Sexism and Sports ? Huh
In December of 2017, I was appointed to work in a factory that manufactured propeller shaft components as part of my industrial engineering curriculum. I was the only female intern present amongst the four other selected interns. Upon meeting our manger for the first time, I felt deeply condescended. He had asked me “ Do you think you will be able to work on the shop-floor (factory) or do you plan to get married and cook in the kitchen?”. His remarks got me thinking, was it just me or the female populace in general. My class of 70 odd students had only 5 girls and it was a surprise for most people that there were even 5. “ Girls should not be working on the field” or “ Do you know how difficult it is to be on the shop floor ?” were common phrases I heard all the time. I agree that when nature created man and woman, he did give us distinct reproductive organs but I don’t think that there was any sexism involved when allotting the capabilities of strength or stamina. These are qualities that every individual is free to choose to build upon or not. Then why is it not as easily accepted for females to work under harsh conditions as it for males.
This same idea can be extended to a number situations. For instance, in India as we saw in the Asian games held in Jakarta this year, the sheer lack of female participants when compared to the males. Forget the national games, even in schools you will see girls using PE classes to gossip taking one of the corner benches of the playground while the boys indulge in football or cricket or just any sort of undefined physical activity. And surprisingly it is not a concern for the teachers or for the parents too. They say, girls are delicate, it’s alright let them be. But really, it isn’t. You can easily make out whether a person has been into sports or not. Sports help in building qualities like leadership, confidence, decision making skills and agility to name a few. Lack of all of these is translated into much bigger problems later in life when getting jobs or leading a team in the corporate office. We become the weaker gender, because we are not trained to act in the way we should under pressure. Most girls in India are brought up in a very protected environment and they grow up to believe that they are delicate and need a man to take care of them.
Although things are now changing, it is still not enough. I feel the encouragement to be in any sport should start at a very early age. And it must be accepted as a fundamental right to have access to sports for everyone barring any limits on age or gender. It must be treated as a way of life and not something extra that one must do. Schools can incorporate a balance between academia and physical activities. Parents must also take the initiative to treat their sons and daughters equally when picking extra curricular activities for them. Above all, girls must understand the importance of sports in shaping their life.
To quote Sakshi Malik,
“I am just like the millions, not one in the million. I am no different from others. Any girl can do what I did; all they need is doggedness, determination, the will to push hard and push through boundaries, and never-ending commitment to achieve their goal.” — Sakshi Malik, Indian Wrestler
I do hope that we can reach a point where female participation is equal to those of the men in all the fields where it is least expected today. Cheers.