Gender Relations In Sports

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A highly debated topic in our time is whether boys are better at sports than girls or if it’s an even playing field. This has been very controversial but has also shown a lot of growth closing the gap between the sexes in athletics. Research has proven that there are different peak levels of athletic ability between males and females. Many believe that our society has put males on a pedestal in athletics that have set them up for success over the females. Women’s opportunities have gained a lot of momentum in recent times due to the activism of several high-level athletes in their respective sports. In the prepubescent ages, boys and girls are at an equal athletic ability and girls may even have the advantage in some key areas. This paper will …show more content…

In society, sports media heavily favors men and not women. For example, when turning on ESPN, you are constantly watching baseball and football highlights which are sports that only give opportunities to males. Due to this, girls are faced with a lack of positive role models to look up to and aspire to be (Roper, 2013). In our society, sports are looked at as being masculine and geared toward males. Fear of social evaluation, anxiety related to playing a specific sport, and the expectedness to fulfill their expected social roles give males the competitive advantage (Roper, 2013). All of this leads to low self-efficacy and confidence when it comes to playing sports and both factors play a huge role in being successful (Roper, 2013). Because boys can focus more on being the best athlete they can be and not outside factors, this automatically gives them the edge in …show more content…

Boys are better at sports than girls because of cultural norms, human biology, and past results. Girls can be seen as level with boys in sports because of a few biological traits favoring them, at prepubescent ages girls have better balance, and males fatigue faster than females. The gap between the sexes has reduced over time because of changing views on women in sports and it could potentially decrease even more. The barriers girls have due to physiological and psychological factors will be tough to overcome. Based on the evidence provided, I believe that boys are better than girls at sports and will continue to be into the