The Meaning of GenderGender: According to the Oxford Dictionary, gender is the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones).
One’s sex simply identifies that person as “male” or “female”, but gender identification is much more in depth than that. The meaning of gender is constructed by society. People tie certain behaviors, thoughts, and feelings with being male or female. In sport, gender is associated with the types of sport that is deemed appropriate for boys and girls. Sports for boys are football, wrestling, and boxing. Sports for girls are dance, gymnastics, and figure skating. |
However, a child that is born is not programmed this way. Boys and girls are not biologically programmed to enjoy a certain sport based on their sex. Culture teaches young children what sports are appropriate for them to play. Baby boys in photographs are posed with footballs, and baby girls are posed in tutus and ballet slippers. Right off the bat, children are taught that activities that are available to them differentiate based on what gender they are.
But, some people are different. Some male athletes breakthrough gender barriers and join the cheer-leading team. Some female athletes follow their dreams to wrestle or play football. If the sports that we are interested in are not programmed in our DNA by our gender, why is society so surprised when people play certain sports? Why is it so strange when females engage in contact sports? http://ebooks.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ebc/view?docId=tei/sv2/9789462094550/9789462094550.xml;chunk.id=Chap1;toc.depth=1;toc.id=;brand=default |