Equality For All Athletes

 

TIFFANY ALEMAN Staff Writer

 

The 21st century is plagued by the preconceived notion that gender will ultimately define how an athlete may perform. Although this may be true in contact sports, activists for equality are left to wonder about non-contact sports. Some examples may include: archery, badminton, canoeing, sharpshooting, diving or fencing.

Society has come to the consensus that naturally, there are anatomical differences between women and men. However, elite level athletes should be able to compete together regardless of gender. Non-contact sports allow all athletes to demonstrate their full degree of skill based upon their individual performances. In other words, an athlete’s performance capability in a non-contact sport should be judged rather than their gender.

The difference between male and female has no significance to how they will perform in non-contact sports. “If we continue to segregate men and women in sports, we de facto support the social, political and economic practice that women inherently are disadvantaged; and, therefore, ‘separate but equal’ is just fine,” New York Times writer Stephen F. Gambescia said. There should not be a division on women and men in non-contact sports because their gender has no impact on how they will perform. A survey conducted by the New York Times revealed that more than forty percent of female athletes have reported that they have experienced gender discrimination in the workplace.

Gender discrimination restricts athletes from being able to compete in higher funded tournaments and ultimately can halt their exposure to potential teams. Allowing all genders to compete equally ensures that all elite athletes are given equal representation. Equality in the athletic industry is crucial, because it encourages obtainable opportunities regardless of gender. In other words, allowing there to be a fair playing field provides everyone with an equal opportunity to perform. In a broader sense, the work environment for athletes should positively reflect the core value of not discriminating people based on gender.