Jarvis JargOnline 1997 - 1998: Sports

The Disappearing Female Athlete

by Gilah McHugh

[First Prize, " Sports Feature," Toronto Star High School Newspaper Contest, 1998.]

Most people believe that men perform better than women in sports. However women are increasing their performance levels dramatically. Women in North America have overcome many obstacles and have had a lot of success in doing so, but women in other countries are still fighting for their rights to play sports. They face challenges such as not being accepted in their society, for example by ignoring traditional garments and exposing their bodies (e.g. Iran).

In the past, there have been theories stating that females had a certain amount of bodily energy, that it was vital to preserve this energy for their developing reproductive system and eventual role as mothers. If a lot of this energy was lost the results could have been disastrous. Thus women who ignored medical warnings to limit athletic activity were challenging the primacy of their uterus. Male's reproductive organs are actually more vulnerable than females. Women were also seen as having inferior strength, and a lighter bone structure making them more accident-prone. While men do have more upper body strength and bulk, women can almost double their strength without displaying bulging muscles. Not only was it believed that sports were harmful to women, but that women could never do as well as men, and therefore it was pointless to try. Women and sports have come a long way, breaking the barriers of tradition in the last few decades.

Traditionally sports, have been about developing leadership qualities in boys who were expected to become leaders in their society. Women were not included nor were people in lower social classes or of different races. It was thought that without sport activity boys would become delicate like girls. Girl's physical education was restricted to exercises where the point was graceful display rather than competition. Finally when women did achieve access to competitive sports (such as basketball) they were limited but by "women's rules", and clothing that was more feminine than functional.

Women's sports receive very little attention through the media. In magazines and newspapers the main focus is on the NHL and the NBA, we seldom find articles on the WNBA or the Canadian woman's hockey team. On television there is also very little coverage of woman's sports. In fact Canadian males watch twice as much sports on television as do females. This is most likely because there is little incentive for women to watch what does not concern them. The coverage of male and female sports is also different. Male athletes are recognized for their strength and ability, whereas female athletes are recognized for their beauty and gracefulness. This is also represented in the coverage of sports. On television we find mostly coverage of male basketball and hockey games, and coverage of female figure skating, tennis and synchronized swimming competitions.

Today there is supposed to be equal access to physical education in our primary and secondary schools, regardless of race, sex or beliefs. However women do not have equal opportunities to learn and express themselves through physical activity. Some physical education teachers have stereotypical notions about the performance capabilities of girls. For example, some believe that women don't enjoy contact sports, and have more expressive abilities, whereas for men they believe it is exactly the opposite.

Most of our physical education in Canada is now co-ed. Jarvis Collegiate's grade 11 and 12 gym classes are co-ed. There are many more female participants in the grade 9 and 10 phys-ed class than in the grade 11 and 12 classes. In the present grade 12 gym class there are 14 females in a class of 102 students. Considerable evidence has shown that instead of enhancing, co-ed classes have worsened girl's performance in physical education. In co-ed gym classes some males actively harass and ridicule females, making it uncomfortable and less enjoyable for them to participate. Ms McQueen, a gym teacher at Jarvis, believes that relationships are more important to women, and that they would rather be out socializing with friends rather than playing sports.

Women are often denied access to sporting opportunities. In some circumstances they are given the least convenient practice times, the worst facilities, equipment and coaches, and receive less funding and sponsorship. In some sports they receive relatively little media attention. Further, women's potential professional teams are missing the sponsorship and funding necessary to be able to survive successfully.

At Jarvis Collegiate Institute the upper gym (women's) is considerably smaller than the lower gym (men's). The upper gym does not have sufficient space for spectators. The upper gym also does not have a weight room. The lower gym is located on the main floor in a busy section of our school, it is more accessible than the upper gym which is tucked away in a corner of our school

I believe that the only reason why women are considered less athletic than men is because the general population associates men with sports. Many parents introduce their daughters to ballet or dance, and gymnastics at a young age, and are more likely to introduce their sons to basketball, hockey or soccer. In doing so, parents are almost limiting the sports their daughters will play in the future. Being an athlete myself I have encountered such problems and issues that female athletes face, I am writing this article to raise awareness of the issues and to encourage females to participate more in sports. Everyone benefits from physical activity, and women in particular should not be discouraged from developing their athletic abilities.