Gender in sport.

socialized into their respective genders from the clothes they wear, to toys, magazines and from parents dressing infant girls in pink, and boys in blue (Thorne, 1993, p.2). Children’s gender constructions are very strongly influenced by prominent figures; parents, teachers and other adults. It is therefore inevitable that a child entering the first years of schooling will already have acquired notions of what it is to be male or female.Sport plays an important role in society, particularly within a school environment. Historically, females have not been expected to excel in physical feats...males were believed to be stronger, faster and naturally better athletes. However, today’s highly trained female athlete is not much different from her male counterpart .Girls numbers are increasing in previously male dominated sports, particularly in the lower grades of school, where the emphasis is placed on participation and ‘having a go’. Although more girls and women participate in sports today than ever before, male still predominate, and we often expect males to be more active participants and more avid competitorsFemale athletes often do not receive the recognition that they rightly deserve, which has resulted in an uneven spread of publicity and therefore, lack of positive role models for girls. From the absence of female role models in sports, young students may assume that to be ‘feminine’ is to be passive and only supportive of male dominated sports. Physiologically and developmentally, this notion is unfounded; as it has been proven that properly trained pre-pubescent girls could adequately compete with boys in contact sports. Given that some girls mature at an earlier rate, some girls may have a physiological advantage over the boys of the same age groupAlthough girls are capable of participating and competing in male dominated sports, few adults advocate this. Therefore it can be said that gender issues in some sports are still very much culturally fixed. In order for things to change, children should be encouraged to participate in sports previously dominated by the opposite sex, and the education of parents, and other influential members of society is needed to help them to understand that females are indeed capable of competing at the same level as their male counterparts, as long as they are encouraged in which ever sport they wish to compete in.Today’s society is centered around the media and publicity of prominent figures and their achievements. Television plays a pivotal role in sporting coverage with many hours of viewing related to the broadcast of sporting events or the airing of associated sporting shows. The print media as well devotes many pages per edition to the reporting of sporting events. It doesn’t take much analyzing to see that mainly male sports, in particular Australian Rules football, are the main topics covered. If female sports are shown on TV they are mainly delayed telecasts or shown at obscure times. Additionally the newspapers do not give much attention to the plight of female athletes, unless a world record has been broken or a scandal has erupted. Rarely are females seen in sporting photos with an accompanying headline and an in depth story. Usually the articles consist of a brief outline of the event with no photo and a small caption. This further reinforces to children the ideal of what it is to be feminine or masculine. "Our culture expects females to be spectators and cheerleaders of male sportsGender is socially constructed and is not an innate characteristic. It can be challenged on an individual basis, but influences from peers, parents, school and the media go a long way to set the boundaries for masculine and feminine behaviors. There are many benefits of sport provided that it is undertaken in an equitable manner. Sufficient role models should be provided to children, especially girls as they are drastically under represented in mass media circles. Teachers should be aware of gender differences that exist and how gender stereotypes are constructed in order to begin to break down the gender barriers that exist and therefore begin a cycle of change.