It’s Time for the ‘Weaker Sex’ Myth To Finally Die
Women’s physical capabilities in sports and beyond are still underestimated — but they really shouldn’t be
Last week, after Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from her match against Algeria’s Imane Khelif at this year’s Olympics, numerous people alleged that’s because Khelif is secretly transgender.
At this point, it should be pretty clear that she is, in fact, not.
But Khelif is just one of several women to face a similar wave of hateful scrutiny in recent years. American tennis player Serena Williams and South African runner Caster Semenya, to name a few, have been at the receiving end of misconceptions and harassment about their gender, too.
Transphobia, racism and Eurocentric beauty standards certainly play a role in all of this, yes, but so does sexism. In particular, the long-held belief that women are weaker, meeker, and overall physically inferior to men. This is why traits like broad shoulders or muscles are seen as ‘masculine’ and why women performing at an elite level are often viewed as ‘biology-defying’ creatures, with their victories and records dismissed as mere anomalies.
But this is also why, historically, sports participation has been viewed as exclusively men’s…
