Gender Discrimination In The Olympics

Looking pretty and taking care of the house are not meant to be characteristics of a certain gender and neither is lifting weights and saving people in distress. There is gender discrimination in every aspect of the society including sports. Even at the Olympic level, there is an unfair lack of gender equity. The article “Olympic gender equity still far from many” by Beverly Smith shows this gender inequity in different forms. It shows the sexism that occurs in certain areas of the Olympics sport. It also shows it in the double standard set between female and male contestants in the Olympics. The article depicts sexism in the area of Olympics sports. Firstly, there is gender discrimination in the area of finances. Sporting

To begin with, there is double standard associated with professionalism. As a man is regarded as a figure of strength and competition, if failure should by any means arise, he is justified as he competes with like-minded participants. Whereas, the failure of a woman is amplified as women are considered to be unprofessional and should therefore win. This is shown in the seating arrangement of the Japanese soccer teams “men flew first class, while its women’s team- the World Cup champions-travelled in economy […] the rationale was that the men’s team was made up of professional players”. Although the women won the trophy, they were treated without respect and received no form of luxurious appreciation unlike the men, who flew first class without the final victory. They were expected to win because they were playing against other women and it wasn’t serious whereas it was permitted for the men to lose because they were playing against other men who were professionals. This is double standard in the professionalism of the male and female sports. The men are seen as professionals while the women are seen as just side dishes for the main dish, the men. Secondly, there is double standard in the area of skills for the Olympics sports. Vincent-Lapointe, says that women “were thought of as almost beginners in certain cases because we were girls”(Smith 32). This statement from the three-year world champion paddler summarizes the way the world views the canoe paddlers. Even more, the absence of the canoeing competition in the Olympics is as a result of the double standard. Women are considered weak and too much of a novice to participate in the Olympic games. Men are viewed and regarded at higher standards due to the stereotype of a man’s strength, thereby regarding the women “weak” and unable to compete at a professional level. Thirdly, there is double standard in