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Women athletes have long ceased to be a marginal phenomenon and are gaining increasing attention, especially thanks to social media. Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Research reveals a bitter truth: despite the fact that women make up about 40% of all athletes, they are still underrepresented in the media. Read on to learn more.
Sports and the female body
If we want equal rights in sports, we need to question and reflect on social structures. For more information, consult this blog here. First, our attitudes toward the female body. Because attitudes toward the female body are cultural and social attitudes. Don't worry: the same goes for men's bodies, but this article is about girls and women and making sports more accessible.
From an early age, girls receive various cultural messages about what it really means to be a woman. So also: female athletes. It's not always about the body, but also about girls' behavior. There is a fine line between the femininity that society desires and normal femininity. They prefer ballet, swimming or tennis. There is no doubt that these are great sports, but there are many young ladies who like to break gender boundaries and social stereotypes.
Bold, imperfect
Some prejudices and stereotypes are deeply ingrained, and while adults only want the best for girls, this often hinders their athletic development. This applies not only to sports, but to all situations in life. Translated into sports language, it could sound like this: Girls, of course, are equally celebrated, praised and rewarded when they do something good. But it's completely different when they try a more difficult technique or trick, something new or risky that doesn't work right away.
Same basic requirements for boys and girls
Interestingly, before puberty, boys and girls are very similar in terms of basic physical fitness. Sometimes girls are even more developed and mature at a younger age. This is also a point in favor of mixed teams. The point is that children absorb information from adults. If we say that girls are more fragile, less able to resist, need more help, etc. then boys adopt this way of thinking. At the same time, the family plays an important role in girls' sports careers: if they are involved in clubs or are very dedicated and passionate about particular sports, they are more likely to persevere.
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