involvement was viewed as unfeminine and undesirable. Hence, women historically have been less likely to participate in sports than men” (Hanson 156). Similar to the stereotypes against any other marginalized group, women are given this stereotype early on, so women must fight against everything people assume about them and work twice as hard to prove the world wrong. Since women have such a lower advantage of men, girls are less likely to remain driven to participate. Harding writes, “Teenage girls drop out of sports at a rate that is six times higher than that of boys. In doing so, they miss out on the benefits of sports participation” (Hardin 224). Being discriminated against creates difficulty already, but when girls drop out of sports they miss out on the positive effects of participating, such as physical endurance, and teamwork, it is upsetting that girls feel as if they must quit because they are under supported by society.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Though women are considered less than equipped to participate in sports, the benefits of sports participation can be very motivating for women to shake off the discrimination. Hanson states, “Even though women have often been regulated to second-hand citizenship in the sports arena, women who do participate in sports most likely benefit from the same socialization, integration, status, and recognition that benefit male athletes” (Hanson 156). It is important for women to participate in sport because it gives them traits that will positively help them in all aspects of their lives. The women who do stride past the hardships tend to succeed and have stronger personality traits than those who do not participate, and let the discrimination defeat them. Hanson states, “Women athletes have been found to be more achievement oriented and self confident than other women” (Hanson 156). This shows that women who fight off or ignore the lack of support in their participation hold strengths that help them succeed in life more than women who can’t handle the discrimination. Hanson also states, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Women who have overcome the odds and succeed in science tend to have nontraditional backgrounds and experiences that allow them to develop independence and agency. Their school and family environments may contain diverse role models and gender relations which stress androgyny, independence, and analytic skills. (Hanson 157). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This shows that women who are able to beat the odds are usually already a member of a different marginalized group; therefore they already know how to fight off discrimination. Women who <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">participate are also more likely to participate in science courses, and succeed in science as well. Hanson reports, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Sports activity tended to positively influence the science experiences of young women, and these effects were strongest in the senior year of high school. For example, in their sophomore and senior years, young women who participated in sports were more likely to be taking science courses than were other women. (Hanson 158)

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Women who take science courses will be more intelligent than those who do not take science courses, (you may want to rethink this statement. Arts courses are also useful courses. ) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> so therefore women who participate in sports will have more traits to help them succeed in life than women who do not participate in sports. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Since the benefits of sports participation for women are so great, it is upsetting that women have so little support in the athletic arena. (You haven't proved that the receive little support) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> There are also further positive effects of women’s sport participation that are overlooked when women are discriminated against, Hanson writes, “Young women who participate in sport are less likely to smoke, have fewer eating disorders, and are less likely to become pregnant as a teen than other young women” (Hanson159). Teenagers with guidance and discipline are more likely to make positive choices in their lives, athletics provide that sort of atmosphere for young women. One would think that since the effects of women participating in athletics is so positive, that women would be more encouraged to participate and have more advantages in the arena. It is almost as if people do not want women to have these positive benefits because most do not think very highly of women on the sporting arena.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Though there are many benefits for women who do participate in sports, women are still not considered as athletic or as equipped to participate in sports as men are. This fact is not limited to just athletes, it also pertains to women in leadership positions within the sports world. Shawn Ladda, author of //The National Association for Girls and Women in Sport: 110 Years of Promoting Social Justice and Change//, mentions “A steady decrease in the number of women in leadership positions in sport…” (Ladda 50). ( Your reader needs more than this snippet to understand what Ladda is saying ) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> This shows that women are underrepresented in the coaching and official aspect of sports, similar to the underrepresentation of women athletes. Along with that, men prefer to coach men’s sports rather than women’s sports. Ladda writes, “He openly said he really wanted to coach boys and was not interested in coaching girls” (Ladda 51). (You need more than one man's opinion. You are generalizing here. ) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> You need Women are considered to be a lower status than men in sports, so other men prefer not to coach women because they are supposedly far less athletic and strong as men. This gives women another poor advantage because they have less coaching opportunities because men typically prefer to coach men, so they must work harder to improve on their own and beat the odds.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Women have always been thrown into the stereotype that they are extremely feminine and much less athletic than men, giving men an advantage in the sports arena. Men are also given more support in America, especially by the media. Women are typically supposed to participate only in sports that are individual, ones that require feminine traits such as grace and beauty, while men are typically supposed to participate in team sports that require power and endurance. It is thought by many that women are not capable of presenting these traits, so they are placed at a lower status than men. When children are raised in America, they are taught the ideas of gender roles, and they grow from there, thinking that women must be fragile and non- aggressive and men must be rough and aggressive. Though Title IX was enacted to help women <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> within the sports arena, it did not completely diminish the discrimination that occurs against them. Women are still fighting today in their battle to create equality between men and women in sports.

(1) If you're going to talk about title IX, you should explain it for your readers. Not everyone understands this legislation. (2) You make unsubstantiated claims and generalizations - needs more backup.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hardin, Marie. (2009) The Influence of Gender Role Socialization, Media Use and Sports <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 44.25pt;">Participation on Perceptions of Gender-Appropriate Sports __Journal of Sport Behavior__ 207-224.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hanson, Sandra. (2007) Young Women, Sports, and Science __Theory into Practice__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">155-161.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Ladda, Shawn. (2009) The National Association for Girls and Women in Sport: 110 Years of <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Promoting Social Justice and Change __Joperd__ 48-51.