If+men+can+be+masterchefs,+why+can't+women+be+sport+stars?

Name: Kate Feely Student number: n7180357 Tutor: Katie Page **If men can be masterchefs than why can't women be sport stars? **

=**“The most important thing is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle” - Pierre de Coubertin**. =

**Presentation of Artefact** This photograph is of some of the competitors in Lingerie Football League, a sport that is exactly what the name makes it sound to be. Female competitors compete against one another in American Football while wearing tight, revealing, barely there uniforms. It is one of the fastest growing pro sports league in America and as quoted from the Lingerie Fantasy League website ‘it’s a rarity in sports – a women’s professional league that’s actually growing’. These women are all fit, beautiful and not afraid to sell their physical image to gain recognition in sport. The women in the Lingerie Football League are competing in a rough, contact sport, yet do so while wearing lingerie. This poses the question that is the success of Lingerie Football League only due to the physical attributes of the players, or are they really noticed for their talent on the sporting field?

**Public Health Central Issue** Sport is a common and popular activity among children and it plays an important role in how they develop their future leisure behaviours and understandings (Schmalz, D., Kerstetter, K. (2006). Despite efforts to create equality in sport, the social rules of gender still influence the sport and physical activity arena (Schmalz, D., Kerstetter, K. (2006). Sport has always been categorised as a male domain, a quick review of history will prove this. The modern Olympics were first held in 1886 and did not feature any female competitors although during the 1900 Paris Olympics, three sports were available for women to compete in. It wasn’t until 1912 that swimming was introduced and then in 1928 when Track & Field was allowed, although distances over 200 metres were banned for women competitors. Founder of the Modern Olympics Pierre de Coubertin even said ‘Olympics were no place for women. Rather than seek records for herself, her greatest achievement was to encourage her sons to excel’. These days’ women are proving their talent on the sporting field more often, yet a number of competitors still resort to their physical image to promote their sport and talent.

Aside from the effect of gender representations on sport participation there is also the importance of leading an active lifestyle for health benefits. As overweight and obesity rates and steadily increasing it is important that people lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Sport and physical activity should be readily participated in by both men and women to contribute to this healthy, active lifestyle. This push for participation needs to begin as early as primary school aged children. Statistics show that 24.9% of children are considered overweight or obese (ABS (2004-05). Furthermore rates of overweight and obesity in adults has now increased to 54% (ABS (2004-05). Children’s participation in sport is proving to be effected by society’s ideas as statistics show males aged 9-11 had 72.1% participation in sports which increased to 74.2% in the 12-14 year old age group (ABS (2009). Female participation in the 9-11 age group was 64.6% and unfortunately then decreased to 54.9% in the 12-14 year old age group, a decrease in participation by nearly 10% (ABS (2009). These statistics show that the male dominance in sport is beginning from a young age as their participation rates increase and female’s participation steadily declines.

**Literature Review** Research in the current time regarding women in sport focuses on the physical attributes of the players, gender constructs in terms of whether women should be competing in sports not considered ‘feminine’ and the role that the media plays in influencing societies opinions on women in sport. The close association of physicality with masculinity but not with femininity has been promoted through glorifying male participation in sport, and at the same time denigrating female participation in sport (Bray, C, 1988, 50).

When viewing participation rates in sport and physical activity, men and women have similar results with 66% of men and 65.7% of women taking part (ABS, 2009). These statistics appear to show equality between genders in sport, but further research shows there are many different aspects of sport where female involvement is almost non-existent. As mentioned previously women were not allowed to participate in the modern Olympic Games until 1900 and only three events were offered, other sports were gradually added but it won’t be until London 2012 where there is equality in the number of male and female competitors. With similar participation rates in physical activity and sport, looking into the specifics of sport involvement per gender shows the male dominance. Research shows that female are more likely to participate in sports such as gymnastics, synchronised swimming, diving and aerobics, all of which require the athletes to look their best and be aesthetically pleasing to get a better result (ABS, 2010). Meanwhile men are more likely to participate in sports such as cycling or BMX riding, rugby or soccer (ABS, 2010), all of which are high intensity sports, some of which include heavy contact and an attitude of ‘go hard or go home’.

No matter what country or event studied, women’s sports are relatively under-represented in the sport media and are framed as less exciting and less newsworthy than men’s sports (Van Sterkenburg, J., Knoppers, A., 2006). This gender media discourse reinstates the status quo in western societies where stereotypical qualities associated with males are rated more positively than stereotypical female qualities (Van Sterkenburg, J., Knoppers, A., 2006). However when female athletes do receive media representation it is often a sexualised image, as shown through the Lingerie Football League photograph depicted above. Prior research has shown that females are given less written coverage than males, yet the little coverage they do receive is more sexual in nature (Clavlo, G., Eagleman, A., 2011). Statistics on media coverage of sport show that on the radio 1.4% of their sports coverage is for female and 95.1% is for male, on the television 2% of the time focused on sport was for female whereas males received 56.2% of the viewing time and in newspapers women received 10.7% of the coverage whereas men dominated again with 79.1% of the coverage. Forty-five percent of the Australian Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were female and from the 15 gold medals won, 8 were won by Australia’s female athletes. If Australia’s female athletes are achieving fantastic results at international competitions, such as Sally McLellan winning the 100metre hurdles world championship or Sam Stosur winning the US Open Tennis Tournament, why are we not embracing their achievements and giving them the support and recognition they deserve?

Further statistics show that within the sport and physical education industry, only 40.9% of the employees are female (ABS, 2006). In organisation of sport there is a strong male theme, where in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), out of its 135 members only 15 are female (Feminist Majority, 2009). These members though have realised that female athlete participation needs increasing so they introduced ‘the Dead Sea Plan of Action’ which calls for equality in gender in the teams, leaderships and technician areas as well as female sports reporters. The 2012 London Olympics are looking to become the first Olympic Games with an equal number of men and women competing. This shows a change is taking place in society and its regard towards women in sport, but more needs to be done to further encourage participation and provide the recognition our hard working, successful female athletes deserve.

**Cultural and Social Analysis** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Sport is available to both men and women to be participated in. However encouragement for male participation is encouraged more so than females as it is seen as a male domain. Despite all the efforts and successes of females on the sporting field the stereotypes of ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’ sports for men and women persist (Schmalz, D., Kerstetter, K. (2006). Sports that girls and boys are encouraged to participate in, contain qualities that were congruent, with feminine and masculine traits (Schmalz, D., Kerstetter, K. (2006). Feminine sports were usually aesthetically pleasing and lacked face-to-face competition or overt aggression (Schmalz, D., Kerstetter, K. (2006). If these are the values, ideals and stereotypes being instilled among young children it is no wonder that female sports aren’t taken as seriously or receive as much recognition as their male counterparts. With increasing rates of overweight and obesity in today’s society, it is important that people lead a healthy and active lifestyle which includes exercising frequently. Instilling these values at a young age will help to keep interest in sport participation high and show to females that it is acceptable to participate in sport at any level, is a great way to keep fit and make friends.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Women in the past were expected to sit on the sidelines and support their sons or husband in his sporting pursuits, in no way were women allowed to participate. There was worry that females participating in sport would cause them to look too muscular and therefore not be attractive to males. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">As the focus of female athletes is often on their physical attributes this too puts pressure on society to see those body shapes as the ‘ideal’. Statistics show that motivators for females to participate in sport and physical activity are for health/fitness, well-being and weight loss (ABS, 2009). Enjoyment and the competition/challenge don’t rate as highly, possibly because women competing in sport is not highly encouraged in society and they only take part in physical activity to meet the stereotypes of the ‘ideal body’ constructed by society. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Social Feminist Mariah Burton Nelson states that traditional feminine roles devalue healthy, athletic bodies and that women are expected to sit and act like ladies, not participate in athletic events (Burton Nelson, M, 1991). It is instilled from a young age where girls are physically illiterate, not capable of performing the motor skills that establish athletic ability (Burton Nelson, M, 1991). Therefore, no wonder female athletes aren’t considered as strong or as fast as their male counterparts, how can they be if their introduction to athletic ability is delayed and not encouraged. By encouraging sport participation from a younger age in females it will allow greater talent to develop and contribute to more successful Australian women’s sporting teams. This theory of Mariah Burton Nelson deciphers how society is influenced by traditional values and beliefs, some of which need re-evaluating, because at the end of the day, women are allowed to participate in sport at a competitive level too.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Analysis of the Artefact and your own learning reflections** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">It’s sad that in today’s society women still aren’t fully recognised for their sporting talent and often rely on print media, where they project a sexy image of themselves, to create fans and viewers of the sport to ensure its success. The artefact shows exactly how women’s sport isn’t taken seriously and is more an opportunity for male fans to view the players for their physical appearance. The women in the Lingerie Football League are playing the exact same sport as male gridiron players, yet the men have proper uniforms whereas the women compete in lingerie, and still the men’s competition is more popular. Although improvement has shown for women in sport over the past few decades with participation being encouraged and more opportunities available, women’s sport still isn’t considered the same calibre as men’s sport. For this to occur more media coverage, funding and time need to be put into women’s sport to allow talent to develop from a young age and allow successful sportswomen the opportunity to train more often and not have to work a second job to support themselves. Having participating in sport for most of my life and at a competitive level it’s frustrating that women can train just as hard as men and play to the best of their ability yet still don’t receive the recognition they deserve for their efforts. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Young girls need to see women can do and have done well in sport. It hasn’t proven to be an easy road for previous generations of women to gain the recognition and support but as times change something must be done.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Reference List** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">N/A (2000) Women in the Olympics – a brief history. Accessed via: [|www.ausport.gov.au] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010) Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview. Accessed via: [|www.abs.gov.au/ausstats]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009) Children’s Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities. Accessed via: [|www.abs.gov.au/ausstats]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Australian Bure au of Statistics (2006) Employment in Sport and Recreation. Accessed via: [|www.abs.gov.au/ausstats]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004-05) Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Accessed via: [|www.abs.gov.au/ausstats]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009) Perspectives on Sport: Women in Sport. Accessed via: [|www.abs.gov.au/ausstats]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Bray, C. (1988) Sport and Social Change: Socialist Feminist Theory. //Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 59(6): 50//

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Burton Nelson, M. (1991) Are We Winning Yet?: How Women are changing Sports and Sports are changing Women. //Random House: New York//

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Clavlo, G., Eagleman, A. (2011) Gender and Sexually Suggestive Images in Sports Blogs. //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Journal of Sport Management. 25(4): 295- 304// <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Feminist Majority Foundation (2009) Gender Equality in Athletics and Sports: On the road to equality in London 2012. []

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Schmalz, L., Kerstetter, D. (2006) Girlie Girls and Manly Men: Children’s Stigma Consciousness of Gender in Sports and Physical Activites. //Journal of Leisure Research. 38 (4): 536-557//

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Van Sterkenburg, J., Knoppers, A. (2004) Dominant Discourses about Race/Ethnicity and Gender in Sport Practice and Performance. //International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 39: 301-32//

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Sex Sells, Sport Doesn’t <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">- Rachael Hunt - n8104522 <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Rachael, i really enjoyed your analysis of women in sport. I did the same topic yet we both had completely different sources and took a different angle of the topic so i definitely learnt some interesting facts i didn't come across in my research. It's disappointing that in today's society, women only receive the recognition if they win, whereas with males it's continuous no matter the result. Hopefully times will change and women will gain the recognition in sport they deserve! Thanks for a great read! <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Gen Y’s new outlook – DRINKING TO GET DRUNK! <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">- Kaitlyn Joy – n8331804 <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I really enjoyed reading your view on alcohol consumption among Australia's youth. You had some really informative facts and the statistics your provided really showed how prevalent the problem is in society. More often than not it takes a bad accident to happen to a group of friends before they realise the severe consequences excessive drinking can have. You have obviously put in a lot of effort so hopefully you're rewarded with a great mark!
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