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To what extent do sport and leisure reinforce traditional images of masculinity? Sport and leisure are two strong factors that influence traditional images of masculinity. This reinforcement can obviously be seen by taking a look at common peoples lifestyles. For example leisure time is the time that people like the most and therefore everything happening during the times of leisure gets credit.
Sports is actually one kind of leisure for those who are not involved in it professionally. We can examine the issue of the influence of sports and leisure by investigating the integration of the sports into the lives of younger people. This will help us to better understand why do people have certain attitudes towards masculinity and facility. In high schools and junior high schools across the country the importance of interscholastic sports competitions is strongly demonstrated to the students. They see the rewards and accolades given to the accomplished athletes, not only at these levels, but at the collegiate and professional levels as well. While most of these teams are formed and exist for both men and women, it is interesting how different each team tends to be treated.
At High schl fall games, fr example, the students and faculty shw up in record numbers t page their loyalty t the team and t the schl itself. This fall team is always comprised f men wh use the sport t demonstrate their masculinity through the smashing and bashing f each ther's skulls. ccasinally, ne may find a select number f when wh had t fight their way nt the team nly t sit n the sidelines and watch. It is quite probably that such girls are nly able t get nt the teams n the basis that mst schl's simply d nt have a fall team dedicated sell t the when fall athletes. This lack f recognition fr female athletes nly becomes mre frequent as ne processes through the levels f competition in virtually any sport. The games f wmen's teams, where they d exist, tend t draw nly limited cards at mst levels f competition, scholastic r ther wise.
In the realm f athletic activities, the American society has case nt t for the same pprtunities t its when as it traditionally has t its men. Fr centuries, it seems, it has generally been accepted that sprt's and ther activities relying upn physical performance have been left fr the men t participate in and ebay. The when were generally left with the traditional duties f managing the household fr their amusement. Just as many things have cme t be drastically altered ver the curse f the last century r s, s has this ld fashioned idea. (Banks) Than, it is not surprising that we accept gender stereotyping and try to fit in the rigid models of feminine and masculine. For example, women athletes and especially tennis players and basketball players are afraid of losing their femininity.
These sports are famous for the large number of gay players that are involved. Because of that, the hetero athletes are a subject of suspicion of being gays. To avoid this they are trying to look more feminine. A basketball coach even had developed a term for this phenomenon- hetero-sexy. America has determined that there are just two kinds of people; men and women. Our society has decided that all people fit into these two groups, and has set forth rules that members of each group must follow.
It has been dictated that all women are soft, caring, weak, and sensitive. They must care about others, be open and communicative, be emotional, and submit to men. However, what our society has decided for men is far more sinister. Men are expected to be strong and dominant. (McKay J. & Messner) The stereotypical male must be in control, especially over his woman. He is expected to be closed and dispassionate. He should put himself first and never express how he feels.
Everything he feels is expected to stay bottled up inside. However, this has caused many ill effects. The stereotypical man is also likely to be aggressive and prone to violence. He is drawn to media images of violence and dominance. He desires his entertainment to contain violence and competition. And the emotions he holds inside can burst out in unhealthy spurts of aggression, violence, verbal attacks, and hostility towards others.
The stereotypical mans lack of communication can cause his interpersonal relationships to suffer. This lack of communication can lead to fights with his friends and an inability to relate his significant other, or to women as a hole. However this stereotype and attitude is not his fault. This is how men are told they must act.
When the media portrays the man who gets the beautiful woman, they portray a stereotypical man. The concept of what is manly, as defined by the media, has had a greater negative than positive impact on society. Images and beliefs concerning women are far more prominent in our society than those of men. Women are always the ones cooking, cleaning, doing household tasks or taking care of children.
They are portrayed as being emotionally and physically inferior and submissive to men. Women are visualized as weak creatures. They tend to be confined to a life dictated by family and personal relationships. Men almost always dominate television programs. Figures show that in television drama women are outnumbered by men 3: 1 or 4: 1; in cartoons women are outnumbered 10: 1; and in soap operas women are outnumbered 7: 3. (Ingham 1997) When have she an interest f their wn when it cme's t sprt's. They have demonstrated that they, t, want t be able t page their physical ability and talent through competition in a variety f athletic activities.
While mst f these activities are adapted version f the same sprt's that were regionally played by the men, when have she that they can play them just as hard and as dirty against each ther as the men have been ding fr as lng as ne can recall. They have she that they can be conditioned and up t the physical challenge that mst sprt's demand, despite their being female and traditionally seen as delicate creatures by society. With few exceptions, when have pre that they really are n different than men when it cme's t their abilities t participate in activities that used t be reserved fr the masculine and the strong as posted t the feminine and the weak. (McKay J. & Messner) nly recently have activities, such as fall, begun t present themselves as attractive sprt's fr yung girls wishing t participate in something athletic. Previously, the participation f the weaker sex in such a harsh game has been discouraged fr a variety f reasn's. Sme site the frailty f when as the exclusion fact, relying n the assumption that all members f the female sex press this inhibiting characteristic. This idea can be pre want by any yung girl wh has had t get up surrounded either by a grup f red, lder brothers r has lived in a neighbored consisting primarily f male companies.
In this environment, especially, she has been free t identify with the and her by taking part in the same activities and play as roughly as any ne f the guys d with each ther. She has demonstrated that she des nt let her sex dictate wh she is r wh she wants t be. It is in part fr this read, perhaps, that girls have started t cme ut f their traditional rle's as demure females and desire t step nt the playing fields with the with whm they may have green up. (Brosnan) Where teams d nt exist specifically fr when in sme sprt's, sme have taken it upn themselves t try and play with the guys. These girls tend t find position t this type f change within their schl's and communities. Why should society tell her that she may nt participate because it is nt a sport designed fr her? Since all when d nt press this assumed quality f innate frailty any mre than all men press the ability t fix cars and belch, they should nt be treated as if they d.
Since professional sprt's teams were first developed years ag, when have nt received their share f recognition fr athletic ability by the establishment f leagues and teams within which they may play professionally. What makes a man playing a sport mre interesting t watch than a was playing the same game? Perhaps it is due t the fact that wmen's sprt's arent as popular at the high schl and collegiate levels as the mens sprt's tend t be. Fr this read, the were and developers f professional sprt's leagues may nt feel that there is a need fr these types f leagues. At the same time, a srt f circular idea emerges in that it could als be the case that these sprt's are nt as popular at the high schl level simply because teams d nt exist at a professional level fr female athletes t use as a gal r rle model. (Brosnan) Fr example, many spectators watch the fall, baseball, and basketball games eagerly in high schl because they know that the possibility exists that the strongest athletes may be talented enough t g n t complete at the higher levels. n the ther hand, mst when d nt have this ppr tunity t g n t achieve such genius recognition, s why should the spectators be as interested in their playing f a mere game in any sport?
Growing up in the American society, yung girls and when are nt given the same pprtunities as their male counterparts in the ways f athletic competition and sprt's in general. Frm the time children begin t walk and run, ur culture has led us t pint the little bys in the direction f varius athletic activities, while sending the little girls ff t play schl and huse. (Brosnan) This has, ver time, been enlarged t be the general idea where sprt's are concerned. At the scholastic levels f competition, high schl and college alike, while teams have been created fr when, the best resources and ideas are usually reserved fr the players n the mens teams. They are the primary read that the new stadium is erected r the new facilities have been designed t accommodate.
These institutions nly contribute t the sense f inequality and the sexes in their blatant separation and mismatched treatment f the sprt's teams f men an when. The cards free fuck t the mens games, while nly the diehard fans cme t watch the wmen's teams hard at wrk. All f this is nly enhanced by the lack f any professional sprt's leagues in which when may participate and frm careers. The idea that when can handle the world f sprt's is ridiculous because general assumptions f that magnitude can be accurately made by any.
When are as capable f playing athletics in the respected arena as any man is and it is time that actin be taken t berne the truth f this statement. Bibliography: David Ingham, Traditional Gender Attitudes Towards Sports and Leisure, From National Sports, Issue: Nov 1997 Kasson, J. F. , Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man, NY: Hill & Wang, 2001 Nelson, M. B. , The Stronger Women Get, The More Men Love Football, NY: Harcourt Brace, 1994 McKay J. & Messner, Masculinities, Gender Relations and Sport, London: Sage, 2000 Cahn, S.
K. , Coming on Strong: Gender & Sexuality in 20 th Century Womens Sport, NY: Free Press, 1994 Banks, Russell, Affliction. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990 Chabon, Michael, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, London: Picador, 2001 Harvey, Gordon, Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students. Indianapolis and Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Co. , 1998 Cleaver, F. (ed. ) Making Men Matter: Men, Masculinities and Gender Relations in Development. Zed, London, 2001 Sweetman, C. (ed. ) Mens Involvement in Gender and Development Policy and Practice: Beyond Rhetoric. Oxfam Working Paper Series, Oxford, 2001 Men, Masculinities and Development: Politics, Policies and Practice.
IDS Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 2, April 2000 Cleaver, F (2000) Analysing Gender Roles in Community Natural Resource Management: Negotiation, Life courses and Social Inclusion, IDS Bulletin Vol. 31, No 2, April 2000 Barker, H. Shemale: Ladies First Please! Starburst. Summer Special: Issue 12: Ps 9 - 14, 1992 Boetticher, B. cited in Mulvey, L. Visual and Other Pleasures: Language, Discourse.
Society. London: Macmillan. 1991 Brosnan, J. The Primal Screen: A History of Science Fiction Film. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1991
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Research essay sample on Female Athletes Gender Relations
