Role of women in sport

Sports was traditionally associated with masculinity. Women are not considered appropriate to participate in sports in many societies and those women who engage in sports are perceived by the society as masculine. On the other hand, men who do not participate in sports may be perceived as unmanly. There is a long history of women participating in sports. Sports activities are important in promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of people, and various studies indicate that participating in spots greatly reduce the risk of chronic illness later in life. It will also focus on discussing the strategies that have been put in place to improve the situation today and in future. Role of women in sport Women involvement in sports plays a significant role in promoting positive sports development by providing alternative attitudes, capabilities, knowledge, experiences, and norms.

Women contributions in sports by participating in various leadership positions will lead to diversity and alternative ways and expand the talent base in several areas such as sports journalism, coaching, and management. The involvement of women in sports challenges the concerns gender discrimination and gender stereotypes. Participation of women in sports can be a key strategy to empower women and promote gender equality (Appleby & Foster, 2013). Individual's sex is determined by physical characteristic, for example, genitalia, but gender is described as a social construct that is developed and shaped by the society. Gender is a significant means by which people classify each other. Gender ideology is a concept that describes how the sport has been viewed by the society throughout the years.

It is argued that men should be fast, strong, competitive and aggressive in sports while women should discourage to engage in sports since they do not have such traits as men. Therefore, any women with such traits would have closed the lines of gender ideology. They do not have the right to their bodily integration and autonomy. Challenges The benefits of women participation in sports are influenced by discrimination based on gender at all levels and areas of sport, facilitated by continuing stereotypes of women’s social roles and physical abilities. Access to sport leadership positions and decision making by women is limited at both local and international level (Burton, 2015). Women’s sport is given a very low value compared to men’s sport and this result to unequal prizes, wages, and inadequate resources allocated to women category.

The media put less focus on women’s sport, thus, making it marginalized, it is presented by media varying styles and this reinforces and reflects gender stereotypes. Boys are usually encouraged and involved in sports at an early age but girls are asked to stand and watch a match or sports activity from the sidelines. For example, in the past, a woman stood at the edge of the field during American football match to cheer on the men competitors. Today, cheerleading is described as a sport where cheerleaders became acrobatic specialists. It has become one of the major female sport in America that is very dangerous and results in most of the catastrophic injuries especially tom girls in high school. For instance, a girl is thrown up to about four metres in the air and a man is required to hold the girl in the arms when she falls.

This indicates that women are deemed too inferior in sports arena by the mass audience. The coverage of women sports is underrepresented in media. The sports played by women are likely to receive a coverage of about two to four percent considering that the majority of women participants are about 40%. Many sports researchers indicate that it is not a must that the coverage of women sports in media to be equal with that of male counterparts but the huge displays portray that the media does not only underrepresent the women’s sport but it deliberately suppresses information concerning the women sports. Sexualisation and feminization of female players in media pose a great challenge to women interested in playing sports. The movement emphasizes that women can enrich their lives by participating intellectual and physical activities.

The strategies undertaken by the movement has played a key role in encouraging and supporting women to join and participate in sports. The sports sector has experienced great improvements in the aim of attaining equal rights. For example, since 1972 when Title Ix was passed, women in the United States were legally allowed to strive in achieving equity in high school and college sports. However, equity has not been a reality in form of programs, media coverage, facilities, and funding. Education and learning institutions such as college and schools play a significant role in encouraging and supporting women to join sports. This is possible through the provision of various sporting facilities at education institution on an equal scale for both women and men.

It has led to an increased number of women engaging in sports. Many people worldwide are interested in seeing more women being involved in sports today than in previous years since there are better quality women players. A number of key strategies have been developed for challenging unequal gender relations and gender discrimination, and an enabling environment has been established for women empowerment and gender equality in women and sport. this woman will help to overcome the obstacles that hinder them from engaging in sports, change the cultural norms, refute the gender stereotypes and prove that women have the ability to participate and excel in sports. References Aksay, E. Factors affecting girls’ participation in sports in Turkey.  International Journal of Academic Research, 5(6), 52-56.