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Problem of gender equity in sports
Gender inequality in sports conclusion
Gender inequality in sports conclusion
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Gender Equality in Sports
Literature Review
Gender equality is defined as the act of treating men and women equally on all levels. When this gender equality is thrown into discussion with our continuously growing sports culture, it raises many concerns (Lyras 2009). Gender equality among male and female athletics has always been a hot button issue, and even now it is still to be said that there is not full equality in any level of athletics. These inequalities come in the form of financial disparity, media coverage, or lack thereof, and other benefits usually offered to male athletes that are not offered to women (Lyras).
Title IX is a portion included in the Education Amendments of 1972 that was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon. This Title IX act is intended to stop sexual discrimination and it states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance…” This act has had a major impact on the amount of athletic opportunities that are now available for females as well as males (Huckle 1978).
Many other nations are striving for gender equality in sports. The General Assembly of the Swedish Sports Confederation passed a law in 1995 stating that all teams of the Swedish Sports Confederation and district alliances shall include equal numbers of men and women. The South African cabinet, in hopes of enforcing gender parity for both private and public sectors, has also recently passed the Women Empowerment & Gender Equality Bill (WEGE). Women, Children and People with Disabilities Minister Lulu Xingwana said, "We are fully aware tha...
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...r, Shira. (2014, Feb. 11). Women’s Ski Jumping Ready for a Sochi Takeoff. The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://bostonglobe.com.
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Policy Interpretation, 44 Fed. Reg. at 71419 (1979).
"Women's Sports Foundation." Women's Sports Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web.30 Apr. 2013. .
"Women at the Olympic Games." Women at the Olympic Games. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. .
Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (2012). Print.
Yuracko, K. A. (2002). Title IX and the problem of gender equality in athletics. Gender Issues, 20(2-3), 65-80. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12147-002-0017-1
Before Title IX had become a rule, gender used to matter more than your performance in the sport. This means that even if you were an all-star athlete but you were a female then you would most likely be sitting in the bleachers watching. Why would ASU have more women’s athletics competing in Division 1 than men’s if Title IX is supposed to make equality for all? This is because the men’s football team and basketball team have so many participant’s that they have to take away other men’s athletics or add more women’s athletics to have the same number of total athletic participant’s. Both of these options work, but ASU decides to not have a men’s Division 1 soccer team because they don’t want to spend the extra money in adding another women’s sport as well. Wulf included a quote from Bunny Sandler when she says Title IX was "the most important step for gender equality since the 19th Amendment." In1972 Title IX became a law with President Richard Nixon signing (Bryjak). George J. Bryjak explains how the NCAA fought for the Tower Amendment which would have excluded men’s football and basketball from the Title IX coverage. Bryjak said they would do this because basketball and football both have a lot of participants; especially football because there is no women’s football team and the men’s team has over 125 players on average which causes Title IX to eliminate other men’s sports. This happens because none of the women’s sports incorporate that many participants in one par...
Title IX is a law that was made by the NCAA in 1972, that states that there can be no discrimination or exclusion of a gender through athletics or education. (Mankiller). Which means that men's sports cannot be favored over women's sports. Many people are very cognizant of this law. For example, if a school has $100,000, the school must spend the money equally between the athletics of each gender, even if there are more men's sports teams. They must get the same treatment. That may sound great, but Title IX has impacted men's athletics significantly. Although Title IX has been a valuable way to establish gender equality, the NCAA loses money, puts men out of scholarships, abolishes smaller men’s sports teams, and it should be
While no one can dispute the positive effects of the Title IX, there are those dissenting voices who still to this day feel that is unfair that the major revenue generating sports such as Men’s Football and Basketball pay the way for the non revenue sports such as the Women’s Athletics programs. The same could be said though for such non revenue men’s sports as well. Sports such as men’s golf, lacrosse, soccer, etc.
Although Title IX states than, "no person in the United States, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to any discrimination..." it does not guarantee that people will carry this out. After the issuing of Title IX, many women in sports wished to step forward and be recognized. Part of the recognition they wanted was to be included in National Sports Associations like the men's National Basketball Association. Eventually their cries were heard, and sports associations like the NBA agreed to merge and include women. Becoming included was an eye opening experience to many of these women and they have faced (and still do) doubts and discrimination from the public, but along the way they have also reaped benefits they would not have if the merger had never taken place.
Title IX and the Education Amendments of 1972 were created to defend equal opportunities for women of all ages. Since its inception 44 years ago, women have seen impressive strides as well as disappointing failures. Social prejudice continues to exist limiting female participation opportunities, benefits for female athletes, coaching opportunities, and increased exposure to sexual assault and abuse. Few institutions treat female athletes equally due to the lack of enforcement by collegiate athletic departments. The enforcement of Title IX has not been a priority among far too many educational institutions leaving women open to discrimination and mistreatment.
Since the 1972 conception of Title IX of the Education Amendments, the number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics has increased five-fold, from fewer than 30,000, to more 150,000 in 2001. However, more than 400 men’s athletics teams have been dismantled since Title IX, the law forbidding sex discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds, became law. Some would say this is due, in part, to Title IX enforcement standards like proportionality. Proportionality requires that an institution’s athletic population must be of an equal ratio to its general student body. Among some of the 400-plus teams dismantled by Title IX are several former Colorado State University teams including wrestling, baseball, gymnastics, men’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis. CSU student athletes no longer sport the opportunity of participating in these activities at the NCAA Division I level, and the days of the student body rooting for their ram teams are gone, possibly forever. Now the search is on to find a solution to the problems associated with Title IX if, indeed, a solution is ultimately necessary.
The enactment of this Title has significantly changed the playing field for athletic departments through out the nation by altering their funding systems to comply with its rules. As a result, women have benefited greatly. There have been additions of female sports as well as an increase of the number of scholarships awarded to female athletes, and also a lot more funding to provide more “equitable” facilities for them. According to the NCAA Gender Equity Studies , “from 1992 to 1997 NCAA institutions have increased the number of female athletes by 5,800. But tragically during that time these colleges also eliminated 20,900 male athletes.” (Kocher p.1) This dramatic landslide has occurred because athletic departments are under pressure to rapidly increase the proportion of female athletes by whatever means necessary. As the path toward complete “equality” gradually brightens for women in college athletics, a dark path is now becoming evident. Male athletes, in a sense, are now being discriminated against because of Title IX.
Title IX is also known as the Education Amendment Act of 1972. It enforces that there is no discrimination based upon sex in any sports program. “The difference between amateur and professional sports lies in reward that each group receives for athletic performances.” (Athletics). “Title IX does get blames for cutting men’s sports. It allows schools to decide what teams they will offer, both men and women’s.” (Generation IX). “Over the past twenty five years, the relationship between girls and sports has changed dramatically.” (Mcphee 139-142). It has transformed the way sports will be forever.
Throughout history, women have had to struggle for equality in all elements of our society, but no where have they had a more difficult time than in the area of athletics. Sports is a right of passage that has always been grafted to boys and men. The time has come for our society to accept women athletes and give them the attention they deserve.
Women in sports is relatively a new thing in the U.S. Until 1972, discrimination in sports on the basis of sex was very prevalent. Title IX established fairness in regards to sex discrimination for women in federally funded schools and programs. I had the ability to interview a woman who lived and went to school during this era.
Gender discrimination is prominent in every industry, but it is as though the sport industry is one of the worst. Women in the work force currently receive only 80 cents to every man’s dollar (Holmes, 2016). However, female athletes both in America and internationally receive a far lesser compensation for their attributes. The only difference of the sports being played is who plays them. There should be no reason why a male athlete receives better pay simply because he had a 50% chance of being born a man. At birth, no one controls the gender, but as they grow and mature, they control their personality and development. Payment should be on personal skills and not gender. As a female STHM student focusing on sport management and a former athlete,
Signed and passed in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, Title IX was adopted and gave women of various ages and race the opportunity to participate in sport as well as in education. It includes new sports and schooling by adding programs dedicated to women. Title IX provided equal or greater opportunity than men in both sports and education. It may have supported women in many ways, but does it harm men’s sports and education as well? In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society and especially for men as well, but in the 1970’s things changed for women all thanks to Title IX.
Over two decades have passed since the enactment of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education, including athletics. As a result of Title IX, women and girls have benefited from more athletic participation opportunities and more equitable facilities. Because of Title IX, more women have received athletic scholarships and thus opportunities for higher education that some may not have been able to afford otherwise. In addition, because of Title IX the salaries of coaches for women's teams have increased. Despite the obstacles women face in athletics, many women have led and are leading the way to gender equity.
One Generation Later, by Huffman, S. Tuggle, C. & Rosengard, D.S, explore the relevant discrepancies in media coverage. The authors assert that more boys than girls indulge in sports activities in school. Studies have examined the impact of Title IX on media coverage given to female athletes as opposed to male athletes to determine if there has been a shift away from negative social stereotypes that are traditionally associated with women’s sports participation toward a more socially accepting view of the female athlete. This has become a huge source of concern. Male students take active part in sports activities.
Gender in sports has been a controversial issue ever since sports were invented. In the early years, sports were played only by the men, and the women were to sit on the sidelines and watch. This was another area of life exemplifying the sexism of people in which women were not allowed to do something that men could. However, over the last century in particular, things have begun to change.