History of Women Sports
For most of human history, sports and competition in sports has been regarded as an exclusively masculine affair. The male origins of competitive sport carried over into the early Olympics, where women were not allowed to watch competitions, let alone compete.
When Did Women’s Sports Start?
The beginning of women’s sports occurred between the years of 1840-1901, or the Victorian era. During that period women had higher educational opportunities, an increasing number in the workforce, had access to technological advancements, and were part of urbanization. This wave of change brought about and influenced sports participation. However, participation of women in sports was inhibited by the constraints of women’s physiology, fashion, and social expectations.
The Initial Hurdles for Sports Women
Despite the health warnings from the pessimists and some physicians, women wanted the freedom to play sports. The ‘college athlete’ arose as the trendsetter of the time. Those opposing women’s participation in sports inferred that college women who participated in exercise would become unfeminine, muscular, and subject to uterine damage. However, some physicians were of the opinion that physical exercise could benefit women by helping with the birthing process.
The Sports That Popularized Women’s Sports
During the rise in female athleticism, one of the popular womanly sports was croquet. Croquet allowed both women and men to play together, which opened up new social frontiers. Archery was another sport which women were allowed to participate alongside of men. It was one of the first organized competitive sports for women and they were allowed to participate regularly in tournaments. Another sport that women came up during that period was golf, although the game was restricted to only the very wealthy.
However, the most popular sport of the Victorian era was undoubtedly - tennis. Tennis became popular because men and women got to play together, and over and above, women could play without being perceived as unfeminine. It was usually played on the lawns of the rich or at country club. The net was higher, similar to that of today’s badminton. Tennis was a sport that was only played by the wealthy for primarily social outings. It was also thought at first to be a sport only for women because of its slow pace.
The popular sport that revolutionized society and had the greatest impact on social change was bicycling. Bicycling offered the women of that era a physical mobility and a healthy, active recreation. It also gave them a new sense of liberty from restrictive dress and chaperonage.
Real Rise of Women’s Sports in 20th Centrury
Female participation in sports rose dramatically in the later half of the twentieth century, reflecting changes in modern societies that emphasized gender parity. Although the level of participation and performance still varies greatly by country and by sport, women’s sports have broad acceptance throughout the world. So much so, that women’s sports such as tennis and figure skating, equal or exceed their male counterparts in popularity.
Throughout this period, Communist countries dominated many of the women’s Olympic sports, due to state-sponsored athletic programs that were technically regarded as amateur. Germany and Scandinavia, too, developed strong women’s athletics in this period.
In today’s society, women participate in any sport they desire. Women are body builders, power lifters, hockey players, football players, and ballerinas. Women athletes play and challenge men athletes in almost any sport.
Women athletes of today do not call themselves feminists; rather through the medium of sports they redefine the meaning of an athlete and a woman.
Sources: Computer Writing and Research Lab, Wikipedia