The Advancement Of Women s Sports - 964 Words

The progress towards gender equity in competitive sports hasn’t been a straightforward route. On one hand, some claim that equality cannot be achieved, attempting to use the excuse of biological differences (both psychological and physical) between the sexes. On the contrary, though, persisting stereotypes, less pay, and lack of opportunity to play still plague many women who are trying to enter the field of competitive sports. These hindrances are unfair, prejudiced, and discriminatory. They cannot--and should not--continue. Perhaps the most notable inequality in sports is the underrepresentation of women in media. According to a study carried out by the U.N., the broadcast of women’s sports covers only 2% of all sports broadcasting,†¦show more content†¦Sports are about teamwork and being able to achieve a goal, not about the way your makeup looks or which brand of clothing you wear. Moreover, in sports, women are paid less than men and face difficulty with representation and budgets. According to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, only 12 out of 125 members of the International Olympic Committee are women (Parliamentary Assembly, 2005). This is barely 9.6%--not even one in ten. More importantly, though, Discrimination against women is particularly perceptible in the realm of pay. Fourteen of the delegations which replied to the questionnaire said that pay, prize-money and bonuses were awarded by national authorities on the basis of athletes merits and performances. Yet the rewards granted by the federations themselves, and more particularly those offered by private sponsors (possibly motivated by a need to achieve profitability) are often left out of the statistics. The information supplied by the delegations nevertheless seems to indicate that, with a few notable exceptions, these rewards are far less for women than for men (Parliamentary Assembly, 2005). Sexism has taken place in many fields for a long time. In the job market, though, one crucial fact is that your gender cannot affect your pay. However, in sports, females still receive different wages . . . and budgets,