AlyssaLeLievreAS91502

Genderinsport
3.5Examineacurrentphysicalactivityevent,trend,orissueanditsimpactonNew
Zealandsociety

Itsawidelyknownandgenerallywidelyacceptedfactthatgenderstereotypesdoexist
withinthesportingarena.Thoughadvancementshavebeenmadeovercenturiesthat
nowallowwomentocompeteinsportsinwaysthatwouldhavebeennearimpossible
evenjustonehundredyearsago,thesocialperceptionofgenderremainstraditional
menareseenastheepitomeofstrengthandathleticism,whilewomanaregentleand
soft.Thisistheconceptattherootoftheancientmaleonlyolympicgames,andit
remainstherootofreducedfemaleparticipationandpublicinterestinmodernsport
today.

Amajorbarrierfemalesfaceinthesportingworldisstereotypingandgenderbased
discrimination,reflectingthetraditionalgendernormsofoursociety.Whatweareshown
inthemedia,throughtelevision,film,news,music,etc.shapesourperceptionsand
understanding,especiallyatayoungageandtheimageweareshownofwomenis
oftenthesoftanddelicate,pretty,calmcreaturethatembodiesstereotypicalfemininity.
Thisiscontrastedwiththeimageweareshowntorepresentmasculinitytough,strong,
andactiveportrayingtheidealofanathlete.Itistheselongheldstereotypesofgender
thatcreateasportingarenawherewomenareundermined,disregarded,andsteered
towardstraditionallyfemininesportssuchasgymnastics,asopposedtotraditionally
masculinesportssuchasrugby.ThisisespeciallysignificantwithrugbybeingNew
Zealandsnationalsport,andamajorpartofournationalidentityandculture.Ina2015
studybyHuffingtonPost,itwasfoundthatgirlsbegantobeputoffsportsfromagesas
youngassevenduetobodyimageandstereotypinge.g.boysintheirclasssayinggirls
arentgoodatsports,deterringyounggirlsfromparticipatinginp.e.classes.Itwasalso
foundthatfromyear3,thesegirlsstarttonoticealackoffemalesportingrolemodels.
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Fromthisresearchwecanseethatitisimportanttoencouragegirlsaroundthisageto
takepartinsportsmore.Thisisimportantbecausethebenefitsofparticipatinginsports
atayoungagewilllastthroughoutalifetimethroughphysicalhealthandwellbeing,as
wellashelpingtoincreaseselfesteemingirls,encouragingtheformationofpositive
teamrelationships,andgainingvaluableskillsforlife.Whilestereotypinghasthemost
significantimpactongirlsandwomen,itisnotablynotalwaysastereotypeof
masculinityconstructedaroundcertainsports.Take,forexample,thewidelyaccepted
ideathatnetballisawomen'ssport.Gymnasticsisanothersportthathasbeenlabeled
assuch,meaningthatdespiteamazingskillsandstrengthmalegymnastsdemonstrate,
menareoftenreluctanttobreakfreeoftraditionalgenderbasedconventionsto
participateinsportsthathavebeenlabelledasfeminine.

Thisleadsmeontothesexualisationthatfemaleathletesexperience,anotherdeterring
factorforyounggirlsinsport.Inmodernsportingworld,wherethecommodificationof
sportsissorampant,thiscomeswithaddedsexualisationofagelets,andinparticular
women.Lookingatsportsmagazinessuchassportsillustrated,thehypersexualisation
offemaleathletesiscleardressedinrevealingclothing,oftenbeingpicturedin
sexualisedposes,withlittletonorelevancetothesporttheyaresuccessfulin.Contrary
tothis,weareusuallyshowncloseupshotsofmaleathletesfacesorphotosofthem
playingtheirsport.WiththerecentOlympicgamesinRio,therehasbeenalotof
controversyoverthemediasfocusfemaleathleteslooksandageratherthanher
sportingachievements,aswellasheadlinespromotingfemaleolympiansmaritalstatus
orchildreninsteadofherachievements.Thisreinforcesthewomenfirst,athletes
secondattitudethatwewouldneverseeappliedtomaleathletesadoublestandard
thatdamagesthewaysocietyseeswomeninsport.Theperceptionoffemaleathletes
isdamagingtoallwomeninparticular,youngerathletesdiscouragingthemfromgetting
involvedwithsportsfromayoungage.

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Lookingatjusttheparticipationandequalnumberofsportsavailabletobothmenand
womenattheolympicgames,itmaylooklikesportingequalityexistsattheolympicsat
least,but,therealityisthatthenumberofeventsavailablewithineachsporting
discipline,ismuchlessformenthanwomen.Generallytheadditionaleventsthatmale
athletesareabletoparticipateinarelonger,morephysicallydemandingevents,
originallyexcludingwomenbecauseatthetimeofthefoundingofsuchsports,women
wereconsideredtoofragileandwerethereforeunabletocompeteinthemore
strenuousevents.In2016,havingseeminglyreachedatimewheremenandwomen
aretreatedequallyinthesportingarena,manyofthesesportscontinuetosetthemen's
andwomen'seventsapart.Themen'sdecathlon,forexample,hasbeenheldatevery
olympicgamessince1912,andyetthesameeventstilldoesnotexistforwomen.
Instead,femaleathleteshavetheopportunitytocompeteintheheptathlon,aless
gruelingeventconsistingofthesameeventsasthemens,butwithoutthe1500meter
run,discusthrow,andpolevault.Similarly,menplayfivesetsatTennisGrandSlams,
whilewomenonlycompeteoverthreesets.AttheOlympicGames,thelongestracefor
femalepoolswimmersis800meters,whilethemenswim1,500aswell.Thereare
threeboxingeventsforwomenand10formen.Theolympiccyclingroadracethe
men'sdistanceis250kmcomparedtothewomen'sdistanceof140km.Thesearejust
afewexamplesofhowunderlyingsexismexistsinmodernsportstheseareall
limitationsthatshouldnotstillbeputonfemaleathleteswhohavelongsinceproved
themselvescapableofcompetinginthelongerdistances,andplayinginthelonger
matches.Explanationsforwhywomenarephysiologicallyunabletocompeteoverthe
samedistances/timeperiodsasmenhavebeenofferedmanytimessuchastheriskof
injurybeinghigherforwomencompetingoverlongerdistances.Thiscanbeeasily
disprovedbysportscientistssuchasDavidEpstein,whowasquoted"Thereisnodoubt
thatthereareimportantphysicaldifferencesbetweenmenandwomen.Theyrange
frommen'sdenserbones(whichcansupportmoremuscle),tallerstature,longer
proportionallimbs,tomoreoxygencarryingredbloodcells.That,ofcourse,iswhywe
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separatemenandwomenforthepurposesofcompetition.Buttheshortansweris:
there'snogoodreasonthatwomendon'thavetheeventsthatmendo."
.Thefactisthatthattheselimitationstofemaleeventsareaholdoverfromatimewhen
womenweren'tseenasbeingasstrongasmen,andhavinggrowncomfortablewith
this,peopledontwantittochangeincludingoftenthefemaleathletesthemselves.This
ofcoursebegsthequestionwhychangesomethingmostpeopleareperfectlyhappy
with?Well,ifcurrentathletesaresucceedingatthecurrentdistances,its
understandablethattheydwanttokeepthemthesameitsaboutequality,andeven
moreimportantly,itsaboutthepsychologicaleffectonwomenandgirls,andhowwe
seeourselvesrelativetomen.
TheRio2016Olympicgameshavebeenhailedforbeingthe
firstequalgames,beingtheonlygamestoeverseemenand
womencompetinginallofthesamesportsbutthistitleisvery
obviouslyundeserved,takingintoaccountthatthesamenumber
ofsportsdoesnotequatetothesamenumberofevents.With
manymorescenarioslikeIhavediscussedabove,wherewomen
arenotabletocompeteinlongerracesetc.inRiotherewere
over30moremedalsavailabletomenthanwomen.

Somethingthathashadapositiveeffectonfemaleparticipation
inNewZealandsportsistheincreaseinfemalerolemodelsin
recentyears.NewZealandsrecentresultsinthe2016Olympics
giveathletesnoshortageoffemalerolemodelsinthesportingarenaelevenNew
Zealandwomenearnedmedals,comparedtosevenmen,thefirsttimeourfemale
athleteshavesurpassedmalesintermsofmedalcount.Thisisahugeachievementin
itselfbutonethatholdsalotmoreweightwhenputintoperspectiveattheolympicsin
2008,NewZealandwomenwontwomedals,in2012thisnumberincreasedtofive,and
nowin2016,11.Thissuccesscanbeattributedinlargeparttotheincreaseinfunding
forwomen'ssportsinNewZealandinrecentyears,thoughfemaleathletesarestill
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offeredsignificantlylesstowardstheirtrainingthantheirmalecounterparts.InaNew
ZealandHeraldrankingofthebestathleticinvestmentsforNewZealand(basedon
athletegrants,scholarships,andathletesupport),fundingputintoeacholympicsport
wascomparedtothesuccessNewZealandsawinit,effectivelycalculatingapriceper
medal.Notably,medalswonbyourfemaleathleteshadalowerpricepermedalthan
themen,reinforcingtheideathatperhapsasacountry,wereputtingourfindingintothe
wrongsportso
rthewrongathletes.Itisd
espitereducedfundingfromHPSNZ(high
performancesportNewZealand)thatkiwiwomenhaveprovedsosuccessfulinRio
takeLuukaJonesforexample,whoearnedasilvermedalinthecanoeslalom,ina
sportgivenlessthan$1minfundingoverthepastfouryears.Golfs$457,000infunding
wasallLydiaKoneededtobringhomesilver,whileNatalieRooneywonsilverintrap
shooting,whichhasreceived$101,000infundingoverfouryears.Thoughrugbywas
fundedatotalof$10.235millionfortheRioOlympics,thisincludedtheallowancefor
boththemensandwomensteams,thewomensbeinggiven25%lessfunding.Given
thatitwasonlythewomensKiwiFernsthattookhomeamedalsilver,whiletheAll
BlacksSevenswereknockedoutearly,cominginfifth,itsclearthatthisfundingisnt
beingdistributedaccurately.
FemaleperformanceatRio2016isahugeachievementforNewZealand,especially
consideringwasonly60yearsearlierthatYvetteWilliamsbecameourfirstfemaleto
steponthepodiumattheolympicsin1952.Rio2016wasalsothefirsttimeNew
Zealandhadsentmorewomenthanmentocompete100womento99men,afactthat
issignificantagainwhencomparedtothe1952gamesinHelsinki,whereWilliamswas
joinedontheNewZealandOlympicsquadbyonlyoneotherwomen.Inaworldhealth
organisationreleasein2016,lackoffemalerolemodelswaslistedasaproven
contributingfactortoloweredparticipationinsportsandphysicalactivityforfemales
Boysandgirlstendtoattributerolemodelsdifferently,withgirlsbeingmorelikelyto
nameparentsasmodels,whileboysmoreoftennamedpublicfigures,suchassports
stars.Thisdifferencemaybedue,inpart,totheevidentlackoffemalesportingrole
modelsavailabletogirls.ThisisapositionwhereIbelieveNewZealandhassetitself
AlyssaLeLievreAS91502

apartfromothercountries,withourdiverserangeoffemalesportingrolemodelssuch
asLydiaKoandValerieAdams.Thesearewomenthatyounggirlscanturnthe
televisiononandseetheaccomplishmentsofeverynight,somethingthatinspires
youngkiwisandmakesNewZealandsportingcultureunique.

Thisreducedcoverageandfundingofwomenssportcanbeseeninourownbackyard
aswellJanuary2010sawtheNewZealandRugbyUnioncutthewomensNPC
competitionduetobudgetrestraints,thiscomingshortlybeforethe2010womensworld
cup.ThiswasaquestionabledecisiongiventhattheNewZealandwomen'snational
rugbyunionteamarearguablythebestwomensrugbyteamintheworld,havingwon
fourconsecutiveworldcups.Thedecisionwasmetwithalotofcriticism,with
associatessayingithadrobbedtheworld'sleadingplayersofanymeaningfultoplevel
competition,withNewZealandplayingfewtestsbetweenWorldCups.Withthe
successoftheBlackFerns,NewZealand,andfemaleNewZealandathleteshavethe
prospectofasportwecanreallyexcelinintheworldstage,holdingsignificant
implicationsformanyNewZealanders,andyettheNZRUhadfailedtoputthefunding
ininthiscase.ItwasntuntilaftertheBlackFernswontheWorldCupin2010andmuch
campaigningfromrugbyplayersinNewZealandthatNZRUreinstalledtheNPCayear
later.Thisshowsthatdespitethehighestlevelofperformance,womensrugbyinNew
Zealandisstillnotbeinggiventhecoverageandresourcesthatitneedstoencourage
youngwomentogetinvolvedinthesportmore.ThereadditionoftheNPCcanonly
haveapositiveimpactonyoungfemalerugbyplayersinNewZealand,especiallygiven
thegrowingpopularityofrugbyamongschoolgirls.
Tennisisnotablyoneofthefewsportsinwhichmen'sandwomen'seventscloselyrival
eachotherintermsofviewerpopularityandmediacoverage.In2007,Wimbledon
providedequalprizestoalloftheirmaleandfemaleplayersforthefirsttimeinhistory.
In2015,onlytwowomenmadeForbes'listof100highestpaidathletes.Thesewere
notablybothtennisplayersMariaSharapova,rankedNo.26,withatotalincomeof
AlyssaLeLievreAS91502

$29.7million,andSerenaWilliams,whocameinatNo.47with$24.6million.
Sharapovamakeslessthanhalfofwhatthehighestpaidmaletennisplayer,Roger
Federer,makes,at$67million.
Thewagegapbetweenmenandwomenhasalwaysexistedinallcareerfieldswitha
gender/paygapof11.8%inNewZealandin2015.Thisisagapthatisoftenmagnified
intermsofsportingwageswiththehighestpaidathletesofanysportalmostalways
beingmale,andusuallythisisbyasignificantamount.
AnexampleofthisisLydiaKo,the19yearoldgolfchampionthathaddominated
femalegolfforyears,becomingtheno.1rankedfemaleprofessionalgolferinearly
2015.Herachievementshavebeenphenomenal,withfewotherfemalegolfersoffering
heranycompetition,butKosunrivaledsuccesshasnotbeenenoughtomakeherNew
Zealandshighestpayedgolferintermsofprizemoneythisishermalecounterpart
DannyLeethemen'sworldNo36.

Ateamthatreallyepitomisesthewageinequalitybetweenwomenandtheirmale
counterpartsintheUnitedStatesWomen'sNationalFootballTeam(USWNT).This
teamdominatedinthe2015FIFAWomen'sWorldCup,whichsawtheNewZealand
footballfernslose01totheNetherlandsinthefirstround.TheUSWNTwonevery
gametheyplayedinthetournament,ultimatelywinning52againstJapan.Goalkeeper
HopeSolo,explainedWearethebestintheworldandthemensteamgetpaid
moretojustshowupthanwegetpaidtowinmajorchampionships.
chartfromBusinessInsider.Thissamemensteamincurrentlyrankednumber27inthe
world,comparedtotheworldchampionUSwomen.
Wegota$1.8milliondollarbonusfor
winningtheWorldCup,andwehadto
disburseitamongthe23players.And
thenwepieceoutsomebonusesfor
oursupportstaffwhodontgetpaida
wholebunch.Themen,forlosing,got
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$8milliontoshareamongtheplayers,andtheyalsoreceivedmillionsofdollarsfor
everypointtheywonintheWorldCup.Wegotpaidnothingperpointingroupplay.We
gotpaidnothingformakingitintotheknockoutround.Webasicallydidn'tgetabonus
untilwewontheentirething,whichisincrediblydifficult,andthatbonuswasquiteabit
lessthanwhatthemengot,HopeSoloexplainedinaninterviewafterthetournament.

References:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11698001
http://www.wsj.com/articles/attherioolympicswomenathletesbumpagainstag
oldceiling1470425132