Women in sports has been a controversial topic for many that creates discourse within the ideas of gender identity, gender conformity, and feminist action toward the progression of women within culture. There has been much progression toward women’s equality since the start of the 20th century. This originally started with legislation on women’s rights and equality, such as Title IX. This wave of feminism has put an agenda on the shoulders of women in sports to get more women into sports. This also goes towards more people attending and watching sporting events that cover women’s sports. This leads to the uncomfortable conversation about pay and that can lead to a cultural divide. Some of this discourse may come from uninformed statements and …show more content…
womanly personality traits (sympathy, warmth, and expressiveness) (Lagaert et al., 2019). These objective traits are not as valued in a sports setting, and there is a correlation between one’s specific traits and sports participation. People are subject to gender conformity; they learn to display their gender identity through interaction. Through interaction, women learn to express feminine qualities and to lean away from more masculine qualities. Even though for the most part women have more cultural freedoms to reject feminine norms and qualities, many conform to traditional gender ideology which leads them away from sports. In the 1920s, women in the physical education field tried to move to a differently modified style of sport in which young women could stay away from the aggression, toughness, and primitiveness of the male style of sport (Cooky, 2018). After the second wave of feminism in the 1960s, women in sports activism, attendance, and participation have been rising ever since. However, when it comes to women in sports media, not all coverage is good …show more content…
If women athletes were to accept more feminine qualities as the norm as well as still participate in sports, it could start to create cultural change. Contrary to popular belief, author Cheryl Cooky in “Women, Sports, and Activism” makes it clear that diverse women were the initial foundation for women’s sports. Women of the working class, color, and immigrant women were not held to the same standards of traditional womanhood. This means they were not subject to normal social and gender barriers and they were supported to join leagues and teams. However, they can be held back by different social and economic barriers. In college athletics, the fastest-growing women’s sports are the ones that require significant money toward facilities or equipment such as rowing, soccer, and golf (Cooky, 2018). This means that women of the working class may not have the opportunity to participate solely because of their economic status. It also means that black women, who are disproportionately poor, are at an automatic disadvantage. In summary, the controversy around women in sports covers an underlying struggle for women’s equality, specifically within
Courageous Athletes and the Gender Barrier Sports have always maintained barriers concerning the gender of the athletes. Women as well as men have been discriminated in sports, which have for so long been defined as a one-sex sport. For example, boxing had long been considered a sport for males only. Another example is gymnastics, which is usually considered a feminine sport, but also have male participants. However, although sports in general have come a long way in sex discrimination, keeping
Conformity is defined as “a change in one’s behavior due to he real or imagined influence of other people.” Research has shown that impersonating a certain group or persons ideas, or conforming to their beliefs, happens so quickly and without thought that it’s mechanical and the reason that conformity is constantly present because it is habitual (Griskevicius, 2006). While assessing a situation we are uncertain about, we can find more precise information by adhering to others, eventually leading
Portraying the characters rejection to conformity, American literature illustrates the distinctive following of one's own standards. From what has been analyzed previously, the authors are trying to display a message of change through the characters words and actions. Many times it is apparent that the characters are in there times of most comfort when they are acting in such that makes them their own being, stepping aside from the standards of the rest of society. Writers try to express the importance
Heteronormativity is a social concept that regards heterosexuality, as well as the feminine and masculine gender roles, as the norm, which implicitly suggests that everyone outside of them could be considered abnormal. In her essay “No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That”, Emily W. Kane observes how many parents feel as if they have a “responsibility for the accomplishment of masculinity as linked to heterosexuality” (96), which is often associated to how their sons must fit into acceptable gender
comes to an end, readers are left with a shocking reaction. Shirley Jackson’s Characters continuously participate in a lottery, where the reasoning for it has been forgotten. Throughout Shirley Jacksons Story of “The Lottery” readers can see how conformity can bring out the evilness in human nature, by characters continuing a tradition regardless of immorality. Throughout the story of the lottery the villagers all conform to a tradition where they no longer remember the reasoning for participating
Both the struggles of young women to conform to standards set by their societies and the struggles of all people to uphold their reputations—in the Puritan culture and today’s world—are prominent issues displayed in The Crucible and Conversion. These societal standards put unjust pressure on women to appear “perfect.” Whether it is as an ideal Puritan, a loyal friend, or a prepared college girl, everyone wants to have a pristine reputation. Conformity is often seen as a way to be perfect and obtain
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s consideration of gender roles throughout The Great Gatsby reflect the sheer unbalance between the value of men and women in traditional households. Throughout the novel women are seen living a life controlled by men, and accepting their loss of independence for the materialistic values of life. Women follow the social code of the 1920’s to seem ladylike, leading them to succumb to uniform and object like personas. Scenes of blatant sexism are the strongest representation of
Walker was inspired to write Putting Down the Gun when her eleven year old son came home from middle school and informed his mother that he wanted to play a sport. Knowing her child, the curious mother asked why her animal loving, lego building, anime reading, boy wanted to play sports. Her son’s answer was simple. “Girls like boys that play sports”. (R. Walker, pg 574) This infuriated Walker. What kind of things was her son learning in school? His answer was also very simple as well. There are two categories
Conformity and Identity in Brave New World Essay Society forms trivial connections to the individual and constructs a sense of hierarchy that is manifested within society. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the characters of the dystopian society named the World State provides a diversified perspective on the effects of conformity. The World State replaces individual expression and forms an impression of identity for Bernard and Lenina. As a result of the World State’s perception of society, individual
The lottery can take to sense of conformity to the extreme evil and violent level. No one take a stand to make a rational opinion about the lottery being an inhuman, pointless, and brutal event. Old Man Warner dismisses the idea of getting rid with the lottery, “there’s always been a lottery
an interpretation of what the ideal body image and beauty women and young girls should portray. It is really important to understand that beauty is molded by society — by advertising, fashion, and cosmetic industries. Women and young girls need to be comfortable with who they are and not be worried about what other people think of them, but society has impacted them negatively. In the poem, “Barbie Doll,” Marge Piercy explains how women and young girls are easily persuaded and manipulated by society
Sports has always been considered “weird” whenever they are being classified into traditional norms of business culture or that of leisure activities. It encompasses a wide range of aspects that give birth to a multitude of activities that can be classified as “sport”. What this paper intends to examine specifically is the inclusion, lack thereof, and attitudes towards those who identify as LGBTQ within a philosophical context across sports at the professional level. Participation of this group should
differentiate these physical cultures. Mainstream game in society has widely come to be a vehicle for manifestation and the development of neoliberalism, forming a relationship that is dialectic, in the most capitalistic country in the entire world. Meaning, sports such as professional basketball, baseball, football, and baseball, are with there being many restrictions on player's activities and their freedom of expression being highly bureaucratized. Together with the highly rule-based structure of mainstream
Sports usually bring people together and celebrate diversities, however, transgender athletes are often left out and treated unfairly. The Olympics for instance, require many athletes to take “gender tests” which basically shows if they are the gender they claim to be. If they fail the test, their medal is dispossessed; this happened to Indian athlete Santhi Soundarajan in 2006. It’s quite unfortunate that even in modern times; gender identities are still preventing athletes from excelling. Another
identity with a view to implement reform or social change. Hegemonic masculinity, was first proposed in reports from a study of social inequality in Australian high schools, it was understood to be the practice that allowed male dominance over women to continue. Hegemonic masculinity represents the most current way of honoring being a man, and it ideologically legitimates