It may not appear that women's athletics have come very far, especially in the terms of the feminist movement. Contrary to normal bystanders of the sports world, women have triumphed in so many ways eventually moldthe athletic world women and girls watch, participate in and love today. There are still so many hurtles for female athletes to overcome, same with the all women that participate in the rewriting of traditional everything that our society values. The beginning is still vastly different from now and with the highest hopes that "now" will be vastly different from our future.
There has been many strides made since the beginning of female participation in athletics yet many goals are still in the distance, waiting to be met. The biggest hurtle that is now being presented to women in sports is the respect and attention that is well deserved yet not so readily practiced. Along with changing the stereotypical view of women as not athletes but sexy women in running shoes. With a little bit of knowledge, understand, connection and drive these goals can be reached.
Women’s athletics today includes both professional and amateur competition in a wide variety of sports. This was not always the case and female participation in sports dramatically rose in the twentieth century due to the amazing advancements in the feminist movement and the change in societal views. Women’s participation in sports has become more and more accepted inAmerica, but around the world acceptance is still leaves something to be desired.
For most of human history, athletic competition was demonstrated as a specifically male dominated affair, particularly proving masculinity. Before the beginning of the Ancient Olympics Games, athletic competitions were used to choose the best warriors. The first Olympic Games banned women from watching the games and obviously from participating. However, a separate women's athletic event, theHeraea Games, was eventually developed.
There was very women who wanted to participate in athletics so therefore there was little done to provide them with the rights to. Then in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries social changes in Europe and North America favoring of increased female participation in society as equals with men, as exemplified by thewomen's rights
movement. Still even though women were permitted to participate in many sports, relatively few showed interest, for a variety of social and psychological reasons that are still poorly understood.
1900 was the first year when female competitors were allowed to compete in the modernday Olympics. Although in only a few events such as tennis and golf, women would from then on be included in this formally male only event. Concern for the physical strength and stamina of women led to the discouragement of female participation in more physically intensive sports, the development of less demanding sports were produced from male sports.Netballwas developed out ofbasketballandsoftballout ofbaseball. Women’s athletics provided many women with the tools to push for greatness and for equality.(
Billie Jean King: Beat Bobby Riggs in the influencial 1973match, "The Battle of the Sexes," although the win did not provide women's tennis with better salaries as wanted, it proved women could compete paving way for professional women's athletics.
There isn't much research being done in this area of Genderism but there is so much to say about the importance of the advocates and educating persons. Without the knowledge to change an issue, there would be no true issue at all. There are women and sources trying their best to give women and onlookers the best knowledge possible.
Help for the search of Knowledge and Understanding:
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
In 1972, Title IX was passed by Congress as the newest section of the Educational Amendments which prohibited discrimination against women and girls in not only athletics, but federally funded education as well. After little controversy, the 1984 court case, Grove City v. Bell proceeded to gut Title IX implying that it only partially covered educational institutions. This issue came about also along with NCAA and high school administrators complaints that the section would force boys' sports to suffere due to the equality of funding. Then finally, in 1988, the Civil Rights Restoration Act which nullified the Grove City ruling. The act outlawed sex discrimination in all educational institutions receivingfederal funding.
Although Title IX has given many women athletes the proper chances to achieve athletic greatness in the Olympics and in college sports, it still is not perfect. There is two sides that reside about the issue of the title. There are still to this day the people who believe that the increased power of women will result in the loss of the original from men. Hopefully, with women becoming more and more involved with the movement the issue can be resolved.
More on TITLE IX:
FairGameNews: Seeking Equality on and Off the Field
Before I recommend how the status quo could be changed in this situation, it must first be explained what the status quo is in this situation. For athletics, the status quo would be dominant, "masculine", men. My main suggestion for changing the status quo is basically education. Not only can girls and women benefit from the understanding of equality but so can boys, especially with athletics. If boys are more open to playing with girls or the social bounds are more accepting of girls playing "boy" sports then the contribution is made.
Along with the status quo are the institutions that support it. Athletics uses the media influence to give women and men different versions of what is acceptable by the status quo. For women, this means less media coverage of athletic events connecting to the popularity of that sport and the amount of credit the athlete receives. If women's sports were seriously covered then more people would be exposed to what these amazing women can do and the women can then get the credit that is deserved.
Our American culture is based upon what is seen or appreciated, and into how well a person performs. The biggest change our society should make is judging the success of an athlete by the way they perform not simply the sport that is played or the gender that they are. Another, positive change would be the encouragement of girls at a young age to break the mold and be great in athletics. There are so many positive female role models that are athletes that girls SHOULD be looking up to.
As a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter and a friend I can gladly say that the best thing that my family has ever done for me was get me involved in athletics. So, what can any person do? Get started early, with your son or daughter to be goal driven and understanding of others.
As far as the government is concerned the only aspect of the law that could be changed or revised is Title IX. The biggest political issue dealing with the title is that it is not the first issue in line dealing with sports to be taken care of. So unit it can be looked at individual colleges basically have the right to enforce the act to whatever extent they want. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-i-abrams/gender-equity-in-a-time-o_b_207309.html)
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