Gender Discrimination In Sports

Gender discrimination in the 21st century is still a prominent issue. Even though the world seems to be progressing rapidly in various areas such as technology, infrastructure, etc, our mentality is yet where it was a century ago. Patriarchy is rooted so deep in the fabric of our country that the conventional idea, that a woman is meant for taking care of the household and is the weaker gender out of the two still lives on.

Sports is one of the many areas where gender inequality is evident. The problem is more socio-psychological than anything else. A women’s physical strength has always been considered inferior to men. Although steps are being taken to reduce this gender gap, there lies a lot of social barriers that being a female one has to overcome. Gender discrimination begins at home initiated by parents unwillingness to let their girl child participate in sports. There exists a line of difference in the upbringing of a girl child and a boy child. Sports news and sports channels are mainly watched by the male members of the family because that’s what we grow up listening to, “sports is a field of male activity and interest”. One glance at our educational institutes would give us a similar picture. Many schools encourage equality yet end up contradicting their principles. For eg-according to the ICSE curriculum in physical education practicals, boys are made to give tests upon field events such as pole vault, discus, and javelin whereas girls are made to give tests upon field events such as only softball. Boys have to run 100m,200m,400m, and 1500m whereas girls have to run 50m,100m,200m, and 800m. Not only this the marking system for both girls and boys are also different.

Female athletes have to deal with how they are perceived by the public. Men who play professional sports are seen as heroes who live and breathe their game. However, women are seen as mothers or wives first and athletes second. Toxic gender stereotypes also lead female athletes to be objectified and sexualized, their looks garnering more press than their skills. While gender discrimination in sports most negatively affects women, gender stereotypes in sports also affect men. Male athletes who participate in “feminine” sports like figure skating and dance at a young age are often bullied. Men are often expected to be tall, big, and muscular to play any sport and may be discriminated against if they don’t fit that body type.

To overcome this issue sports organizations need to work towards gender equity. Women doing equal work should have equal participation opportunities, financial aid or funding, wages, and benefits as their male counterparts. Sports coverage is hugely powerful in shaping norms and stereotypes about gender. When writing about women’s sports, avoid using innuendos or belittling athletes by alluding to their outfits or family roles outside the game, Using the same vivid language when describing both female and male athletes’ performances should also help. We should encourage women to pursue careers as players, coaches, trainers, executives, and journalists.