Mixed-Gender Sports Issues - Term Paper Example

? Mixed-Gender sports There is an opinion that by means of sport men have an opportunity to demonstrate their masculinity, their power and strength. At the same time women can not be so powerful and be on the same level with the men. Demonstration of masculinity is nothing more than a way to protect men from the so-called feminized society. People tend to emphasize men’s strength and at the same time do not take into account women’s abilities. In such a way boys and men have a great capability to improve and develop their strength; they show their superiority, thus it has become clear that by excluding women out of this area they just once again manifest the women’s inferiority. In the past women had no opportunity or even a chance to improve and develop their bodies. It was not preferable for women. Now the situation has changed and women took part in the competitions, but the amount of them is much less than the amount of men. It would take much time to improve the situation (Bryant, 2003, 140). Feminist movements made many attempts in order to gain the same rights and conditions for women. Only at the end of the 20th century the world saw the results. The sport was not considered to be a male privilege and from that moment women received the opportunity to participate in almost every kind of sport. For sure we cannot say that the full equality has not been achieved and now feminists turned their attention to the problem of segregation (Bryson 350). At first sight in the world of sport the segregation does not provoke any disputes; it is just accepted by its participants. And there are a number of reasons for that. Due to the physical peculiarities, women have less opportunity to demonstrate their skills. The trouble is that sex segregation in sports seriously influences not only the issue of discrimination in sports circles, but also on the sexual hierarchy in the society in general. So, this issue is very important and worth-discussing as it refers not only to sport but to the everyday life as well. Mixed-gender sports could help defend the rights of women, so it must be introduced as much as it is possible. There is an opinion that the main aim of feminists concerning sport is to get rid of men, especially in those kinds of sports where women suffer from men’s athleticism. To say more such evidence as gender segregation in the team sport is accepted by both women and men. The basis for such statement is the myth that men have privileges over women, because they are stronger from the birth. So, gender segregation in the field of sport contributes to the common belief that women and men belong to the different worlds. Now many scholars is concerned with the issue what role the gender plays in sport and how it influences the position of women in the modern world. In order to find the answer to this question it is enough to recall the participants of different kinds of sport. Just remember the Olympic Games, where women and men have different competitions. People can explain it due to different physical abilities and as a result women usually compete with women and men with men. An interesting thing was noticed during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The German team had different colors of jackets for women and men and it looked like the indicators of gender that automatically demonstrated the differences between them (Bryant, 2003). And here the important question arises if such separation takes part in professional sport and if the professional sport tries to emphasize the differences between men and women. According to the official sources a great number of sports are gender-segregated at a professional level. On the other hand, researches show that a great number of men already recognize that women as athletic as they are. Anderson came to the following conclusion in his research: “thus, in the sex-integrated sport of collegiate cheerleading, even once sexist and misogynistic men were able to witness the athleticism of women, befriend them in ways that they were previously unable to, and to learn of their sexual and gendered narratives—humanizing them in the process. And while not all men were equally affected by their experience in cheerleading, the considerable results observed highlight the question of how much of men’s antifeminine, sexist, and misogynistic attitudes might be prevented if team sports were structurally gender integrated across all sports and among all age cohorts” (Anderson 265). However, the segregation still exists. It is time to briefly analyze the main arguments for such division. Very often such arguments refer to the religion matters that prohibit mixed-gender competition. Some men can say that they do not want women to wear tight tricots. Certainly, it is the manifestation of men egoism and nothing more. However, physical peculiarities which provoke the stereotype that women are not able to compete with the more mighty men is the most important argument. By the way the latter statement is supported by the both conservative people and those who struggle for the women’s right. Certainly, they have different motivation but the meaning is still the same. Conservative people think that women are fragile creatures who are not able to compete with men. The women rights defenders think that segregation is the key point if we talk about fairness. We see that the both opinions have a right to exist, but if we are talking about the professional sport, the attention should be paid to the physical characteristics. The question is if women has the same characteristics, why they have no right to compete with men. It sounds like discrimination. Such segregation springs from general belief that it is shameful for boys to have girls as friends: “in high school it was all about the cheerleaders making signs for our games or baking us cookies. I mean, we hung out with them at parties, but it was nothing like what occurs here [in cheerleading]. We didn’t travel with them or have team dinners and stuff. I never really had female friends in high school … I never really got to know them like I do now” (cited in Anderson 265). To consider the issue from different points of view and to find the resolution, it is essential to analyze some examples. The first is so-called men’s kind of sport - Weightlifting. In general women due to their nature have less physical strength, and there is an opinion that mutual competition will bring only one or two female winners. From the other side such equal participation will provide women with the opportunity to take part in more prestige and highly paid competition. We should also remember that not every kind of sport is based on the physical abilities: Bowling, Pool Billiard etc. The statistics show that women have worse results than men, but the main reason of that is not gender but rather the fact that very few women take part in the competition. If sportsmen are not segregated in terms of color of skin if we know that blacks are very good runners, why gender should be such aspect? There is an opinion that segregation refers to women and their incapability to have the same physical characteristics as men. The problem also refers to the denial of women’s participation in some kinds of sports, as they can not provide women with the opportunity to develop their skills. This situation hurts women greatly and testifies about the neglecting attitude. The stereotypes that exist in society influence the life of women and mixed-gender sports could help improve the life of females “correlated with women’s athletic participation is an improvement in physical health, elevated self-esteem, improved academic standing, greater career mobility, reduced rates of pregnancy, and even reduced sexual victimization. What is not clear however is whether these findings are the result of athletic participation alone or whether they are predicated on gender-segregated athletic participation” (Anderson 262). It should be said separately about the female martial artists. Women have quite different abilities in comparison with men. Despite this fact, women are not weaker, in some cases are even stronger than men. If to talk about men’s sparring with women, in this case man has to change and challenge his attitude towards women’s place in sport. The men begin to take women seriously only after the sparring, when women prove their abilities and skills. So, it has become clear that women should take much effort in order to prove their abilities. “I didn’t appreciate women as athletes before. [In high school] I heard that another school had a girl on their [football] team and I thought that was wrong. My teammates and I were talking about it, and we all agreed that a woman just couldn’t handle what we could. Now I see that women can handle a lot and they aren’t as fragile as I thought they were” (cited in Anderson 260). Mixed gender sports introduction demands developing special sports programs, which will help increase women’s participation in sports. Appropriate consideration of mixed-gender sports can definitely help make the role women play in the area of sport more essential. It is interesting that in different communities various kinds of sports are perceived differently. For example, the investigation showed that in the United States basketball is considered to be a “rough” game at the same time as in Senegal the same kind of sports is seen as the most appropriate for women. This testifies that mixed-gender sports may serve an appropriate solution that would help more women penetrate the area of sports. “Findings suggest that the complex reproduction of orthodox masculinity in men’s team sports, the kind of sports Messner (2002) describes as the institutional center of sports—such as football, basketball, and hockey—are largely influenced by segregating males into a homophobic, sexist, antifeminine, and misogynistic gender regime that only promotes those who aptly conform to the orthodox sporting ethos” (Anderson 264). Modern segregated activities only contribute to the problems of discrimination, which exist in patriarchal society. Traditional sports prevent the problem of gender inequality from the logical resolution. It is essential to change the traditional games and their rules with the focus on equal participation of men and women. One of the main problems of modern feminism is the unnecessary competition between men and women. Mixed-gender sports can help eliminate this struggle and make both men and women realize that they can work together forgetting about the stupid war between genders. It is a well-known fact that men and women are different in terms of their abilities and physical strength. The segregation in sports contribute to the common opinion that exists in our society: men are better than women. Women do not have an opportunity to prove the opposite. Mixed-gender sports can provide men and women with such an opportunity. Many sports games can be and should be modified in order to promote gender equality. Women should have a chance to prove their strength and abilities. Special programs should be introduced in order to make necessary changes and provide women with more opportunities. The conclusion can be made that gender segregation is not the best decision concerning the professional sport. “Gender desegregating sport is a politically charged proposition, and I am aware that among traditionalists of sport the potential implications of these findings may not be received favorably. But only by examining both sides of this question will we come to a better understanding of the impact gender segregation has on athletic culture. Hegemonic perspectives that value gender segregation in sport—whether they be masculinist or feminist in origin—should not stop us from academically examining a counterproposition” (Anderson 263). The main solution is the creation of the equal conditions in any aspect. Another issue is how to create these conditions. Certainly, women should be provided with the opportunities to prove their strength and abilities. It is obvious that not all the women will be able and will have a desire to do that. However, those, who want to take part in mixed-gender competition, should be provided with such an opportunity. Despite of such efforts and potential changes we still can’t change the physical peculiarities and make women stronger than men. The only thing we can change is the attitude towards this difference between sexes. Women should not be deprived of something due to their physical peculiarities. And men in their turn should respect these peculiarities as it is women who give a life to men and not vice versa. This fact makes women stronger than men and gives them a right to be considered such. Also in some kinds of sport segregation should be eliminated. Works Cited Anderson, Eric. ‘‘I Used to Think Women Were Weak’’: Orthodox Masculinity, Gender Segregation, and Sport. Eastern Sociological Society, 2008 Bryant, Alyssa. 2003. ‘‘Changes in Attitudes Toward Women’s Roles: Predicting Gender- Role Traditionalism Among College Students,’’ Sex Roles 48: 3 ? 4, 2003: 131–142. Bryson, Lois. ‘‘Sport and the Maintenance of Masculine Hegemony,’’ Women’s Studies International Forum 10, 1987: 349–360. Read More