Thus Far...

Up until now the readings for this course have been interesting and connected in numerous ways. Each historical period we have learned about have had different influences on women in sport, but all seem to correlate with one another. For instance, the "pedestriennes" faced some of the same hardships from their society as those women who were ridiculed for their performance in the softball games, track and field sports, and basketball. I have always wanted to take a course that focused on women in our society through any channel because any way one studies women will turn back to how we are in our society TODAY. Here is a perfect example, and we talked about this in class last week. Women in our earlier history were not granted the same privileges to participate in a sport, they were judged for their stellar performances because their bodies were not feminine enough. They were supposed to be housewives and perform duties of the home and take care of the children. They were not supposed to focus their efforts on being an active and competitive athlete. This way of life had an influence on how many and who supported and competed in sports. Today, yes, we do see a significant amount of women in sports, but those same womanly expectations are still present. Women all over the world are judged for their bodies, even if you are not in a sport. The objective to be thin, beautiful, and feminine is still present. The thought that women should stay home to care for the home, their children, and their husbands is still present even though we see dual income families. Now with the economy it is difficult to live off of only one income, so women are forced to work and pursue careers. But, women are still given grief for working. Where do we draw the line? When will women be accepted by society in any role? In any organization there are a few different levels that make it operate. There are member who have roles, ranks, and controls. It seems to me that in our society women are not fully accepted in any role, on any ranking, or in any position to be in control. This can reflect athletes, professionals, politicians, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, etc. I guess my main questions is, will women ever dominate men? Or will men always have the upper hand no matter how much our world changes for the good or bad?

Chelsie Kurz
Kin338I