Benefits of Sports for Women
Sport has been one of the most important socio-cultural learning experiences for people around the world. Many people are under the impression that girls are not as interested in sports as boys are. However, research shows that boys and girls in the age group of six to nine are equally interested in sports participation. Unfortunately, by the age of fourteen, girls drop out of sport.
It has been observed that as compared to boys and men, girls and women do not receive the same positive reinforcement about their sports participation. Even though girls are not as likely to be discouraged from playing sports as they were a few years ago, they simply aren’t encouraged to the same extent as boys.
The benefits of sports, especially for women, are many. Some of them are outlined here.
I. Psychological benefits
- Women who are in sports develop higher levels of confidence and self esteem as compared to that of non-sports personnel.
- Episodes of depression also decrease considerably in cases of sportswomen.
- Sportswomen have a more positive ‘body image’.
- They experience higher states of psychological well-being and self-worth.
- Women in the sports learn to take risks and be aggressive where required.
II. Physiological benefits
- Regular sport activity can reduce high levels of fat in blood, technically known as hyperlipidemia.
- Research has shown that physical activity, as in case of sports, may decrease the chances of developing breast cancer in women.
- It has also been proved that women who are involved in some sports activity weigh less than non-exercising women.
- Sportswomen have lower levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides, and have lower blood pressure as compared to those of non-exercising women.
- Chances of osteoporosis (brittle bones) reduce drastically in women who participate in weight-bearing exercises. These exercises are necessary to establish bone mass.
III. Sociological benefits
- Sport teaches teamwork, target orientation and other achievement-oriented behaviors. Women, who are involved in one or the other sport, have been found to be more successful in their workplace and life in general.
- Women who don’t play sports are much more critical of each other and much more likely to point out a teammate’s weaknesses if asked to do so. When women do this in business organizations, they are perceived as disloyal.
- In sports pressure and competition are commonplace. Sport gives players the experience of dealing with these realities and learning to accept challenges. Sportswomen, thus, have an advantage over their non-playing counterparts in their work place or social level.
- Physical activity appears to decrease the initiation of smoking in adolescent girls. Adolescent sports girls are less likely to be involved in unwanted pregnancy and drug abuse.
- Participation in sports activities is more likely to increase the chances of academic success.
There is a law that mandates equal participation opportunities for male and female students in schools and institutions of higher education. Similarly, there should be equal opportunity for girls and women to play sports, so that they too can derive the psychological, physiological and sociological benefits of sports participation.
All in all, participating in a sports activity can make one happy and thereby improve the quality of life.
Sources: Women Sports Foundation, University of San Diego