Women And Sports
Women today have made a remarkable leap in the gender gap of the athletic world. The percentage of female athletes in high school and college has skyrocketed compared to the participation levels of previous generations. The passing of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally-funded education, including athletics, was one of the largest steps made for the female race. But has gender equity truly been obtained? Despite the laws and guidelines that have been set, the financial sustenance for women’s sports is not, and may never be, completely equal. This lack of support is most crucial at younger ages, when girls are developing the physical and social skills they will carry with them throughout adulthood. Women’s high school sports do not receive the amount of funds and support given to men, causing biased and unjust athletic programs in the school systems of America.
Young women gain and learn so much from participating in athletics that they cannot get anywhere else. If they are not receiving the opportunities they should be given during high school, think of the immense amount they are missing out on. A study by the Department of Education shows that the percentage of high school girl sophomores who participate in athletic teams has actually declined from 1980 to 1990. In 1980, 46% of tenth grade girls were members of interscholastic or intramural athletic teams, but only 41% in 1990. The percentage of boys who participated in athletics remained steady at 63%. (Empowering Women in Sports). This is a large problem in a society that claims to be striving towards equality for race and gender. It is an issue that both women and men should be concerned about. Although men may not be directly affected, their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters are. Wouldn’t you want them exposed to the same opportunities you were given? What if your daughter could be the next Lisa Leslie, but missed out on the chance because the funding her basketball program received was below par? If young women are not given a fair opportunity in high school, they lose the chance of performing at their full potential due to poor coaching and equipment. This creates a chain reaction, and opportunities for college scholarships and other rewards are greatly reduced.
There are multiple benefits young women can gain from being involved in sports. There is, of course, the obvious reason that sports will help young women to remain physically sound and in healthy shape. A 1981 study conducted at Harvard's Graduate School of Public Health, under Dr. Rose Frisch, showed that young women who participated in high school or college sports were significantly less likely to contract breast cancer and other reproductive cancers (Empowering Women in Sports). Sports also confer academic benefits. High school girls (and boys) who participate in sports tend to have higher grades than non-athletes. In addition, a larger percentage of athletes scored in the top quartile on a standardized test (Jackson 113-115). On a social level, being a member of [next page]