The Plight of Women Athletes
“Why do we need Gender Equality now?” you’d hear an ignorant say. They’d remind you of the provisions and rights given to women by the government. They’d point out “privileges” that women now have. However, they conveniently forget (or ignore) that misogyny still breathes and fosters in our society. They are blind to the stark difference between the opinions and opportunities amongst the two sexes. Men and women are still supposed to abide by inane, outdated norms of the society, and the sports industry exemplifies this; how people’s perceptions haven’t really changed in the past century. Since forever, sports has been considered a ‘boys only club’ and even today there exists double standards for men and women on the field.
“Amidst all the celebrityhood, when is Sania going to settle down? Is it going to be in Dubai? Is it going to be in another country? What about motherhood? Building a family? I don’t see that in the book. It seems like you don’t want to retire yet to settle down,” asked Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today TV to tennis star Sania Mirza. While Mirza shot him down with her elegant comeback and the journalist apologized too, the issue highlighted how the society still fostered different definitions of success for men and women.
A male athlete would never be asked about whether fatherhood is in the books for him. This just belittles a woman’s success, corroborating the fact that even in the 21st century, a woman must become a mother to be celebrated.
Similarly, tennis star Serena Williams has also been on the receiving end of misogynistic treatment. Williams had to wear a custom-made black compression bodysuit for the French Opens due to her history of blood clots. French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli had a lot to say about the outfit and remarked, “It will no longer be accepted.” Giudicelli was further quoted saying, “I believe we have sometimes gone too far. You have to respect the game and the place.” But, what of Rafael Nadal who wore sleeveless shirts for years without receiving any criticism for his choice of outfits? Why do women athletes face this ridiculous scrutiny when the men walk around wearing whatever they like on the field? Moreover, Williams has also been body shamed for her physique. The media and her contemporaries have called her ‘manly’ as if men are supposed to be muscular and women are supposed to be meek, docile creatures.
During the US Open, both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal changed shirts on the court, but it was French player Alice Cornet’s on court costume change that the officials deemed offensive.
Male athletes have been exposing their bare chests on court with pride for years, but when a woman changes her shirt (only because it was back-to-front) and that too in a secluded corner all hell breaks loose.
The wage gap is huge when it comes to women’s sports. For the US women’s football team, their win in the 2015 World Cup got them a $2M reward. Meanwhile, in the male version of the tournament, the winners were handed $35M just a year earlier. In India, where cricket occupies a special place inside the hearts of its citizens, the Grade A players from Indian Women’s Cricket Team get paid Rs.15 lakhs per year while those from the Men’s Cricket Team are paid a total of Rs. 2 crores for the same period. Women’s sports just don’t get enough media coverage, which the broadcasting networks blame the audience for.
This is one of the reasons why families don’t encourage their daughters to pursue dreams which involve sports. Other reasons include, the view that sports are meant just for boys and girls are incapable of engaging in sports. Consequently, many schools only have a men’s sports team. The girls are deprived of opportunities and fail to enhance their skills.
Women’s participation in sports needs to be encouraged. This is only possible when we get rid of the opinion that a woman getting red-faced, sweaty and muscular isn’t feminine, or a threat to masculinity.
The importance of equal pay cannot be stressed upon enough, which is only possible if the media covers women's Sports events and builds the same excitement as it does for men’s Sports. Women in sports should be hailed for their achievements, not for their abilities as wives or caregivers.
As Bethany Hamilton once said, “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; to heck with sugar and spice.”
