International Women’s Day 2014 - Women in Sports

Introduction

This is the first article from OBV’s latest media/politics recruit from the USA. Belinda is studying politics here with work experience at OBV, and will be with us for a few months. As we expect from all our staff and volunteers, she’s hit the ground running with an excellent article which covers Black women in sport, politics, and broader gender issues.

Simon Woolley

While attending the Sochi winter Olympics in Russia on behalf of the British Government, Sports Minister Helen Grant, spoke out against claims that she was “unfeminist.”

The accusations against her were spurred by a recent article in the Telegraph in which Grant discussed gender inequality in sport. She was quoted saying that women do not have to compromise their femininity when they play sports when there are such options, such as cheerleading and ballet, in which “those participating look absolutely radiant and very feminine.”

Several bloggers and journalists accused Grant of advocating for the perpetuation of the gender stereotypes of men as “rough” and physical, and women as dainty and serving the purpose of looking pretty. One Telegraph journalist wrote a counter-argument stating that “what women really want is to splosh through thick mud, up and down steep hills.”

The media, as it often does sort to focus on a very narrow aspect of Grant’s statements. Many of these bloggers and journalists failed to notice that Grant’s main argument was for all women to find some form of exercise they enjoy – whether it is football or zumba .

“It’s having a good spread to offer,” read another part of the interview. “For example some girls may well not like doing very traditional hockey, tennis or athletics, others might, so for those who don’t want to, how about considering maybe gym, ballet, cheerleading? It’s not just schools, it’s clubs, it’s being innovative. Actually looking at our women and our girls and asking, what do they want?”

Isn’t that a big part of what the feminist movement is trying to accomplish - women having a range of choices and not being judged for what they decide?

In fact, Grant didn’t play what she would call “feminine” sports herself. At the age of seven she started training in Judo as a way to defend herself against local racists. She went on to become under-16 champion for the north of England and South of Scotland. During secondary school, she participated in cross-country, and captained both the hockey and tennis teams.

The misreading of Grant’s wording landed her in a tricky spot, but her message is something we should all pay attention to, especially with International Women’s Day right around the corner. More gender equality must be reached in the world of sport.

The presence of female athletes in the media is much smaller than the presence of male athletes. A majority of the most-watched sporting events in the world are focused solely on men – the American Superbowl, the FIFA World Cup. When was the last time you gathered in a pub to watch a women’s rugby game? The only women’s sport we watch on TV on a regular basis is tennis, and even then derogatory comments about women’s physique, attire and the fact that in Grand slams they don’t play five sets unleash a barrage of misogyny.

So, this March 8th, International Women’s Day, fight for gender equality: You might to snowboard, sign up for ballet, get in a boxing ring or just watch the women’s rugby match. Helen Grant’s key message is for women to be active. For this we can applaud her for being a champion for women in politics and sport.

By Belinda Schwartz