Sports

In Victorian America, women were discouraged from being physically active. The generally accepted belief of the day was that women were naturally frail. Too much physical (or intellectual) stimulation would upset the delicate balance of their bodies and lead to physical illness, infertility, “nervous” diseases, even insanity. Women who were judged by the society to be overly liberated or overly interested in physical or mental pursuits were sometimes subjected to the “rest cure.” They were confined to their beds for weeks at a time and not allowed to have visitors, read, sit up or use their hands. It was believed that this “cure” would calm women’s bodies and minds and make them acceptably compliant and pleasingly frail. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story The Yellow Wallpaper describes one woman’s experience of this treatment.

“Rich cultures value thin women, and poor cultures fat women, but all male-dominant cultures value weakness in women.” Gloria Steinem

Although our society no longer expects girls and women to refrain from strenuous physical activity, Colette Dowling in The Frailty Myth argues that girls in the U.S. are often discouraged from fully developing their muscles and sporting skills, and are rewarded for having small, weak, delicate bodies.

For example, according to Dowling’s research:

Studies show that parents routinely reward boys for active play, but reward girls for passive and quiet play; and schools encourage more large muscle skill development for boys than girls (Dowling 2000: 51-55).
Girls start playing organized sports an average of two years later than boys (Dowling 2000: 53) and drop out at 6 times the rate that boys do.
By age 4, boys perceive themselves as stronger than girls, and girls perceive themselves weaker than boys (Dowling 2000: 86).

When girls and women are discouraged from developing healthy, strong bodies, they lose out. Research shows that compared with girls who don’t play sports, girls who participate in organized sports as teens:

have higher grades and better self-concept,
do less drinking and smoking,
are less likely to experience teen pregnancy,
and have higher graduation rates and higher rates of college entry.

Later in life, physically active women have a lower incidence of osteoporosis and heart disease (Dowling 2000: 77-83).

But standards are changing! Girls’ and women’s participation in sports has increased dramatically since the 1970s. The development of professional leagues such as the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) and the WUSA (Women’s United Soccer Association) have given girls and women new, strong and active female role models.

Gender and sports

Our society has long held that different physical activities are appropriate for men and women. Men’s sports often involve physical contact between competitors and demonstrations of strength, endurance and speed. Think of football and hockey. Women’s sports, for example gymnastics or figure skating, are more likely to emphasize grace and artistic expression. Along with this, it is common for male athletes to be pressured to make their bodies bigger and stronger, while female athletes are pressured to adhere to strict weight limits. “When physically weakened, women become socially and politically weakened.” Colette Dowling, The Frailty Myth.

This can have negative effects on both men and women. There is increasing awareness of steroid and growth hormone abuse among men and teenaged boys today. And it’s not just professional athletes anymore. The media has reported that with easier access to such substances, increasing numbers of young men are taking them in hopes of developing “six pack abs” and a fashionably chiseled physique. The use of such substances can have dire health effects for boys and men, including among others:

Acne
Hair loss
Short stature (if taken in adolescence)
Infertility
Heart attack
Liver cancer
And psychiatric abnormalities, especially rage and aggression

Likewise, female athletes often face severe pressures to stay thin. On average, professional female dancers are thinner than 95% of the female population (Wolf 1990: 185), and competitive gymnasts often strictly monitor their diets to avoid weight gain. Severe caloric restrictions have multiple and serious health effects for women, including, among others:

Hair loss or excess body hair
Bone loss and brittle bones
Bloating and constipation
Swollen joints
Fatigue and weakness
Anemia
Fertility problems
Heart disease
Kidney disease

Ideas about sports and participants in sport tell us a lot about our society’s gender stereotypes. We expect men to be aggressive, powerful and even violent. We expect women to be delicate, graceful and cultured. But our sports and leisure practices help reinforce those stereotypes. When we encourage boys and men to engage in violent contact sports, we reinforce the idea that they are naturally strong and assertive, and we teach boys and men to be violent and competitive. Likewise, when we encourage girls and women to engage in more “feminine” activities, we reinforce the notion that females are delicate and refined, and we teach girls to be this way. We perpetuate the "Frailty myth."

Ask yourself…

Why would a society encourage women to be physically weak, vulnerable and powerless?

Why are girls and women in our society encouraged to reduce their size of their bodies, while boys and men are encouraged to build up their bodies to be bigger and stronger?

Why are boys encouraged to play contact sports such as football and hockey, while women are encouraged to take up sports such as tennis, figure-skating or gymnastics?

Film picks:

Million Dollar Baby

Bend It Like Beckham

Reading picks:

The Frailty Myth (Colette Dowling, 2000)

Complete list of books and films

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