Gender is a social construct rather than biologically given that outlines the behaviours, roles, activities and attributes that a particular society agrees to be appropriate for men and women. The assignment of these roles and traits can create gender equities — the division of gender and favouring one group more than the other. Since gender hugely influences the foundation of our behaviours, characteristics, activities and roles, it can be concluded that everything people do, own or even think is systematically categorised into men and women. One of the areas that social constructions of masculinity and femininity play a significant role is sport. David Rowe has stated that “since the institutional establishment of sport as a regulated, professionalized …show more content…
In the past, people, if not all, often perceive sport as something traditionally associated with masculinity. Moreover, it is considered to be inappropriate for women to engage in sports in many societies. This is because many sport activities are often related to strength and aggressiveness. Thus, this portrays the traditional ideologies of how “men are commonly held to be more ‘naturally’ domineering, hierarchically oriented and power-hungry, while women are seen as nurturing, child-rearing and domestically inclined” (Barker 285). Nowadays, women has progressed to appear in sport media more and more. But the question is, does the appearance of women in media make them progress? One of the key moments that results in a significant rise in participation of women is the passage of Title IX in 1972. The passage of Title IX came at a time when women were seeking for liberation and more opportunities, discredit stereotypes, and combat sexualisation. Thus, It is considered to be one of the greatest achievements during the women’s movement in the 1970s that aims to create and conserve gender equity. This results in the increased number of girls and women participating in sports. In the early 1980s, aerobics became popular among women. However, Nike did not view aerobics as a type of sport and failed to recognise female interests. Nike’s approach to women’s fitness market was a failure at its first attempt. In 1987, the first advertisement campaign was featured by triathlete Joanna Ernst with a hard, sweaty body enduring a seemingly spartan workout with Nike catch-phrase voice-over “Just do it” and ended with the tagline “And it wouldn’t hurt if you stopped eating like a pig”. The ad displayed a very powerful, strong and aggressive side of women which transfixed the viewer at that time. As a result,
The existence of hegemonic power related to gender roles in sport limits the participation of students in Sport Aerobics. This hypothesis is supported by the data gathered from a survey that 24 Nambour High students took (Appendix 1). The survey included 2 female and male students from each year level. This survey revealed that only 16% of students have participated in Sport Aerobics and the majority of the students were from the senior year levels. When the students were asked what gender Sport Aerobics is for over half the students said both male and female. However, 37% of the students said that Sport Aerobics is for women only and 6 out the 9 students that answered women were male meaning that the majority of male students believe that Sport Aerobics is a feminine sport. None of the students believed that Sport Aerobics is an only male sport. Seventy percent of students throughout all the year levels believe that men are stronger than women. The only students that said women were female themselves. It is fixed in to student’s minds that men are stronger than women because of the lack of recognition to female athletes on the media. Students only see strong male athletes such as rugby league players presented on the media. This accounts for the 70% of students that do not watch any women’s sport and the only students that do were female. This result is due to the lack of women role models in the
It goes without saying that a person's gender, racial and social origins influence their participation in sports. Particular races and genders often dominate certain sports. African Americans, for example, tend to dominate football and basketball, while Caucasians tend to dominate ice hockey. The same holds true for gender as well. Football is an entirely male dominated sport, while horseback riding, gymnastics and figure skating are much more female oriented. How and why did these divisions come about? Determining the origin of gender goes beyond the scope of this paper, however one can speculate about how gender classifications and stereotypes affect one's role in the sports arena.
Girls are told to stay indoors and play with their dolls or bake, while boys are encouraged to go outdoors, get dirty, and be adventurous. Wade and Ferree also state “sports are squarely on the masculine side of the gender binary” (Wade and Ferree, 174). Hence, we are brought up with the understanding that playing and talking about sports is a boy’s thing, which further promotes the notion that sports are a very masculine thing. Furthermore, as playing sports is competitive and is a way to show excellence, young boys are considered as “real boys” and “real men” later on. However, when boys do not talk about or play sports, they are considered feminine or “not real men.” The same rule applies for young girls. If young girls are too into sports, they are considered to be “too masculine.” This is true for me too. When I was younger, I was told to not play too much outdoors and to behave “like a girl.” The stigma that only boys should be allowed to play sports and it is not a feminine thing needs to be erased for us to welcome a more gender-equal
The influence of sports activities on boys’ identity and socialization experience remains a major interest in gender studies today. Michael A. Messner wrote an article called Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities. The article examines the way sports focus and define what it is to be a masculine, studies variation in sports’ influences across social classes, and depicts lessons sports participation impacts for relationships beyond sports. Each area Michael A. Messner examined directly relates to three key concepts of psychology theories. The concepts consist of observational learning (social learning), conformity, and social identity. The research methods in the article are also a major factor contributing to the
Gender roles and gender stereotypes greatly affect men and women sports. They affect men and women sports so much that men sports are far more popular than women sports. Gender roles are what or society expects of us, and gende2r stereotypes are fixed and oversimplified beliefs. The difference is that gender roles are what we observe in society, and gender stereotypes are what we assume about certain individuals (Rathus, 2010, p.447).
Within todays sporting community, certain aspects of sport and its practices promote and construct ideas that sport in general is a male dominated. Sports media often provides an unequal representation of genders. Women athletes are regularly perceived as mediocre in comparison to their male equivalents (Lenskyj, 1998). Achievement in sport is generally established through displays of strength, speed and endurance, men usually set the standards in these areas, consequently woman rarely reach the level set by top male athletes. Due to this, the media significantly shows bias towards male sports while we are ill-informed about the achievements in the female sporting community. On the occasion that a female athlete does make some form of an appearance in the media, images and videos used will usually portray the female in sexually objectified ways (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). This depiction of female athletes can cause males to take focus solely on the sexual assets of the athlete in preference to to their sporting abilities (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). Sexualisation of sportswoman in the media is a prevalent issue in today’s society, it can cause physical, social and mental problems among women of all ages (Lenskyj, 1998).
Krane, V. (2001). We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women's sport. Quest, 53,115-133.
Women’s participation in sport is at an all-time high and has almost become equal to men’s, however. Sports media does not fail to show this equality and skews the way we look at these athletes. Through the disciplines of sociology and gender studies, it can be seen that despite the many gains of women in sports since the enactment of Title IX, “traditional” notions of masculinity and femininity still dominate media coverage of males and females in sports, which is observed in Olympic programming and sports news broadcasts. Sociology is a growing discipline and is an important factor in the understanding of different parts of society. Sociology is “a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them” (Faris and Form P1).
The first perspective is that women are disadvantaged at any sport. Some people reiterate the difference of men and women in sports. This is influenced by strength and the natural power men hold, comparable to women. Rodriguez questions “Is this because female athletes don’t have what it takes to make it in the world of sports or could it be more of a social issue?” This perspective seems to be a social issue based on the notable skills women acquire vs. the apparent judgments of gender issues. The second perspective is the idea that women deserve and inherently earn their right of equal attention and equal pay. “Sometimes, the secret to equality is not positive discrimination, it 's equal terms. It 's the shrug of the shoulders that says "what 's the difference?" The moment worth aspiring for is not seeing people celebrate the world-class female cricketer who competes at comparatively low-level male professional cricket, but the day when people are aware that she does, and don 't find it notable at all” (Lawson). Lawson makes it a point to confirm the biased notions against women in sports and relay an alternative worth working toward and fighting for. Both outlooks can be biased but only one has factual evidence to back it up. The second perspective reviews an ongoing gender issue. This problem is welcome for change depending on society’s
For the past twenty-five years, we have seen one of the most popular brand sayings become a part of our daily life. Nike started its “Just Do It” campaign in 1988 with the simple commercial advertisement of an 80-year-old man, Walt Stack, who runs seventeen miles each morning. This campaign is said to be one of the simplest slogans, but yet one of the most effective ones. While athletic apparel companies are struggling to captivate the attention of potential buyers, Nike has influenced the minds of its consumers with three simple words. As a consumer, we are persuaded though this campaign by several high-profile athletes throughout the years such as, Ken Griffey Jr. and Michael Jordan in the 90’s to Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters in the 2000’s. After too many celebrity scandals, Nike decided to campaign their “Just Do It” ads with everyday athletes. The media has interpreted the ‘Just Do It’ ads in many different forms, but mainly contributing a negative connotation with the athletes Nike selects and their irresponsible behavior. Ethically, this advertisement has been provided a confidence boost to a younger generation. Whether it was bad or good, this has been the outcome from this campaign.
Nike's ad, "MAKE YOURSELF FIT," gives a strong central message that the female athlete is the only one who can take control of her life by getting fit. The bold, white, simple copy relays a message that excites the reader. The aggressive illustration motivates women to have confidence that they can get a body just like Sofia Boutella. The dominant design catches the female reader's eyes across the entire two page ad. Nike's message gives women the motivation and excitement that they need to accomplish their dream body by wearing Nike.
The concept of hegemonic masculinity, as described by R. W. Connell, is becoming more applicable than ever, namely in the world of sport. This notion was developed nearly twenty-five years ago, yet remains highly influential in the social construction of gender roles. In current Western societies, there is an automatic assumption that women involved in sports are all lesbians, and men posses more masculine traits than one who is not involved in sports. This double standard emphasizes the inequalities within the athletic community. The emphasis on masculinity brings forth different consequences for men and women, where men are regarded as strong and powerful, while women are intrinsically seen as more masculine (Baks & Malecek,
Since sports and athletics have been brought into our society it has always been gender specific. For example, it is seen that males should be playing the rough and tough sports or athletics such as rugby and football, whereas the women should be participating in less competitive sports and athletics such as swimming, or running. Can you imagine that the world population of women is around forty-nine percent and they still aren’t given the same opportunities or respect as men? Being a women in the twenty-first century playing one of those “non-traditional” sports is a tough task for these women. The women who choose to do so are usually questioned about their sexuality and
Question 1 Gender is a societal way of discriminating the two sexes, and differentiating biological differences from one another. Today we are faced with many gender ideologies and stereotypes. Many of these ideologies and stereotypes stem from living in a patriarchal hegemonic society, where male dominance is the powerhouse of our nation. One of which: females are fragile, and therefore not good at sports stemmed from the idea that physical activity was not good for females’ health. It could harm the reproductive system, menstrual cycle, and psychological well being of a woman.
Whether its baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or tennis, sports is seen all over the world as a representation of one’s pride for their city, country, and even continent. Sports is something that is valued world-wide which has the ability to bring communities together and create different meanings, beliefs and practices between individuals. Although many people may perceive sports to have a significant meaning within our lives, it can also have the ability to separate people through gender inequalities which can also be represented negatively throughout the media. This essay will attempt to prove how gender is constructed in the sports culture while focusing on female athletes and their acceptance in today’s society.