Throughout history, sports have been guilty of prioritising certain groups at the exclusion of others. There has been a pervasive idea that being an athlete requires the demonstration of traditionally masculine traits. Any individual not doing so was, and often still is, susceptible to being harassed, sidelined, or ostracised.
Indeed, femininity has historically been considered nonathletic. Research finds some athletes describe a perception that being a “woman” and an “athlete” are almost opposing identities.
For these reasons and more, women’s sport has been held back in ways that men’s sport has not. While progress is certainly now being made, our new research, published this week, finds large gender gaps persist in sports research.
