It would have made Sania Mirza cringe. Or forced a sardonic smile from Serena Williams. It is true. It took centuries for women to be accepted in sport. The men-only myth had to be broken through sustained and prolonged efforts by women. They said women were not strong enough. They lacked stamina.
You just need to look at some of the women in sports today to realise that it was utter nonsense.
Take Serena. She looks strong, has loads of stamina and can take on any man if given the chance. However, history has a different story to tell.
Back in ancient Greece, a separate event was conducted for women just before the Olympic Games got under way. Only maidens were allowed to take part in the various events which was suitably shaped for them.
Married women could not compete, let alone enter the Olympics arena for the main games.
Centuries later, women still struggled to get their share of attention in sports. It is only in the last 30 years or so that women’s sport has emerged from the shadows of men’s events. It was not until 1900 that women were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.
The Paris event saw 22 women compete in very few disciplines. These included tennis, golf, equestrian and sailing. The various sporting federations, dominated no doubt by men, took time to realise that women could be their equal.
They refused to see beyond their noses. They though by introducing netball instead of basketball or softball instead of baseball, women’s sport will evoke more interest.
The US must be thanked for a revolutionary move which brought about a major change. The Title IX law implemented by the US government in 1972 stated clearly that there should be no discrimination in terms of gender in any federally-funded programme.
This led to an increase in participation of women in sport at all levels and by the start of the 21st century, things began to change dramatically. The Women in Sport initiative was also launched in the UK with a mission to ensure women’s participation not only in sport but also in administration.
For women’s sport to improve, better media coverage was required. Even today, most media restrict women’s events to a few paragraphs or totally ignore it. Television coverage has recently begun to improve but scores are ignored in the news.
Another factor in improving women’s sport is facilities. Some women may feel discouraged from sports because of changing facility concerns such as cleanliness and privacy. Companies like Enviro BS are trying to change this by offering modular changing facilities that allow venues to quickly renovate and resolve the problem.
Then there’s the age-old worry that women’s sport won’t attract many spectators is also being dispelled. For example, the women’s World Cup cricket did attract crowds.
The Big Bash League for women in Australia is well received. Tennis always assures excellent spectator interest. The important question now is to get pay parity for women. Most women earn less than their male counterparts in many sports. Their prize money for women tournaments is considerably lower too. But things are getting better.
Indian women have also excelled in the recent past. PV Sindhu, Sania, Saina Nehwal, Mithali Raj and Mary Kom to name a few have made the country proud. However, there are instances in India where sportswomen are treated badly in terms of accommodation and pay.
It’s time to wake up. Indian women are sometimes doing even better than the men on the world stage. They need complete support. They deserve it.
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