Women in sport face many challenges. Women were never allowed to compete in professional sports leagues. They were considered too weak to participate in high-impact sports and too busy with their families. Only three jobs were available to women in sports: secretarial, teaching, and crossing guard.
Less opportunities
Female high school athletes often have less opportunities than their male counterparts. This can often be attributed to the social stigma that is associated with female athletes. Unfortunately, this stigma is not limited to specific geographic regions or conferences. It can also extend to the fact that girls in low-income communities often lack resources and opportunity for sports.
Media attention less
Despite the fact that women athletes make up more of professional athletes than their male counterparts, they still get less media attention than their male counterparts. This is despite the fact that female athletes put in just as much work as male athletes. Female sports tend to receive less media attention than male sports. More emphasis is placed on talent and appearance, rather than individual accomplishments.
Less expectations
Women's participation in sports may be influenced by a number of factors. Female athletes are likely not to be allowed into sports that are dominated by their gender. These differences could be due biological differences or to the different socialization of boys & girls.
Transgender women compete in sports
Since the IOC first introduced trans policies nearly two decades ago, lawmakers have sought to ban transgender females from playing recreational sports. Transgender women are subject to disproportionate discrimination, harassment, violence and so attempts to ban them from playing recreational sports are transphobic, dangerous and counterproductive.
Title IX
Title IX, a federal law that guarantees women's rights in sport, is Title IX. Women from historically marginalized communities have not received the benefits of Title IX as well as they should. According to a study by the Women's Sports Foundation, girls in predominantly minority schools have access to only 67% of athletic opportunities, compared to 82% of girls in predominantly white schools.
Flo advocates for female athletes
Flo McLean grew to be the seventh child in a family that had eleven. She was told from an early age that she needed to act quickly in order to obtain what she desired. After her parents split, she moved with the mother to Watts, a densely populated and under-resourced neighborhood. She eventually found her way to Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation. This foundation provided youth with athletic opportunities.