Inequalities in Sports
There have been numerous changes in North America in the last century. Many aspects of life have considerably altered when we compare our present day society to 100 years ago, or even a decade ago. One thing that persists is women's struggle for equality compared to their male counterparts. Women's equality rights (compared to the men) are still far from being achieved. This means that although we have seen many changes and much improvement in women's lives with respect to gaining rights and freedom, many liberal feminists still believe that women have a long way to go before they achieve equality. According to liberal feminists, gender inequalities based on gender attribution is the root of the problem and hence what we need to fix. The inequalities between men and women can be seen in various domains within our society. One of these domains is sports where women are treated unequally because of their gender. Liberal feminism allows me to analyze these inequalities. Women have been fighting to gain equality in sport since 776 B.C. at the Games of Hera. These games honored the Greek goddess who ruled over women and the earth; these games were organized by women because they were not allowed to participate in the first ancie
nt Olympics held in Greece. (History of Women in Sports Timeline...http://) Women are still battling stereotypes today, on the fields; showing their athletic equality, and off the fields, displaying intellectual equality. The mass media is a very influential factor that has contributed, and continues to contribute to false stereotypes regarding men, women and sports. These stereotypes categorize female athletes as inferior (undermines their talent and ability to play sports like men) to male athletes. This is one of the many inequalities which women are trying to challenge and overcome today, one that has oppressed and restrained women from advancing as fast as their male counterparts. In my opinion women have unfairly been neglected and oppressed in sports just as they have been in many other aspects of life such as education, politics, and work. Hence, using a liberal feminist approach will help to address gender based oppression in sports and can provide motivation for women striving for similar goals in other areas. Women in the sports domain are striving to achieve equality in media coverage, status and salary; the following paper will focus on several inequalities that women have been facing. However, as long as inequalities are present, then sport continues to be a male dominated domain in our society. Anna Kournikova reminds us that inequality between men and women exist in sports. In my opinion, Anna Kournikova is an example that women are often treated as sex symbols first and then as athletes. This sort of negative and powerful sexual attention emphasizes the social inequalities that women face in sports and in society as a whole. The media can challenge inequalities instead of creating them by recognizing women for their athletic abilities not their appearances. By changing the myths that have prevented women from excelling to their full potentials, society may see a much more healthy population both physically and intellectually. Frustrated women on the WTA tour have referred to Anna Kournikova as the "Tennis Barbie". Chris Evert's refers to Anna Kournikova when she says; "she has to start taking some responsibility for her tennis career" makes me realize that Chris Evert still tends to blame women. This is an important point because women feel intimated to challenge the general media; the true source of the problem, so they attack the women who are the victims of sexiest male dominated hierarchy. This exemplifies a problem that liberal feminist are faced with. So where does the media play a role? Cases such as Anna Kournikova's make many wonder whether female athletes are socialized and influenced by the media to look good, where as men are socialized to become better athletes. Though it is very difficult to predict, but perhaps if the media had concentrated on Anna Kournikova's talent when she reached the semi-final of Wimbledon at the age of sixteen, then maybe articles written today would be about her game rather than her looks. The Binary Two-Sexed model creates and normalizes gender roles that again, categorize women as feminine, meaning weak, and males as masculine, implying strength and power. Although things are changing, traditionally women who did not conform to the feminine ideals in sports had their sexuality questioned. Women are still classified as homosexual if they engage in sports or cross the male dominated boundaries within sports. One may assume that this is a logical reaction because a step towards gaining equality would mean a step towards lessening men's power and diminishing their male hierarchy that has dominated society withi
Some common words found in the essay are:
Anna Kournikova, Anna Kournikova's, Women's Sportshttp//, Timelinehttp// Women, Binary Two-Sexed, North America, Martina Navratilova, Challengeshttp Liberal, David Whiston, Chris Evert, female athletes, women sports, anna kournikova, inequalities women, liberal feminist, tennis player, media coverage, sexual orientation, women sport, male dominated, binary two-sexed model, norwegian handball federation, example female athlete, women sports timelinehttp//, history women sports,
Approximate Word count = 2439
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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