The world of athletics has been built around a binary view of gender. The distinction between genders is obvious: there is women’s sport and there is men’s sport. However, in reality, gender biology is not black and white – there is a multitude of ways to be human. The separation of men’s and women’s sport leads to a large population of athletes getting stuck in the middle. There is a growing social acceptance of transgender and intersex individuals in society, however, when it comes to sport these individuals are often left isolated on an island of controversy. The majority of this controversy surrounds the debate of whether or not transgender and intersex females should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Society does not have a …show more content…
It means we must be open to its permutation, in the name of nonviolence.” (Butler) . This practice would help support the reality of transgender and intersex people. We must, as a society, realize that gender is not black and white, but rather it comes in a multitude of shades. If someone does not fit in the traditional categories of gender it does not mean that they are inhumane - they are humans who deserve equal rights to those in the majority. In order for transgender athletes to be given an equal opportunity to pursue their athletic goals we must first reconstruct our notions about gender to create a society that accepts intersex and transgender individuals as equal counterparts. Transgender females identify as women and should therefore be allowed to compete as women. Actively excluding transgender and intersex women from competing in women’s sport, the gender they identify with, would be a step in the wrong direction for both intersex and transgender rights. The primary opposition to the allowance of transgender and intersex females in women’s sport, argues that these individuals should be excluded because they are not ‘real’ women. Sex segregation in sport exists because it ensures fairness for women. If men and women were to compete against one another it is undeniable that sport
At times, it was commonly believed women were not physically long distance we as a society lose if we tolerate violence against women or similarly marginalized populations for any reason. This article talks about the issues of how women can’t play sports and how sports are for men but I feel that sports are for women and men because everybody deserves a chance to play a sport. Women all ages should feel comfortable playing sports and participating in school sports to. (By: Sage, Learn)
Society has created this normality that it is okay to discriminate against transgenders. Making statements that they do not belong and changing their sexual orientation is not right. In our modern society, however, some people have come to either accept, or at least acknowledge that transgenders are people just like you and me. Now, take all of these issues of discrimination and add in the dynamic of sports. Should transgenders be allowed to play a sport during or after their
“It’s frustrating, but that’s just the way it is now,” Kate Hall said after losing to an opponent. Hall had just been stripped of her two-year reign as state champion to a transgender female (male-to-female) athlete in a high school track competition. Transgender women should not be allowed to compete with biological females. Every time a trans female makes the team a biological female is stripped of their chance to be on the team and every time a transgender female athlete places in an event another female loses the opportunity to achieve their goal of success. Recently, many transgender athletes have been competing alongside the gender with which they identify themselves, instead of competing with their biological equals. The differences in male and female physiology are the reasons why men and women compete in separate events in sports. If it is unfair for men to compete against women then how is it fair for men who identify as women to take on biological females.
Since the 20th century, female athletes have made enormous strides to improve their status. Prior to these efforts and achievements, female athletes had to play in much poorer facilities under different rules and with stricter dress codes than male athletes. Society also ignored and discriminated against female athletes. This discrimination portrayed them as masculine rather than feminine due to the sport they play and the pictures
According to Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in [the] Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” Because of the establishment of this international document, much progression toward the equality of rights for all with inherited and acquired traits has been achieved over time. In particular, gender equality has made a great deal of headway since the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. Even though this may be the case, there is no doubt that female athletes are far from considered equal as compared to male athletes in modern sports. In today’s sports society, women athletes are still discriminated against based on lower salaries, less media coverage, and lack of opportunity.
Women’s equality is an issue that has been around for awhile. While women have been given many rights to increase equality, including the right to vote and go to college, the problem hasn’t completely vanished. One area that still sees this is in sports. Women’s sports do not draw nearly as many fans and are not covered in the media as much as men’s sports, pay differences between male and female athletes are large, and female athletes have to wait longer to start their professional career than men, which risks their professional career before it even starts.
While the topic of gender has become a hot debate today in society, many people have doubts on whether or not transgender people should be allowed to play professional sports. More specifically, in the Olympics where recent changes in ruling have created various opinions on the topic. While there is great evidence for both sides of the argument, there is a physical advantage for transgender people in sports. There are both genetic structure advantages and hormone benefits that transgender athletes have over born athletes of their gender. The current rules in place were incorrectly made and has changed the Olympics future for the worse.
The sports world has been a new area where women are recognized. In previous times women’s sports were almost non-existent. In schools many girl teams did not receive adequate funds for uniforms and equipment. Boys sports were much more popular, such as football or basketball. If a girl wanted to play a guy sport she would be labeled as a
“Women who play men’s sport have constantly to negotiate their status in traditional cultural contexts of men’s power and privilege, and in a general discourse of femininity, patriarchy and compulsory heterosexuality” (Craig & Beedie, 2008).
It is now 2016 and sports play an enormous part in the U.S. culture. According to Youth Sports Statistics 36,000,000 kids aged 5-18 take play organized sports each year. Sports will continue to grow especially because of today’s advancements in technology. From the first Olympic games to 2016 a whole lot has changed in the world of sports. Not only has sports vastly changed but so have social norms around the United States. With that being said in the 1800s it was socially unacceptable for a woman to partake in a “mans sport.” A “mans sport” would be anything characterized from football, hockey, baseball, essentially anything involving vigorous physical activity. Nowadays many women are playing the prototypical “man sport,” however the discrimination against women still exists in manners that are less obvious. There are very few women’s leagues for a “man” sport. Although women’s leagues for a “man” sport do exist they are far less respected and are no where near as recognized as the men leagues. Women continue to be looked down upon whenever they show the interest in playing a man sport and this should never be the case. Women aren’t the only gender that is looked down upon, men also get this same treatment. Men are stereotyped as gay if they take part in a “woman” sport. Mostly all stereotypes around sports come from sexuality. Although the acceptance of athletes playing an untraditional sport
Society believes that males and females have to act certain ways. They believe that males and females are expected to do specific gender roles and stereotypes that have already been established. Males in western society are expected to be independent, strong and athletic individuals whereas they expect females to be quiet, respectful and attractive nurturers. Typically when these norms are being violated, people start to question everything, they would ask questions like “Is that a girl who scored the goal?” or “Is that a boy on the tennis court?” This paper will further look into stereotypes about females, stereotypes about females in sports as well as the LGBTQ community participating in sports. Furthermore, this will explain the relation
This essay is going to critically evaluate whether ‘sports initiatives are a great way to empower females’. Gender is ‘the assignment of masculine and feminine characteristics to bodies in cultural contexts. It is a socially constructed category that involves roles, expectations, and responsibilities that are not biologically determined’ (Grewal & Kaplan, 2006). This definition shows us that it is not just physical things that define what gender is but also what roles there are. It is important as one of the big issues in sport in gender inequality, when males and females are not treated as equals in sport as well as in everyday life. For example in sports such as golf the males and females play the U.S. Open on different weeks and the
100 years ago, the question of whether someone was male or female was never controversial. Today, between transgenders, cross dressers, and steroid pumping athletes, the simple definition of male and female has begun to blur. New lines are being drawn to determine what classifies someone to a specific gender. Is it anatomy, or the gender one identifies as? Dutee Chand identifies as a women and possesses the body of a female. But inside, her body creates an excess of testosterone, a chemical specific primarily to men’s bodies. This wouldn’t be an issue, except Chand is a professional sprinter and the excess testosterone could give her a competitive advantage. It is moral to let Chand race because the purpose of competitive track and field is to determine who is naturally superior and to provide athletic activity for all and Aristotle would reason she should race because she is one of the best at her craft, and she shouldn’t be put at a disadvantage running against men just because she has a natural advantage over women. Chand is gifted at running, so she should be able to use her talent. She should be able to use her competitive advantage for her own gain because competition will never be fair.
There are many repercussions that are projected upon both men and women when they enter into a sport that typically isn’t thought of as gender appropriate. Some of those cultural and social stigmatisms may be abandonment by your peers, and friends questions regarding your sexuality, and even in some cases criticism as to how you are living your life. In some cases, it may lead to you not being accepted by either group, theone whose norems you are not following, of as well as the one with whom you are trying to get involved. This paper will address all of these issues and how these seemingly negative situations can, will, and are, leading to growth. It will also discuss how this is a situation where repercussions are