Modern+Day+Mum

Running like a girl: How equitable is the Playing Field when it comes to women in sport? Name: Nicole Gunthorpe Student Number: n8097011 Tutor: Katie Page

**WOMEN IN SPORT: MODERN DAY MUM**



This image represents the lifestyle of a busy modern day mother who battles numerous tasks and responsibilities on a daily basis. She appears to be an expert in multitasking. Whether it’s paying the bills, cooking dinner, organising appointments or feeding the kids, ticking the items off the list is all part of the normal routine.

**Public health issue central to the analysis**

Challenges surrounding public health today include the abundance of mental and physical issues associated with inactivity (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2009). As the demands of work and family life increases, so too does the pressure of time constraints for leisure. Research has revealed that married people, parents of young children, combined with long hours of employment spend less time undertaking sports and recreational activity (Nomaguchi, 2004).

The artefact depicts a modern day mum juggling the responsibilities of work and family life which represents a member of society who could be at risk of the health issues related to decreased sports participation and limited recreational activity. Although there is an increase in women stepping into the workforce today, this increase is not matched by the gender equality in household and family responsibilities (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2009a).

**Literature Review**

The Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] (2009b) provides evidence that slightly more females than males participate regularly in sport and physical recreation, with participation rates corresponding to 32% female and 27% male. However, judging by the quantity of women’s sport in the media today compared to that of men’s, it would appear that men participate in sport and physical activity more so than women.

According to Hardin (2011), one of the reasons for the lack of building a fan base for women’s sport results in the form of women’s gender roles and domestic responsibilities and the lack of motivation both men and women have for watching women’s televised sport. Their study involved heterosexual women, of those who proclaimed to be the domestic caretakers, said they had little time to sit down to watch television, let alone follow a sport. When these women did sit down to watch a sports match they either did not watch the whole game or were up and down every so often attending to other things Hardin (2011).

Similarly, women who are the dominate caretakers may be finding it difficult to allocate leisure time for sporting activities and physical recreation that is necessary for physical and psychological well-being. Studies in the gender gap for leisure were conducted by Wajcman ( 2000), which revealed that women who took on the demands of work and domestic responsibilities, placed pressure on their leisure time. In addition Wajcman ( 2000) stated that “although men and women have similar quantities of free time, when the character of leisure is considered the gap between genders re-emerges.”

Leisure time can be defined as the time not spent working or meeting the necessaries of life (Marshall, 2011). Sport and physical recreation is considered a leisure time activity, which is an important aspect in maintaining health and well-being. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare proclaims that sport and physical recreation is beneficial for six out of the eight national health priorities which include; arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions; cancer control; cardiovascular health; diabetes; injury prevention and control; and mental health (AIHW, 2009).

In the past, studies have shown that p hysical inactivity is higher in woman ( Bauman, Bellow, Vita, Brown, & Owen, 2002 ). However, more recent studies from the ABS (2009b) provide evidence that sports participation and physical recreation is very similar in both males and females. Despite the findings from the ABS, this research does not specify participation for the respective modern day mum who encounters the busy lifestyle responsibilities subjected to housework, childcare and paid employment.

Many women classify housework as physical activity. A study reported that women had insufficient leisure time physical activity compared to men, but when domestic activities were included the difference between men and women decreased by 2.1%(Phongsavan, 2004).In addition, this study highlighted that vigorous domestic activities are a main contribution to the overall physical activity requirement levels, in particular adult women aged over 30 years.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Housework is classified as a form of physical activity (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2009). However, while it is a type of energy expenditure there are question as to when it provides mental and social benefits involving housework as a main form of exercise (Phongsavan, 2004). Unlike individual exercise and vigorous housework, sport and physical recreational programs can help to reduce the social isolation and exclusion that many women experience. Sport programs help women build social networks, offer social support, and connect them to health services, and opportunities that can help to address their marginalization in society (Sport and Gender, 1995).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;"> The three most common reasons for women not participating in sport and physical recreation was that they were not interested, too old or had insufficient time due to work or study (ABS, 2009b). Additionally, “more than twice the number of females than males (435 400 or 14% and 171 200 or 5% respectively) indicated insufficient time due to family commitments” (ABS, 2009b). The ABS (2009b) also revealed that females in couple families with dependant children were one of the highest participants in sport and physical recreation. In spite of this, there was no indication of whether these females were employed part time or full time, or whether they considered housework as a form or physical activity.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">On the other hand, females who were employed part time had the highest participation rates compared to those who were unemployed (ABS, 2009b); however, family life and household gender roles were not taken into account. Moreover, financial costs involved with sports and physical recreational activities could explain the low participation rates for women who are unemployed and may be another health issue to consider.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Until recently, social and cultural expectations within families involved the male partner as the dominate member who assumed paid employment, whilst the female counterpart took on the household chores and childcare responsibilities ([|Ransome, 2010], p. 279) There are now more women, with husbands or partners and dependant children, who are engaged in the workforce whilst continuing to balance domestic roles and family responsibilities. This situation is described as the ‘dual-earner’ model, where ‘both partners have jobs although the male partner usually works longer hours and earns more. The female parent, “despite the fact that she is also working, still tends to do a high proportion of household chores and childcare” ([|Ransome, 2010], p. 279).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">To illustrate the increase in women undertaking paid employment the Global Gender Gap Index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories. In 2011 Australia was ranked 23rd overall out of 135 countries within global gender gap index, scoring 0.729 (0.00 = inequality and 1.00 = equality) (Hausmann, Tyson, & Zahidi, 2009). The economic participation is included in the Global Gender Gap Report (2009) as one of the four fundamental categories, which comprises of labor force participation; wage equality; estimated earned; legislators, senior officials and managers; and professional and technical workers. Australia’s economic participation was ranked 24th out of 134 countries and scored a gap of 0.756 with the average sample being 0.588 (Hausmann, Tyson, & Zahidi, 2009). The scores in all areas of economic participation have increased since the Global Gender Gap Index in 2006, scoring 0.716. Additionally, under the category of professional and technical workers Australia exceeds the gender gap, scoring 1.16 in equality (Hausmann, Tyson, & Zahidi, 2009).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Although statistics proclaim there are an equal amount of women participating in sport and physical recreational activities, women who engage in full time employment and are largely responsible for childcare and domestic work may be a particular group in society who are not reaping the benefits gained through sport and recreational activities. Apart from the physical health benefits women can achieve from sport, other valuable gains include developing self-esteem and empowerment, facilitating social inclusion and integration, challenging gender norms and providing opportunities for leadership and achievement (Sport and Gender, 1995).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">**Cultural and Social Analysis**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Trends in household work and responsibilities are moving somewhat slowly. A study in 2006 conducted by the ABS (2009a)confirmed that “women spent the same amount of time on household work (which includes caring for children as well as domestic activities and shopping) in 2006 (an average of 33 hours and 45 minutes a week) as they had in 1992”.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">For women in the workforce that have families, who are interested in participating in sport or physical recreational activities, would need to find the time for leisure. This may mean that these families with the common westernised social structures of the ‘dual-earner’ would need to divide domestic responsibilities more equally (__[|Ransome, 2010],__ p. 279). There are areas such as childbearing, attending to family emergencies and certain motherhood duties that could not be handed to the male counterpart to complete, however, jobs which include cooking and housekeeping could be transferred, provided all members were accepting of this change (Fraser, 1994).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Balancing gender roles in the household could evolve by decoding the social norms. Social theorist Nancy Fraser states: “To dismantle those roles and their cultural coding is in effect to overturn that order. It means subverting the existing gender division of labour and reducing the salience of gender as a structural principle of social organization” (Fraser, 1997, p. 61).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Despite the benefits, not only do some women have limited time available for sport, there is sometimes little value placed on sporting activities for women, in particular by the media or family members. To overcome these challenges, public health experts and the media could reinforce the benefits of sport by providing other women as powerful role models. Additionally, continual re-enforcement in the importance of making time for sport and recreational activity and advertising ways in which women could get involved in sporting competitions could be an approach for women to begin and sustain sporting activities over time.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">**Artifact analysis and learning reflections**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">The artefact represents a westernised woman who is employed full time and operates in a family household driven by masculine and feminine social and cultural norms. As well as undertaking full time employment she is the main child-carer and takes on core household activities. These women who have the pressure of multiple responsibilities could find themselves in the situations that are detrimental to their health and wellbeing. From my personal experience, when a person takes on numerous tasks and responsibilities eventually something is sacrificed and usually it is the person’s health that suffers.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">All of the women in my family agreed that if they were not working the hours they work or were not engaged in the level of household responsibilities, the one activity they would spend more time doing is exercise to improve their health and wellbeing. Some women feel that they have to excel at sport, have a good looking body, or be fit to undertake physical activity or be involved in a sport. This notion may stem from the media portrayal of sports women, or from past bad experiences in school sporting activities. On the other hand, the media can also have a positive influence on some women who may draw inspiration and motivation to excel and play sport from competitions or sports competitors who are seen in the media.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">From my own experience playing sport gives you confidence, feelings of achievement, a sense of belonging when involved in team sports, and fosters a good frame of mind. From observations of my own family network and friends, the women who work and assume most of the care-taker and domestic roles have very little time for sport and physical activity. However, in families where the women have partners who support them by sharing the domestic roles tend to participate in sport or undertake a form of physical activity.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">**References**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009a). //Australian Social Trend:// //Trends in Household Work.// Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features40March%202009

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009b). //Perspective on Sport:// //Women in Sport (Feature Article 3)//. Retrieved from []

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2009). National Health Priority Areas 2009. Australia’s National Agency for Health and Welfare Statistics and Information. Retrieved October 31, 2011 []

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Bauman, A., Bellew, B., Vita, P., Brown, W., & Owen, N. (2002) Getting Australia Active. National Public Health Partnerships. Retrieved from []

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Department of Health and Aging. (2010) National Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults. Australian Government. Retrieved from November 1, 2011 [|http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pubhlth-strateg-phys-act-guidelines#guidelines_adults]

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Fraser, N. (1994). After The Family Wage: Gender Equity and the Welfare State. //Political Theory//, 22(4), 0090-5917. doi: 10.1177/0090591794022004003

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Fraser, N. (1997). //Justice Interruptus.// New York, NY: Routledge

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">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. doi: 101111/j.1753-9137.2011.01098.x

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Hausmann, R., Tyson, L. D., & Zahidi, S. (2006). //Gender Gap Report 2006//. World Economic Forum: Switzerland. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Hausmann, R., Tyson, L. D., & Zahidi, S. (2009). //Gender Gap Report 2009//. World Economic Forum: Switzerland. Retrieved <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Marshall, N. (2011). Nature of Work and Leisure//.// State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities and Charles Sturt University. Retrived October 31, 2011 http://hsc.csu.edu.au/society_culture/work_leisure/nature/nature_work/natureofworkandleisure.html

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Nomaguchi, K. M., & Bianchi, S. M. (2004). Exercise time: gender differences in the effects of marriage, parenthood, and employment. //Journal of Marriage and Family//, 66, 413-430. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00029.x

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Phongsavan, P., Merom, D., Marshall, A. L., & Bauman, A. (2004). Estimating physical activity level: the role of domestic activities. //Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health//, 58(6), 466-467. doi: 10.1136/jech.2003.01209

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">[|Ransome, P. (2010)]. //Social theory for beginners//. Bristol, UK: Policy Press

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Sport and Gender: Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women. (1995). Beijing, China: Platform for Action. Retrieved from [|http://www.righttoplay.com/International__/our-impact/Documents/Final_Report_Chapter_4.pdf__]

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;">Wajcman, J. (2000). The Rush Hour: The Character of Leisure Time and Gender Equity. //Social Forces,// 79 (1), 0037-7732. Retrieved from []

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|**n8097011**] <span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11px;">Monday, 6:55 am <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">I really enjoyed reading your article. Your artifact was extremely relevant to the topic and summed up the value of women’s sport worldwide. The reference about how women are portrayed as weak because of their athletic ability compared to men seems to be very true. It questions whether we should even compare women to men when it comes to athletic performance; instead appreciate women’s athletic ability when considering their individual biological strengths. Your source regarding the reason behind not allowing women’s boxing was also very relevant to your topic. It just goes to show how some people find it hard to except women competing in a contact sport. In addition, knowing that horses were ranked the top 2 female athletes, it would be of my interest to know who the top 10 men are, which leads me to investigate. I loved your own reflection at the end. It was such a great experience for you, which you can reflect on for this topic.

Hi there! I really enjoyed reading your report. The discussion about women’s arousal when watching sport was a fantastic reference. It definitely goes to show that women have little interest compared to men when watching sport. It lead me wonder why women watch sport if they are not getting emotionally aroused? You then answered my question by discussing the reasons why women watch sport. Spending time with male partners and watching sport in order to gain knowledge to converse with males about the sport definitely makes sense as to why women watch sport. I liked how you covered many aspects about women in the media and discussed clear reasons about women in sport and the media. You obviously spent a great deal of time researching your topic. It was very interesting! Thanks for the read.