In America, the advances that women have made in how they are compared to men are immense. Today, many women hold jobs and roles that they would not of even thought of having one hundred years ago. Yet still, one area that is still completely segregated by male and female is sports. In class we discussed the differences in the requirements for boys and girls on the presidential fitness test that we take in our gym classes. Just this past week a seven year old girl was kicked off of her little league baseball team just because she was a girl. Is it realistic to think that women can compete with men when it comes to sports? One example where it may be possible is in Baylor University’s basketball star Brittney Griner whom some believe would be able to compete with men. Personally, I can’t resist the reality of the evidence that I see of men being able to physically perform better in sports than women. I ultimately agree with the gender segregation in sports. Do I think that kicking a seven year old girl off her baseball team is alright? Not really. There have even been cases when girls are more athletic than many guys when they are younger. On my fifth grade football team, the person that won the MVP award for our team was a girl. My twin cousins used to always beat guys in basketball when they were younger, but as they grew older that did not happen anymore. I see it as a biological influence.
In class, we have been discussing different literature such as, The Awakening, A Doll House, and A Thousand Splendid Suns, in which a woman is faced with limitations because of her gender. I have really been wondering about how the entire gender superiority began. What was the ultimate factor that began to convince men that they were superior to women. My guess is that it was the whole physical thing. As humans, we see bigger and stronger as better. So my point ultimately is that even today I think that one of the reasons women are still not completely treated equally is because of something as simple and unimportant as sports. When a guy realizes that he can physically out perform another girls in sports, he feels superior, and a mindset is created that he is better than all women in everything. This I believe is why women like Nora, Mariam, Laila, and Edna feel restraints on their goals and ambitions.
Wow, when I hear a story like that, I don't so much worry about the seven year old girl, who will hopefully use it as an impetus to be even stronger, as much as I do the whole team of seven year old boys, who were essentially taught one lesson: boys better than girls (at sports anyway). I do agree with you about the physical aspect; it really shows what society values. In modern society, in the social circles that tend to value intellect considerably more than brawn, gender discrimination is not as prevalent. (think AP class vs. Gym class as a small scale example)
ReplyDeleteAlthough, there are some examples of what women could be physically without any restrictions of what women are "supposed to look like" placed on them: I always think of Venus and Serena Williams.
Good Blog Caleb :-)