Prevalence of Mainstream Gender-Related Issues in Sports: Female Student Athletes’ Perceptions

Öz

This study aims to examine female student athletes’ perceptions on gender-related issues in sports through a quantitative survey. Three hundred and forty-two (N=342) female student athletes studying physical education in under graduate courses were selected from different colleges of Sikkim. Gender-related issues were assessed by using questionnaire based on Likert scale developed by Jafrey (1995). Out of forty-three items in the scale, ten items were selected as relevant for assessing perceptions of female student athletes regarding gender issues in sports. Percentage analysis of responses to each statement was calculated. Result showed that the perception of the female student athletes about the gender-related issue (see table-1) in sports is mostly positive; it means that the gender-related problems do exists in sports. Female student athletes opined that the gender-related problems restrict women’s participation in sports. The study also revealed that female student athletes disagreed with the notion that vigorous participation in games and sports leads to loss of femininity among women. This finding suggests that it is necessary to make improvements in support system for female student athletes of colleges for their participation in sports.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Female students,athletes,gender,sports

Kaynakça

1. Akoijam S (n.d.). Participation level of Indian women in sports in National and International Arena. International Journal of English Language, Literature, and Humanities , 199-211.
2. Ashitha (2012). Women and Sports - Gender Politics in Contemporary Kerala. 2nd International Conference on Social Science and Humanity IPEDR vol.31 (2012) © (2012) (pp. 159-162). Singapore: IACSIT Presse.
3. Coakley J (2009). Gender and sports. In J. Coakley, Sports in Society: Issues and Controvercies (pp. 232-272). New York: Mc Graw Hill.
4. Dubey BK (2003). Problems of female in sports participation: exploring the capability approach. Horizon Palaestra: International Journal of Health, Sports and Physical Education, 38-42.
5. Garg RP, Kumar N, Rani J (n.d.). A Study of Women Contribution Sports in Haryana. Shiv Shakti, International Journal in Multidisciplinary and Academic Research (SSIJMAR) , pp. 1- 9, Vol. 2, No. 2.
6. Gupta R (2013). Bowled Out of the Game: Nationalism and Gender Equality in Indian Cricket. Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law, 89-120.
7. Hill J (2016). Gender and Sports. In P. Craig, Sports sociology (pp. 115-129). Califonia: SAGE.
8. Kosofsky S (1993 ). Toward Gender Equality in Professional Sports . Hastings Women’s Law Journal, 209-247.

9. Lengermann PM, Brantley JN (2011). Contemporary Feminist Theory. In G. Ritzer, Sociological Theory (pp. 443-489). Jaipur: Rawat Bookseller.
10. Messner MA (1988). Sports and Male Domination: The Female Athlete as Contested Ideological Terrain. Sociology of Sport Journal, 197-211.
11. Rayburn B, Chen S, Phillips C (2015 ). Female College Athletes’ Perceptions on Gender Stereotypes and Discrimination in Collegiate Athletics. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 28-36.
12. Sapaaij R (2012). The glue that hold the community together? sports and sustainability in rural Australia. In R. Sapaaij, The social impact of sport (pp. 24-28). London: Routledge.
13. Scraton S, Flintoff A (2013). Gender, Feminist Theory, and Sport. In D. L. Carrington., A Companion to Spor (pp. 96-111). Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
14. Singh SN, Singh V (2010). Scene and support: Indian women sports. International Journal of Physical Education, Vol. 3 No. 1and2, 76-80.
15. Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (2008, August). Barriers to sports participation for women and girls. Retrieved April 23, 2018, from www.lrsport.org: https://www.lrsport.org/uploads/barriers-to-sports-participation-for-women-girls