Gender Sex and Culture Difference on Sport Issues in Australia - Case Study Example

GENDER SEX AND CULTURE DIFFERENCE ON SPORT ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA Name Course Date Introduction Gender is state of a person being either masculine of feminine. It is referred to as the social definition of gender and goes hand in hand with sex. Sex on the other hand is the state of being a male or a female proven biologically. Culture on the other hand is the platform on which gender and sex lies and they have the capacity to affect the integrity of sports. The three factors have the fundamental core effect in sports in any other nation or culture inhibit on issues of sports. The main aim of the research therefore is to analyze the main difference between gender, sex and cultures properties concerning sports in Australia. Australia as a nation has a culture that believes in sports. Most of her citizens have a great passion in sports. Both male and female participate in sports in one way or another be it even if it’s walking. Australian culture and as a nation at large has its own rules pertaining sports and the media on the other hand has a great influence in the sports of Australia. The government of Australia on the other hand is trying as hard as possible to make the Australian sports culture to remain at its top notch. This paper therefore will focus on key concepts such sexism in sports and gender inequality which has risen burning topics in many nations worldwide. Sexism in Sports and Gender Inequality Sex and gender has risen burning topics and have seen risen issues pertaining the matter. It is clear that there is no equality on gender and sex in almost every sector of any nation in the world. Australia on the other hand has the same issue and especially in sectors like sports. We see many males participating in sports compared to females. This on the other hand kills the morale of those females that may have the talent in any side of the field but are not given the chance to showcase what they have. Well even though some females participate in certain sports, it is very rare to find females playing those games that require a lot of energy and training like basketball (Aitchison, 2007). We have seen that most top notch basket teams in the world are of male players and not female players. Nevertheless, game activities such as Tennis has seen female get hold of the steering. It is by this truth and factor that we should use and give female in our society to take part in game activities. They may be so good without realizing the capabilities between them. Sex on the other hand goes hand in hand with gender. Australian people well most of them have the love for sports and would love to produce better result in their activities. Sex on the other hand acts as a fundamental factor in the sports sector of Australia. It normally goes hand in hand with homophobia whereby there is that feeling of fear or hatred towards homosexuals and lesbians. Sex therefore is very selective on issue concerning sports in Australia as we are going to see in the paper. Australia Culture towards Sports Australia as a nation has developed that good culture towards sports. It is by this love for sports that has seen the nation termed as a nation of good sports. Its outstanding sports activities has provided a positive feedback to other people as a paradise of sports. Well most of the people and in fact 95% of the citizens of Australia participate in sports. Research shows that a lot of women in Australia engage in sports activities even by walking. It is by this fact that Australian citizens are known as sports obsessives. They have the tendency and love to play hard. This character and quality that they possess has seen so many games activities being played in Australia. This diverseness that they possess is what enables them to hold almost every games activities and participate nationwide in sports competitions like the Olympics games (Buzuvis, 2012). Sexuality and Homophobia Sexuality in Australia is essential and significant. Although the Australian nation has called upon respect for anyone sexuality, it is still a major issue that has seen its way to the sports sector of the nation. This fact has brought up homophobia among people. The fear and hatred feeling for homosexuals in Australia has made it a big factor on sports issues especially. It has brought about great difficulty for homosexuals in Australia to participate in sports. Nevertheless if they get the chance to participate in sports, it will be kept on low level because of that fear of being abused as a culture. Australia tries as hard as possible to make sure that its sports view to the outside world is kept as positive as possible (Kian, 2013). Gender stereotypes has also occurred in Australia culture of people. This is the division of male and female depending on their attributes and characters. There is this grouping of male and female according to the roles and practice they are able to do comfortably in the society. This gender stereotypes has also seen its way in the sports sector. We have seen women being given least chances in high and best sports activities in the games field. This is because they are believed that they cannot give the game the best shots they have. They are therefore given pity games activities not knowing that one’s talent can yield high that training. Women on the other hand are the one who suffer a lot from this stereotypes. Men are given roles which are believed that women won’t be in a position to perform well and on the other hand that would not be the case. Media coverage for females participating in sporting activities has also seen a greater influence on people view of sports in Australia. Everyone in Australia has the right to participate in sport activities without any obstacles. The media in Australia on the other hand has not acknowledged fully the participation of females in sports. We see very few instances of females in sports being view on national television to showcase to the world. There is a rising number of young girls, female in schools who engage is sport activities and even participate in tournaments and yet the media has not seen this as a good improvement on the female’s side. This fact kills the morale of those young ladies who would want to grow in sports and later on drop for other careers that would see them being noticed by the media and the society itself. Research has shown that media coverage of female sports has reduced from 5% to 3.2% over the years. Sports centers are also not giving credits to women who engage in sports activities compared to male and especially those who play the big three games which are Football, Basketball and Baseball. Study shows that broadcasters achieve a 74.5% of their sports reporting on the men’s games which are the big three games. This is a large percentage that proves that it is very rare for women to appear on media coverage as compared to males. This issue has raised about the topic of comparison on Australia and Europe sports (Wachs, 2005). Australia has built a good foundation and culture of sports dating back in the 90s. This fact has seen and brought about a considerable interest also in the UK nation. Both nations have increasingly improved on their sports activities join and coming up with different channels in world part forms e.g. the Euro sport. It is by this great culture that both countries inhibit that has seen them raise even in great economic integrations. The fact that they are able to view and air the sport activities on air is a great way to advertise the country as well (Wellard, 2007) Nevertheless with Australia’s rich ground in sports, it has its own views on gay and lesbians participation in sports. Australia has put a law and has given its citizen the right to participate in sport activities irrespective of their sex. Nevertheless study has shown that there is gay discrimination in sports and in Australia. The homophobia feeling makes people not to want to engage in any activities with gays including sporting activities with a fear that anything could happen to them. Study conducted in Sydney Australia has proved that 80% of people had witnessed gays being bullied and tightened harmfully when participating in sports. This was according to a survey of 9500 delegates and respondents. Conclusion Sporting activities is very essential in any nation. A good culture on sporting helps create and provide positive feedback to people in other nations and would want to learn more about its sporting culture. Australia as a nation form times back developed a good sporting culture that saw it being named as a paradise of sports. It is through people passion that has seen Australia develop that sport obsessiveness quality. Nevertheless, it is important for gender and sex equity to be enhanced. This will be done if any sex will be allowed to participate in any sporting activities regardless of one’s sex. Again it will be made more effective if women would be given equal chances even in top games. This will be made effective if the media will improve on its coverage for female sports. Bibliography Aitchison, C.C. ed., 2007. Sport and gender identities: Masculinities, femininities, and sexualities. Routledge. The book seeks to explain the relationship that sport has with both the gender and sexuality. She presents the games as dynamic social and cultural force. She argues that game in the western world is the “last great bastion of homophobia, racism and nationalism.” She further shows how the sport has imprisoned people considered “others.” Buzuvis, E., 2012. Sexual orientation and gender identity in sport: Essays from activists, coaches, and scholars. This is a collection of essays from different scholars explaining the gender identity in the sport as well as sexual orientation. The researchers adequately explain their theories on how the different phenomenon’s work is giving a reason as to how, when and why they happen that way. Further, support their jobs with the relevant materials on the matters concerning sport and sexual orientation. Cortis, N., Sawrikar, P. and Muir, K., 2007. Participation in sport and recreation by culturally and linguistically diverse women. Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales. The report on the project seeks to inform the stakeholders in the sports sector of the factors to consider in developing the policies and programs. The project advocates for diverse linguistic women to be included in the formally organized sport and other recreational activities. Kian, E.M., Anderson, E., Vincent, J. and Murray, R., 2013.Sports journalists’ views on gay men in sport, society and within sports media. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, p.1012690213504101. The research is based on the reaction of interviewed sports journalists in a bid to use their experiences in reporting on matters concerning sports and sexual orientation of a player. It also seeks to capture their attitudes towards such. It is based in the USA, but the journalists reluctantly report the athletes’ sexual orientation. Sport for Development International Working Group, 2008. Harnessing the Power of Sport for Development and Peace.Right to Play, Toronto. This is a United Nations report on the gender and sports development in the border perspective to maintain peace among the communities. Using the research-based evidence on the role of sport in sex development; the report outlines the recommendations to the governments. The recommendations are based on the change in policies as well as a creation of programs to address the challenges while tapping on the opportunities available. Wachs, F.L., 2005. The boundaries of difference: Negotiating gender in recreational sport. Sociological Inquiry, 75(4), p.527. Wachs explore the boundaries of difference that exist in the recreational sport. She performs a performance observation on the coed slow- pitch softball. In conclusion, the research notes that in the Western culture sports have historically gendered. This study puts perspective the relevant measures that can be taken to remove the barriers to performance in sport among the different genders. Wellard, I., 2007. Introduction: Young people, gender, physical activity and sport. Rethinking gender and youth sport, pp.1-11. The book has been written based on the research conducted by the author on the benefits of physical activity as well as sport on the lives of young people. He takes issue particularly with the difference of physical activity among the different genders. Read More