Chapter 11: Gender and Sports

Question 1

what is gender ideology?

Answer 1

ideas and beliefs used to define masculinity/femininity, identify people as male/female, evaluate forms for sexual expression, and organize social relationships

Question 2

what are the 3 ideas and beliefs of the gender ideology?

Answer 2

1. humans are male or female
2. heterosexuality is normal and other feeling are unnatural/deviant
3. men are stronger and more rational than women

Question 3

how has the orthodox ideology influenced people?

Answer 3

• how they think about/identify themselves and others
• form and evaluate relationships
• develop expectations for themselves/others
• organize and distribute rewards in the social world

Question 4

what is sex categories?

Answer 4

male or female based on physiological and psychological differences

Question 5

what is gender?

Answer 5

what is considered masculine/feminine in a group or society

Question 6

what is homophobia?

Answer 6

a generalized fear or intolerance of anyone who isn’t clearly classifiable as a heterosexual male or female

Question 7

what are the 3 assumptions of how men structured sports?

Answer 7

1. male-dominated
2. male-identified
3. male-centered

Question 8

what are the myths that were told to women in order to discourage them from playing sports?

Answer 8

• it would damage their uterus
• make child birth difficult
• produce unfeminine bodies

Question 9

what was a myth told to girls about playing baseball?

Answer 9

being hit in the chest by a baseball or an opponent sliding into a base could cause breast cancer

Question 10

why did people believe the myths about women and sports?

Answer 10

it supported the orthodox gender ideology where women were naturally weak and vulnerable to injuries

Question 11

what was an invader in sports?

Answer 11

people, mostly girls, who challenged the sports restrictions placed upon them

Question 12

why did women call themselves ladies in sports?

Answer 12

• to avoid being labeled as invaders

- to let men know that they knew their place and wouldn’t take their resources

Question 13

what is the female apologetic?

Answer 13

a way women presented themselves in order to downplay their masculinity and toughness

Question 14

what is the reformed apologetic?

Answer 14

female athletes proudly expressing their assertiveness, toughness, and rightful place in sport while communicating femininity

Question 15

what is a test that the International Olympic Committee has for women?

Answer 15

it requires women who appear unfeminine to prove their bodies don’t produce/use testosterone like men

Question 16

what happens to women who naturally produce/use testosterone like men?

Answer 16

they are disqualified from competition because of the assumption that they have an unfair advantage

Question 17

what was fem testing?

Answer 17

exams by medical professionals to check females genitalia and secondary sex characteristics to determine if they were female before competition

Question 18

what is the female fairness policy?

Answer 18

a test on women who look suspiciously masculine to test for hyperandrogenism

Question 19

what is hyperandrogenism?

Answer 19

a condition where women have naturally elevated androgen levels

Question 20

what are androgens?

Answer 20

• steroid hormones produced by endocrine system glands

- stimulates the development of secondary sex characteristics (deepening of voice)

Question 21

what is hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 21

the form of masculinity that is most widely accepted in society

Question 22

what is title ix?

Answer 22

a law that states no person in the US shall be excluded, denied benefits, or be discriminated under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance

Question 23

what is the penalty for not following title ix?

Answer 23

the educational institution could lose some/all funds it receives from the federal government

Question 24

why do people feel as thought title ix is unfair?

Answer 24

• the belief that boys are naturally made for sports and girls are not
• they felt as though it takes away from the boys’ resources

Question 25

what is the global women’s rights movement?

Answer 25

• emphasized that girls and women are enhanced as humans when developing their intellectual and physical abilities
• changed family roles of women and encouraged more women to play sports

Question 26

what was the health and fitness movement?

Answer 26

• brought awareness of the tensions between public health and companies that produce sporting goods and apparel

Question 27

why do women have less opportunities for sports?

Answer 27

• there are less opportunities for women

- they have less time as they have more household chores than men

Question 28

what are reasons for why women are underrepresented in coaching and administering sports?

Answer 28

1. women are not considered to be able to meet expectations in men’s sports
2. men use their connections with other men to help them obtain jobs
3. job search committees are mainly composed of men who believe in the orthodox gender ideology
4. women don’t have the same support system or opportunity as men
5. women don’t choose coaching and administering due to the challenges of a male-dominated world
6. women are more likely to experience sexual harassment

Question 29

what are the 6 barriers of gender equity?

Answer 29

1. budget cuts and privatization
2. resistance to government regulations
3. few models of women in power
4. cultural emphasis on cosmetic fitness
5. trivialization of women’s sports
6. male-dominated/identified/centred sport organizations

Question 30

why are girls sports more vulnerable to budget cuts than boys?

Answer 30

• less established and require more promotional costs

- less support from community

Question 31

what is the relationship between cosmetic fitness and women in sports?

Answer 31

• promotes beauty over pleasure of playing sports making girls insecure about their bodies
• girls start to avoid sports till they “look good”

Question 32

does sexualization of women sports bring more interest to women sports?

Answer 32

no, it makes the players seem attractive but does mot bring more interest to the sport itself

Question 33

what are 3 things that make coming out easier for athletes?

Answer 33

1. friends, teammates and coaches provide support
2. local organization challenging homophobia
3. legal protection and support for gays and lesbians

Question 34

what are the IOC requirement for transgendered people being allowed in sports?

Answer 34

• they must have had sex-reassignment surgery

- two years of approved medically supervised hormone therapy

Question 35

what are 4 reasons for why there’s a lack of action/activism for women sports?

Answer 35

1. female athletes feel they have a lot to lose by promoting civil rights
2. feminism promoted today focuses on individualism rather than ordinary struggles (child/health care)
3. no emphasis for social/cultural change at an institutional level
4. female athletes have little voice/control over their sport participation

Question 36

what is usually the focus of gender equity?

Answer 36

• increasing sport programs and opportunities for females to the same level of males

Question 37

why does gender equity not work?

Answer 37

• girls are less likely to see themselves as having sport skills making it less likely for them to take advantage of opportunity
• sports competition is heavily masculinized
• men are more likely to be coaches/managers in female programs
• sports are so sex-segregated that females see themselves representing beliefs of the orthodox gender ideology
• when males and females play together, males assume leadership even if they aren’t good leaders