Limitations & Struggles

For many years, few women competed in sports; it was often frowned upon by society. At least in the United States, that changed mainly in the 20th century, although women's participation as fans or athletes is generally less than men's. The change is at least partly related to the drive for more women's rights.

The history of women in sports can be traced back as far as 776 B.C when the first ever Olympics took place in Athens Greece. During the Olympics women were excluded, so they were forced to compete every four years in their own Games of Hera, to honor the Greek goddess who ruled over women and the earth. This was one of the first times that society saw women try to get involved in the world of sports.

Another early example of women’s struggle to participate in sports took place in a Greek city-state called Sparta in 396 B.C. Kyniska, a Spartan princess, was not only one of the first women to participate in the Olympics but also one of the first to win a Olympic event. Kyniska won an Olympic chariot race, but was barred from collecting her prize in person. So even when women were finally breaking the barrier to participate in the Olympic games they were still not totally equal to men.

History shows us that women and girls have been less involved in sporting events then men and boys. At all levels and roles, for example, community involvement, athletics, coaching and managing, women have always had a lack of representation. Not until recently have these situations been changing, mostly because of the efforts of individuals and groups. But the change is still slow. Because women are still so under represented in major positions in sports, at times, it can seem that the sports world is run by men for men.

It is often said that sport has been defined, organized and constructed as a male activity. As a result many women or girls are turned off by this and are forced to believe that sports or athletics is solely intended for the male audience. To women it is just not seen as “girly” to be interested in sport and, for many women to be interested in the sport makes you come across as a “tom boy” to many other women.

Some experts believe that one of the main reasons why women have not had an equal chance to break into the sports world is lack of self confidence. Working in a world where women are the minority can give women a sense that they don't belong in the sport, and thus forcing many women to avoid trying to make a living in sports. One result of this imbalance is that the media coverage of sport focuses almost entirely on the athletics of men. On average, only a small fraction of sports coverage in national and local media is dedicated to women's sport, and as a result women lack attention from the media. This is a major problem because TV, radio and the newspapers play a crucial role in informing our knowledge, opinions and attitudes about women and sport, which as a result, influence participation levels. The media provide us with our role models. Although a handful of stars, such as Mia Hamm and Anna Kournikova, have had high media profiles, in general, a lack of coverage of women's sports leads to the decreasing of female role models. This lack of female role models forces many women to obey by the traditional structure of society, and that is focus more of their time on household activities, such as cleaning and raising a child. And thus, this decreasing interest has created a society that tells women that they do not belong in the sporting world.

Whether it’s a lack of media coverage or lack of support from society, the fact is women are not expected to be involved in athletic competition or sports.

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