Introduction
Sports are a major source of entertainment, but when certain disciplines attempt to integrate women and men, spectators may not be so receptive. These supporters are not used to such a new concept, yet it would be intriguing to see the outcomes of several classic sports if both genders were included. Multiple actual and perceived factors indicate that society is not yet prepared to remove gender segregation in competitive sports. There are several reasons why males and females should be separated in sports. These vary from simple bar debates to more complex issues such as ‘binding men and women to compete together eliminates those whose religious beliefs ban mixed-gender events.’ In each instance, however, the primary argument appears to be that females cannot contend with males in sports owing to their physical disparities. This point may be advanced for entirely different reasons, which is rather intriguing. There are numerous representatives from both the scholarly and public dimensions that advocate the raging fight against gender separation in sports. However, it seems that such a position is not consistent, taking into account a variety of essential points within the scope of the theme. Although different institutions have promoted sports practice without gender segregation, it has been shown in real life that this is not possible due to physical differences, cultural values, and disregard for sports organizations.
Physical Differences
Despite the fact that men and women live, work, and socialize together in everyday life, the sport has traditionally been and will likely continue to be an activity that divides its participants by gender. The primary explanation for this is that men and women are constructed as physically different from one another (Sobal & Milgrim, 2019, p. 30). As a result of the fact that males are often taller, heavier, more powerful, and faster than women, it is not actually feasible for them to compete on an equal level in the majority of sports. Competitions for men and women are often held in separate divisions in the vast majority of sports. This is done to increase the level of competitiveness in the game, making it more exciting for participants and spectators alike. A position against such a state of affairs is that the described approach makes gender stereotypes more integrated into the public mind. It is assumed that sports serve as a promoter of gender segregation in all spheres of life (Ljungqvist, 2018, p. 1). However, men and women do not always compete on separate teams in every sport. In several sports, males and females create a team and participate in mixed competitions. With equal numbers of men and women on each side, they may compete with and against one another in a fair manner. Then, there are a few sports in which males and females compete against one another regardless of their gender, such as equestrian and sailing.
Cultural values
Since sex segregation is a primary organizing factor for the majority of contemporary sports, the reason for binary gender separation of sports is founded on a complex mixture of biological, economic, and commercial factors, along with societal conventions that continue to frame sport as a male realm. Sex segregation is often imposed unquestioningly, regardless of the players’ age, strength, or talent, and without anybody questioning the reasoning or rationale behind it. Gender ideology is intimately tied to the segregation of the sexes (Braumüller et al., 2020, p. 2). This ideology comprises interconnected concepts and beliefs that are commonly used to characterize masculinity and femininity, designate individuals as male or female, assess forms of sexual display, and establish acceptable positions for males and females in society. Society has gotten used to the assumptions that humans are either men or women; heterosexuality is the natural basis for human procreation; other sexual identities are aberrant; males are physically greater (Flores et al., 2020, p. 384). Therefore, they are better equipped to hold authority and occupy leadership positions in the public realm. Individuals are so used to seeing distinct genders participate in conventional sports that altering this may lead many of them to quit watching sports. An opposite position here is that modern cultural values reflect another approach toward the issue – inclusiveness should be a foundation for all areas of life. However, in terms of sports, it seems that this principle means equal career and achievement opportunities for men and women. Gender segregation is likely to be justified by the aspects explored above.
Disregard Sport Organizations
Individuals are so used to seeing distinct genders participate in conventional sports that altering this may lead the majority of them to quit watching sports. At the very least, this conclusion may be of concern to sports leagues and television networks. It has been said that if new mass and length categories are developed in numerous sports and if the regulations are modified, females will be able to participate and win against males in a number of sports (Kerr & Obel, 2018, p. 311). However, this is also likely to lead companies and advertisers to lose the significance of their brand and, as a result, generate less revenue and sales. Even team managers or their athletes may grow dissatisfied under such conditions, and they may even decide to resign or demonstrate against those who promote combining teams (Piggott & Matthews, 2020, p. 5). Combining conventional sports with both sexes is inconclusive unless all parties are happy with the notion from a commercial perspective. So that commerce does not decline, they must ensure that their customers, sponsorships, the news, and even their teams will be good with gender segregation in sports, which does not seem possible for now. Given the arguments provided, it might be assumed that the complete removal of gender segregation in sports disregards the involved organizations to a great degree. Their established policies are essential for the sports industry in general, which fuels the sector and maintains stability in terms of arranging competitions.
Conclusion
Commonly, the segregation of males and females in sports is explained by issues related to competition fairness and the encouragement of wide and equal participation. In non-sporting situations, however, sex- and gender-based categorization are subject to strong societal, legal, and moral prohibitions. The practice of separating males and females in competitive sports is so widespread that one could conclude it is ethically and legally harmless. Additionally, professional sport has a very institutionalized nature. Even in informal and amateur settings, adherence to public regulations controlling participation is a crucial aspect of the sport. The regulations of a sport tend to have a constitutive nature; that is, they tend to determine the sport itself. Due to sports’ cultural importance and the connections that people develop with them, discussions and choices about the regulations surrounding involvement in sports have the possibility to imprint beliefs back upon society. Despite the fact that such positions have a rational seed, the discussion above proves that physical differences, cultural values, and disregard toward sports organizations justify gender discrimination in sports.
References
Braumüller B., Menzel, T. & Hartmann-Tews, I. (2020) Gender identities in organized sports – Athletes’ experiences and organizational strategies of inclusion. Frontiers in Sociology, 5(1), 1–17.
Flores, A. R., Haider-Markel, D. P., Lewis, D.C., Miller, P. R., Tadlock, B. L., & Taylor, J. K. (2020). Public attitudes about transgender participation in sports: The roles of gender, gender identity conformity, and sports fandom. Sex Roles 83, 382–398.
Kerr, R., & Obel, C. (2018). Reassembling sex: reconsidering sex segregation policies in sport. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 10(2), 305–320.
Ljungqvist, A. (2018). Sex segregation and sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(3).
Piggott, L. V., & Matthews, J. J. K. (2020). Gender, leadership, and governance in English national governing bodies of sport: Formal structures, rules, and processes. Journal of Sport Management, 35(4), 338–351.
Sobal, J., & Milgrim, M. (2019). Gendertyping sports: social representations of masculine, feminine, and neither-gendered sports among US university students. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(1), 29–44.