Women in sport face many challenges. Women have never been allowed to participate or compete at the highest level in professional sports leagues. Women were considered too fragile to be able to participate in high-impact sport and were too busy caring for the family. The only professions available for women in sports were teaching, secretarial, and crossing guard jobs.
Opportunities are less
High school sports are often less accessible to women than for their male counterparts. This lack of opportunities is often attributed to the negative social stigma associated with female athletes. This stigma does not only affect certain geographic areas or conferences. This stigma can also be extended to the fact girls living in low-income communities are often deprived of sports opportunities and resources.
Media attention is less
Despite being more than half the professional athletes who are female, they still receive far less media attention than their male counterparts. Despite the fact women athletes do just as much work than male athletes, this is not surprising. Media coverage of female sports is generally lower than that of male sports. The media tends to focus more on their appearances and talent than on individual accomplishments.
Less expectations
There are many factors that can influence women's participation in sport. Female athletes tend to have lower barriers to entry than those of the opposite gender. These differences could be due biological differences or to the different socialization of boys & girls.
Transgender transgender females take part in sports
Transgender women have been banned from participating in recreational sports since the IOC introduced trans policies almost two decades ago. But transgender women face disproportionate amounts of discrimination, harassment, and violence, and attempts to bar them are not only transphobic and dangerous, but also undermine their cause.
Title IX
Title IX protects women's right to participate in sports. The legislation has not been as beneficial to women from historically underrepresented backgrounds as it should. According to a Women's Sports Foundation study, girls from predominantly minorities schools have 67% more athletic opportunities than girls from predominantly white schools. This compares to 82% who have access to these opportunities for girls.
Flo's advocacy of female athletes
Flo McLean grew to be the seventh child in a family that had eleven. She was told at an early age that she had to move fast to get what she wanted. After her parents separated, she moved with her mother to Watts, an under-resourced and over-policed neighborhood. She eventually found her way to Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation. This foundation provided youth with athletic opportunities.