Editing Gender role (section)

==In sports==
As strength has been strongly associated to masculinity for many years,<ref name="Klomsten">{{cite journal |last1=Klomsten |first1=Anne T. |last2=Marsh |first2=Herb W. |last3=Skaalvik |first3=Einar M. |title=Adolescents' Perceptions of Masculine and Feminine Values in Sport and Physical Education: A Study of Gender Differences. |journal=Sex Roles |date=2005 |volume=52 |issue=5 |pages=625–636 |doi=10.1007/s11199-005-3730-x |s2cid=144198198 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-3730-x}}</ref> sports have evolved into a significant representation of expressions of masculinity<ref>{{cite book |last1=Connell |first1= Raewyn W. |title=Masculinities |date=2005}}</ref>{{pn|date=February 2025}} and hence, are commonly perceived as a predominantly male domain.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Messner |first1=Michael |title=Gender ideologies, youth sports, and the production of soft essentialism. |journal=[[Sociology of Sport Journal]] |date=2011 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=151–170 |doi=10.1123/ssj.28.2.151 |url=https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.28.2.151}}</ref> However, this does not completely neglect the position and role of women in sports. This is evident from the number of females participating in sport has increasing in recent years.

As the belief in gender stereotypes is continuously upheld in society,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Koivula |first1=Nathalie |title=Perceived characteristics of sports categorized as gender-neutral, feminine and masculine. |journal=[[Journal of Sport Behavior]] |date=2001 |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=377–393}}</ref> sporting events have been divided according to how the sport is characterised, which leads to the conceptualisation of male and female sports.<ref name="Mateo-Orcajada">{{cite journal |last1=Mateo-Orcajada |first1=Adrián |last2=Abenza-Cano |first2=Lucía |last3=Vaquero-Cristóbal |first3=Raquel |last4=Martínez-Castro |first4=Sonia M. |last5=Leiva-Arcas |first5=Alejandro |last6=Gallardo-Guerrero |first6=Ana M. |last7=Sánchez-Pato |first7=Antonio |title=Influence of Gender Stereotypes, Type of Sport Watched and Close Environment on Adolescent Sport Practice According to Gender. |journal=Sustainability |date=2021 |volume=13 |issue=21 |page=11863 |doi=10.3390/su132111863 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021Sust...1311863M }}</ref> Certain traits and sporting events in the sport domain have conventionally been attributed to males and the rest to females. Female sports, expressing the concepts of femininity, are often characterised with flexibility and balance, such as gymnastics or aesthetic sports like dance. Conversely, male sports constitute the idea of masculinity, which is portrayed through strength, speed, aggression and power, such as in football and basketball.<ref name="Mateo-Orcajada"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chalabaev |first1=Aïna |last2=Sarrazin |first2=Philippe |last3=Fontayne |first3=Paul |last4=Boiché |first4=Julie |last5=Clément-Guillotin |first5=Corentin |title=The influence of sex stereotypes and gender roles on participation and performance in sport and exercise: review and future directions. |journal=Psychology of Sport and Exercise |date=2013 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=136–144 |doi=10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.10.005 |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.10.005}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Colley |first1=Ann |last2=Berman |first2=Eryn |last3=Millingen |first3=Liz V. |title=Age and gender differences in young people's perceptions of sport participants. |journal=[[Journal of Applied Social Psychology]] |date=2005 |volume=35 |issue=7 |pages=1440–1454 |doi=10.1111/j.1559-1816.2005.tb02178.x |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2005.tb02178.x}}</ref>

The element of beauty in women's sport seems to play a crucial role in the perceived femininity of a sport. This could be due to it being a vital facet in the general concept of femininity itself.<ref name="Klomsten"/> The objectification of the female form persists, with women being conditioned to utilize their bodies for the satisfaction of others and to measure their looks against the prevailing feminine standard.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Duncan |first1=Margaret C. |title=The politics of women's body images and practices: Foucault, the panopticon, and Shape magazine. |journal=[[Journal of Sports and Social Issues]] |date=1994 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=48–65 |doi=10.1177/019372394018001004 |s2cid=145378359 |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/019372394018001004}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Metheny |first1=Eleanor |title=Symbolic forms of movement: The feminine image in sports. |journal=Connotations of Movement in Sport and Dance |date=1965 |pages=43–56}}</ref><ref name="Lippe">{{cite journal |last1=von der Lippe |first1=Gerd |title=Media image: Sport, gender, and national identities in five European countries. |journal=[[International Review for the Sociology of Sport]] |date=2002a |volume=37 |issue=3–4 |pages=371–395 |doi=10.1177/101269020203700306 |s2cid=220416715 |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/101269020203700306}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Iris M. |title=The exclusion of women from sport: Conceptual and existential dimensions. |journal=[[Philosophic Inquiry in Sport]] |date=1995 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=262–266}}</ref> The devaluation of female athleticism due their bodies can be seen in the sport uniforms, where in some sports, such as [[Beach volleyball#Uniform controversy|beach volleyball]], [[Leotard#Gymnastics attire|gymnastics]] and figure skating, males and females don different uniforms in competitions. In the aforementioned sports, female uniforms expose more of their bodies than the male uniforms do despite the lack of evidence that such uniforms would significantly improve their skills.<ref name="Klomsten"/>

While the distinction between male and female sports exist, females participating in male sports is more socially acceptable than the reverse, as questions would arise regarding the masculinity of males competing in the female sports.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schmalz |first1=Dorothy L. |last2=Kerstetter |first2=Deborah L. |title=Girlie girls and manly men: Children's stigma consciousness of gender in sports and physical activities. |journal=[[Journal of Leisure Research]] |date=2006 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=536–557 |doi=10.1080/00222216.2006.11950091 |bibcode=2006JLeiR..38..536S |s2cid=142736031 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2006.11950091}}</ref> In a study conducted by Klomsten et al. (2005), they discovered that a majority of the females believed that certain sports are better suited for girls than for boys. Hence, they inferred that females do not prefer the idea of males, known to be strong and masculine, participating in feminine sports.<ref name="Klomsten"/>

Sport media coverage of males and females differ significantly and this could attribute to the perpetuation of stereotypical gender roles as well as adversely influencing perceptions of women's abilities.<ref name="Fink">{{cite journal |last1=Fink |first1=Janet S. |title=Female athletes, women's sport, and the sport media commercial complex: have we really "come a long way, baby"? |journal=[[Sport Management Review]] |date=2013 |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=331–342 |doi=10.1016/j.smr.2014.05.001 |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2014.05.001}}</ref> Male athletes are often portrayed based on their strength and physical prowess, while female athletes are more frequently depicted in relation to their physical attractiveness and, at times, their sexualized attributes.<ref name="Messner">{{cite journal |last1=Messner |first1=Michael A. |last2=Duncan |first2=Margaret C. |last3=Jensen |first3=Kerry |title=Separating the men from the girls: The gendered language of televised sports. |journal=[[Gender & Society]] |date=1993 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=121–137 |doi=10.1177/089124393007001007 |s2cid=144825977 |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/089124393007001007}}</ref>

Despite the increasing participation and remarkable achievements of female athletes, [[Women's sports#Media coverage|media coverage of women's sport]] have yet to catch up with this significant advancement.<ref name="Cooky">{{cite journal |last1=Cooky |first1=Cheryl |last2=Messner |first2=Michael A. |last3=Hextrum |first3=Robin H. |title=Women play sport, but not on TV: A longitudinal study of televised news media. |journal=Communication & Sport |date=2013 |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=1–28 |doi=10.1177/2167479513476947 |s2cid=53321725 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2167479513476947}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lumpkin |first1=Angela |title=Female representation in feature articles published by Sports Illustrated in the 1990s. |journal=Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal |date=2009 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=38–51 |doi=10.1123/wspaj.18.2.38 |url=https://doi.org/10.1123/wspaj.18.2.38}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kian |first1=Edward M. |last2=Vincent |first2=John |last3=Mondello |first3=Michael |title=Masculine hegemonic hoops: An analysis of media coverage of March Madness. |journal=[[Sociology of Sport Journal]] |date=2008 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=223–242 |doi=10.1123/ssj.25.2.223 |url=https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.25.2.223}}</ref> Female athletes and women's sport receive notably less media attention compared to their male counterparts across various forms of media, and this underrepresentation has worsened over the years, despite the rising levels of female participation and performance.<ref name="Cooky"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kane |first1=Mary J. |title=The better sportswomen get, the more the media ignore them. |journal=Communication and Sport |date=2013 |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=231–236 |doi=10.1177/2167479513484579 |s2cid=147567869 |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479513484579}}</ref>

The depiction of female athletes and women's sport in the media also tends to vary in terms of tone, production quality in a manner that minimises their efforts and performance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Angelini |first1=James R. |title=Television sports and athlete sex: Looking at the differences in watching male and female athletes. |journal=Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media |date=2008 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=16–32 |doi=10.1177/2167479513484579 |s2cid=147567869 |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479513484579}}</ref> One prevalent practice in sport media coverage is the use of [[Gender marking in job titles|gender marking]].<ref name="Messner"/> The presentation of male athletes and men's sport is regarded as the standard, while their female counterparts are often considered as the "other" or outside of this norm,<ref name="Messner"/> as seen in the naming of events, such as "Women's World Cup" while the men's event being simply named as the "World Cup". The use of first names and being referred to as "girls" or "young ladies" for female athletes is also seen as [[infantilizing]], which reinforces the lower regard for female athletes and perpetuates pre-existing negative perceptions of women's sport.<ref name="Messner"/> The quality of production and filming of men's and women's sport, such as the use of on-screen graphics, shot variations, duration of video frames and camera angles, are also significantly distinct. This influences the audience perceptions by illustrating women's sport as less significant and engaging.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Billings |first1=Andrew C. |last2=Angelini |first2=James R. |title=Communication Quarterly: Packaging the games for viewer consumption: Gender, ethnicity, and nationality in NBC's coverage of the 2004 Summer Olympics. |journal=Women and Language |date=2007 |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=95–111}}</ref> Thus, female athletes not only face a lack of media coverage, but the little amount of coverage tends to reinforce the [[hegemonic masculinity]] present in sport.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Angelini |first1=James R. |last2=MacArthur |first2=Paul J. |last3=Billings |first3=Andrew C. |title=What's the gendered story? Vancouver's prime time Olympic glory on NBC. |journal=Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media |date=2012 |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=261–279 |doi=10.1080/08838151.2012.678515 |s2cid=145149193 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2012.678515}}</ref>

While online sites that promote and cover female athletes exist, these coverages are primarily only found in "niche" sites, which continues to pose challenges in overcoming the prevailing ideology of hegemonic masculinity deeply rooted in sports.<ref name="Messner"/> Therefore, despite the growing participation and outstanding athletic achievements of girls and women, female athletes and women's sports still have a long way to go in achieving equal treatment and fair representation in sports media coverage.<ref name=Fink/>