Popularity of Collegiate Women in Rugby in America - Research Paper Example

Stereotypically, women are expected to cheer lead or at the most play individual sport such as swimming or running track. Most people feel that women-designated sports are figure skating, tennis, and gymnastics. In the early years, sports for women were considered to be recreational rather that competitive considering that hey were informal and without any rules. A research done Griffin has showed the existence of sex role stereotypes. According to the research conducted on four children (two boys and two girls of different ages), there were variation in physical, sociological and psychological characteristics between the sexes.

The research showed that the traits that are usually associated with male behavior are desired by both males and females. Griffins insisted in his research that just as there are behavioral traits associated with males and females, there are also activities classified as meant for females or male. One activity that is commonly associated with men is sports. Although females participate in athletics, their efforts are often rewarded with only a few positive results (Griffins, 513). In the article Sex in Education, A Fair Chance for Girls, Dr.

Clark stated that women should reduce muscular and brain labor when they are on menstruation (Clarke, 100). Many women became interested in sports to remain physically fit and healthy.  Other females play sports to define their value and satisfy their ego.  There are also those who use sports as a means of liberation.  Women receive psychological satisfaction from staying physically fit, being a part of a team, and competing. It is not surprising that the intense the sport, the more satisfaction women receive.

These women began to resist the notion of the weakness of the female body (Field). Women in sports are often misrepresented as being masculine, and may struggle with gender identities in acting out both feminine and masculine roles. Scholars have determined