Women+in+Sport+-+redefining+what+it+means+to+be+a+man?

**WOMEN IN SPORT -** **R****EDEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN?**  Nicole Vasil (n7560699)  Tutor: Judith Meiklejohn

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[|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85-nG][|i2AxS0] This YouTube clip features Mary Jo Kane, a professor from the University of Minnesota and Director of Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport; Michael Messner, author of //Taking the Field// from the University of Southern California; and Pat Griffin, Author //of Strong Women, Deep Closets// from the University of Massachusetts. It shows examples of inequality for females in sport up to 40 years ago and it also shows how the media sexualise women. Mary Jo Kane talks about the projection of women in the media and how we never see women athletes, portrayed as athletes. Also stating that women athletes are significantly more likely to be portrayed as highly feminie, out of their uniforms and sexualised. Michael Messner discusses the common associations between men and sport compared to the common associations of women athlete as weak and sexualised in the media and how that has not changed. Pat Griffin speaks about sport’s deep cultural meaning, and to challenge the meaning of what it means to be a man by inviting women in and acknowledging that they are athletic; she believes that this is a real challenge to that norm. The clip goes on to show Donna Lopiana, President and Founder of Sports Management Resources; who discusses statistics about how far women in high school sport have come, discussing statistics about participation, funding, participation opportunities, all of these compared to men’s sport.

Treatment of women in sport is the public health issue central to this analysis. The focus is on the disadvantages women face in regards to media coverage, participation opportunities, funding and recognition in comparison to males. The media plays a major role in projecting female athletes; however it also is a major advocate in getting younger females involved. The chosen artefact represents the barriers that women face in sport; sexualisation in the media, negative attitudes, limited funds and possibilities. The artefact highlights the fact that women are participating in an unfair playing field when it comes to their treatment in sport. Although the issue has now been brought to the for-front in the media, there is still a long way to go.

**Literature Review**
Over the past decade or so, females in sports have made substantial growths in the sporting department. They have achieved all time highs in participation rates (Acosta and Carpenter, 2006) and the achievement of several high-profile positions in organisations such as the International Olympic Committee (Shaw and Frisby, 2006). Although those achievements aside, women and girls participating in sport still fight the battle of gender inequality within all sports and it is nowhere near reaching a resolution.

This inequality that exists between female and male athletes and the sports they participate in has existed since women first started to enter the sporting world, towards the turn of the eighteenth century, i.e. when the first group of women were allowed into the Olympic Games in 1990 (Ederle, 2011). Through a number of different barriers, this inequality has reared its ugly head in a way that affects the portrayal of women’s sport to the general population. One of those major barriers is the way female athletes are portrayed by the media. Sport is dominated by the media; however media has always stereotypically favoured the male sport, through visual, print and audio mediums. Female sports receive very little to no media coverage. The little media that female athletes receive, generally they are either tiny snippets, which you have to be searching for, or otherwise you will overlook or the athlete will be sexualised and posing in a stereotypically feminine photo. //Towards a Level Playing Field,// 2008, by the Australian Sports Commission found that 81.1% of all free to air media coverage was made up of male sport, whilst only 8.7% of the remanding air time was specifically for female sport. The media coverage of female athletes and sports is crucial for the health of the nation’s female population. Through media coverage of females participating in sport, women and girls, all over the country would be more motivated and inspired to become active themselves.

As sports have evolved, the opportunities available to both women and men have followed suit within all areas of the field. Those include, coaching, umpiring, sports commentary, journalism and other such roles, have seen women step up; however females are still overrun by their male counterparts. Thus, as a result of this, sport tends to celebrate the achievements of men whilst marginalizing the status of women through placing them in expressive, supportive roles such as cheerleaders (Frey & Eitzen 1991). In a manner similar to the experiences of blacks in sport women have been prohibited from full and equal participation because of formal restrictions and cultural predispositions (Frey & Eizten, 1991).

As mentioned earlier, female athletes and their representation in the media, generally results in the sexualisation of the athletes and their sport. Kane, 2011, supported this notion of the “sex sells” strategy the is used by journalists and the media in her article, //Sex sells Sex, Not Women’s Sport.// This projects to the community that female athletes can and are often perceived as mere sexual objects and not as the professional athletes that they have worked so hard to achieve. The perception of female athletes as sexual objects can also be reversed, they can potentially be viewed as overly masculine or as a lesbian. This is due to the mere fact that society can’t comprehend females as athletes; therefore they categorise them to the stereotypical norm as overly masculine and butch, as a way of justifying the reason they play sport, to be more like a man. Both portrayals of women athletes can be just as hurtful and demeaning to the athlete themselves. It has be established that ‘//some women felt ashamed for participating in sports that have been produced as ‘masculine’ or ‘lesbian’ ‘// (Parker, 2009).

Amongst the vast majority of male based sports initiatives aimed at sports participation and recognition for male athels, there are a minority of policies and frameworks within the sporting world aimed at increasing participation of women in sports and physical activity. The current strategies address many of the common problems that females associate with participation in sports and physical activity. One of the major issues impeding the participation levels of women in sport is the lack of funding female sports and competitors receive. The Australian Government has released a grant in order to increase the media attention of female sport. The grant was for $1.45million and divided between 15 national sporting organisations. This funding and support will assist with production costs, marketing and promotion of national and international level Australian women’s leagues, competitions, teams and athletes.

The Australian Government has implemented a number of policies and strategies that are there to help women’s sport to reach a level where female athletes are appreciated for the elite athletes that they are. They include programs such as; the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Institute of Sport and the Women’s Institute of Sport. These programs encourage women and girls to participate in sport on all levels, from community level to the elite level. It is important for these programs to encourage participation at the grass roots level as female sports are not as common as male sports at a recreational level. The idea of developing at the grass roots level is to get the younger females of today interested in sport and physical activity so that they can provide the participant base for the future. As all sports require a support network, which in turn will encourage more media coverage. Research support has shown that “//Girls who have played will turn into women who watch, encouraging media producers to provide more women’s sports programming”// (Whiteside. E, Hardin. M, 2011).

Although Australia has come a long way in recognising women in sport and the issue is becoming more socially acceptable there is still a long way to go given the media statistics. Through funding from the government and encouraging more girls to stay involved in sport we should realistically begin to see equal amounts of media coverage. However, there also needs to be an agreement with the media so they televise equal time for both men and women. This is possibly one of the most obvious strategies in order to improve the publicity and recognition women’s sport receives through the media. From research it can b seen that it has taken women to make the small changes so far. Not many men are involved in helping eradicate the issue of gender inequality and assisting women to be seen as equal and recognised for their sporting capabilities and not just their bodies or looks. This poses a major barrier as men hold majority of the power at the moment, and women are once again the minority.


 * Cultural and Social Analysis **

The issue of inequality within the sporting world affects the whole of the cultural and social makeup of Australia. The feminist theory aims to understand the nature of inequality between both men and women. In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the obvious gender bias of sociological inquiry was exposed (Turner, 2003). Both the theory and the research in sociology focused on males, and in a very real sense, contributed to the pattern of gender inequality. The Feminist Peace and Conflict Theory reflect on the need of visibility of women in conflicts and have lead to a broader understanding of security issues (Weber, 2006). This approach works to analyse gender as yet another form of conflict-producing stratification.

The way in which society perceives women in society has substantially changed over the last century. Women have gained the right to vote, joined the armed services, acquired the ability to stand in the front line for the defence force and hold a respectable and prestigious place within society. However, when it comes to sport, women are still marginalised and looked down upon by men. The myths as to the reasons why women have not been able to participate in sport and the frontline have been dispelled. Those reasons being; that participation in sport for a female is harmful to their reproductive system and that sport masculinises a women. The roles that society encourage men and women to fulfil within sporting activities, reflects their roles in society as a whole (Flanagan, 2008). Therefore it should be of priority for Australia as a whole to want to close the gap and eradicate gender inequality between male and female sports.

This difference in the sporting community affects mainly female athletes themselves, as they are constantly over looked and overshadowed by their male counterpart (Whiteside. E, Hardin. M, 2011). Female athletes put in just as much effort, time and money into their sports and their performance as men do, yet they receive a fraction of the fame and/or fortune compared to males. In the past women have not received the same treatment on the playing field. There is still some disparity in terms of limits placed on the athlete and media involvement. However, as women begin to be treated equally in general society, realistically this should cause a ripple effect and women may begin to be seen equally in the sporting area as well.


 * Analysis of the Artefact and your own Learning Reflections **

The artefact presented represents what has happened in the past and what has improved in women’s sport. These improvements include participation rate of young women in high schools, increased funding and participation opportunities. However these compared to men’s sport is minimal. The artefact also discussed the influence that women in sport have on the societal norm, and how it redefines what it means to be a man. In summary of the issue the artefact presented, women face social injustice not only on the field but also in the media. The results of this flow on to effect the opportunities available to young girls who want to participate in sport but have been deprived of the opportunities.

In my personal opinion is that sport is an important aspect to everyone, especially to me as a female. My main interest is expanding the participation opportunities and essentially participation levels, and as a result of doing so increase the level of interest in women’s sport. Through the increase in interest, girls in school will begin to see the opportunities presenting themselves to them and they will hopefully grab those chances with both hands and start participating in sport. As I am doing a double degree, essentially to become a health and physical education teacher, this is a crucial element that needs to be addressed in order to make not only my role, but all other sport teachers out there, significantly easier.

As a result of this assessment piece I have acquired the knowledge of how to critically analyse a situation and to also look underneath the surface and delve deeper into what is actually going on as opposed to taking something for what it appears to be on the outside.

**Reference List**
 
 * Acosta, R. V., & Carpenter, L. J. (2006). Women in intercollegiate sport: A longitudinal study-twenty nine year update-1977–2006. Unpublished manuscript, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
 * Ederle. G, (2011). History of Women in Sports Timeline. St. Lawrence County Branch, [online] []
 * Flanagan, K. (2008). Gender Barriers in Sport. Retrieved 23rd October 2011 from []
 * Frey, J. H., & Eitzen, D. S. (1991). Sport and society.//Annual Review of Sociology,17//(1), 503-522. doi:10.1146/annurev.so.17.080191.002443
 *  Kane. M, 2011, //Sex Sells Sex, Not Women’s Sports.// The [[file:///C:/Users/User/Documents/QUT/Sem%202/HCS/Women%20sport%20future.docx|Nation]], Vol. 293 Issue 7/8, p28
 * Parker. M, 2009,//Femininities in women's rugb//. University of Alberta. p24-25
 * Shaw, S., & Frisby, W. (2006). Can gender equity be more equitable?: // Promoting and alternative frame for sport management research, education, and practice //. Journal of Sport Management, 20, 483–509
 * // Towards a Level Playing Field:sport and gender in Australian media, 2008, Australian Sports Commission. //
 * Turner, J. (2003). //The structure of sociological theory// (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson/Wadsworth
 * Weber, A. (2006). Feminist Peace and Conflict Theory. Retrieved 23rd October from []
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Whiteside. E, Hardin. M, 2011, //Women (Not) Watching Women: Leisure Time, Television, and Implications for Televised Coverage of Women's Sports,//Communication, Culture & Critique, 4, 2, 122-143

**Comments on Other Students' Wikis**
__Pregnancy, Identity, Pain and Femininity__ <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> I agree very much with what you are saying in relation to this topic, however I believe the answer women give when asked how their pregnancy is going has to be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Yes, every woman will be going through essentially the same changes in their body throughout the different phases of pregnancy but some women might actually love what is happening, regardless of the pain they are dealing with. Then there are those who still appreciate the gift they have of being pregnant, but they are consumed by the amount of pain they are in, therefore answer like the woman in the cartoon with "fine" but are thinking about the pain they are really going through.

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__ Women in Sport - Gender Inequality Alive and Well on the Sporting Field __

I enjoyed reading your wiki, and completely agree with what you say about the misrepresentation and the sexualisation of women athletes. However it also gets me thinking for those girls who want to play football and who are good at it, but as there is no other official league than the LFL, what happens if they don't like showing their body or have low self-confidence etc.

I know from personal experience even though it is a completely different sport, I used to swim, and I struggled just with the one piece swimsuit, yet I loved to swim so that's just something I had to grin and bare. If a young girl likes to play football and is good at it, I don't believe that in order for her talent to be officially recognized, that she should have to play in lingerie.

http://healthculturesociety.wikispaces.com/Women+in+Sport-+Gender+inequality+alive+and+well+on+the+sporting+field%21