Feminism

This was sent in the other day; a victory worth savoring, even if you don't live in Washington State:

Women’s Sports Foundation and ACLU Hail Signing of “Fair Play” Bill

Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the “Fair Play” bill (SB 5967) to prohibit sex discrimination in public community sports programs. The Women’s Sports Foundation and ACLU-WA worked for its passage as part of a partnership to promote equal treatment for women and girls in sports.

“Females who are forced to accept second-class treatment in sports are conditioned to accept second-class status in other areas as well. This bill will ensure that all athletes have a fair and equal chance to participate in community athletic programs,” said ACLU-WA executive director Kathleen Taylor.

“The bill goes a long way in assuring gender equality for those in community recreation programs in Washington. Equal opportunity and access are critical foundations in developing confident, healthy girls who will become the next generation of athletes, government, business, and community leaders,” said Karen Durkin, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles was prime sponsor of the measure. Rep. Christine Rolfes sponsored a companion bill in the House.

“Girls who participate in sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, lower levels of depression, and a better body image,” said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, who has taught classes on Title IX and gender and equity at the University of Washington since 1985. “We must do everything we can to level the playing field and ensure fair play for females as well as for males.”

Under both state law and the landmark federal Title IX law enacted in 1972, sex discrimination is banned in education programs. As a result, the number of girls participating in high school sports nationwide has increased tenfold, and the number of girls participating in college sports has increased fivefold.

But females in community recreation programs have not had the same protections against unequal treatment. Sex discrimination has persisted because of traditional favoritism toward male sports programs and outdated stereotypes about females’ athletic interests and abilities. Too often, girls and women have been relegated to poorer facilities, less experienced officials, and less desirable practice and play times.

The “Fair Play” bill requires cities, towns, and counties to adopt and publicize policies that explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in community recreation programs.

Additional supporters of the bill are the Northwest Women’s Law Center, the National Organization of Women of Washington, the Washington Association of Cities, and the Washington Recreation and Parks Association.

The Women’s Sports Foundation and the ACLU of Washington partnered for the “V is for Victory. So is IX.” campaign to ensure that the historic Title IX law’s promise of equality is fulfilled. The multifaceted campaign includes free educational workshops for public school coaches, athletes, and parents, viral videos, publications, and an interactive website. Women’s Sports Foundation is also spearheading this campaign in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. For more information, visit Vis4Victory.org .

Originally, I had tried to put down some thoughts so I could comment on a post at WTS. But they have grown too numerous for a comment, apparently, so I share them here. (Note: You may want to listen to the interview before reading on.)

In the interview, we are told that athletic competence (i.e., athleticism) is, or should be, paramount. Unfortunately, when an excellent opportunity to address that subject comes up, it is altogether missed. The gentleman in the studio, there ostensibly as a friendly witness, says that female basketball players have better "fundamentals." Why? Well, because they can't rely (as much?) on athletic gifts. The slight is overlooked, however, and the discussion continues on with seemingly less relevant matters.

The top male athletes no doubt rule the roost in sports media. They can do no wrong, and their options are almost limitless; do something silly or degrading, Star Male Athlete? not to worry, hardly a question will be asked or an eyebrow raised. But these are the top athletes at their sport/position in the world, and in sports, practically by definition, that is what matters most. (Why you hear much about Tiger Woods, and not so much about, say, Jerry Kelly.)

The problem for female athletes is that few fall into this category, which isn't, of course, their fault. In many cases, where they theoretically could, they aren't allowed to compete directly with men, and thus can't prove themselves against the established best. Moreover, outmoded, traditional ideals of femininity keep them from fully developing their physical prowess, atrophied from generations of forced neglect; e.g., it still isn't entirely acceptable for a woman to develop large, powerful muscles—something many women are quite capable of doing.

Clearly, then, this research at best skims the central issue, and has no relevance at all to the career choices or personal expressions of someone like Chantelle Anderson. (I suspect sex does sell sport, as it does most things, to some degree, probably varying based on how well a particular sport relates to sex. But again, this isn't the biggest issue facing female athletes anyway.)

I must also point out something not to be overlooked about the research: it is based on focus groups, not the most reliable means to make determinations of this kind. From the link already provided:

"Focus groups are not a panacea for tapping 'true' feelings. People often do not themselves understand their own motivations and preferences and thus cannot articulate them well. People have complex, even conflicting motivations which may come together in unpredictable ways given only slightly varying ways of presenting a stimulus. People may give acceptable or politically correct responses in front of peers, and they may act differently in real situations compared with hypothetical ones. They may be aware of the study's sponsorship and tell the researcher what they believe he or she wants to hear. People tend to express views which enhance their own image of themselves, and they also may formulate opinions "on the spot," lacking any real commitment to what they say. And people lie."

And:

"Focus groups are generally a poor choice when quantitative information is desired (ex., when one wants to know the percentage of people who will buy product X or vote for candidate X). The small size of focus groups makes any estimates of quantitative proportions unreliable, even if the members of the focus group are representative of the target population. By the same token, focus group research is a poor choice for multivariate research, where one again needs the stability of large random samples to be ably to disaggregate the effects of explanatory variables through statistical techniques."

So what we have, in actuality, is research that proves little or nothing but probably found what it was looking for. (Trust me, it would take a study far more comprehensive, with many more controls, than this one to come close to proving that, in all cases, sex doesn't sell sport.) But what is more, it says even less about the truly onerous obstacles confronting female athletes.

The Internet, home to a farrago of fallacies, is a haven for those who wish to muddle things for the rest of us. I find two of their subterfuges particularly irksome.

First, there is the equating of muscles with masculinity. Women aren't capable of growing large muscles, or if they are, they ought not to, because muscles are the exclusive property of men. Thus, women who have large muscles are unattractive freaks, something more male than female. So we are told anyway.

Then, the confounding of prudery with feminism. Some claiming to speak the cause of feminism would have us believe that amorous adoration of a woman's body is wrong. (As for the women at AfterEllen.com, they apparently didn't get the memo.)

Jelena Abbou, as seen in this Fahrenheit commercial, gives us respite from the claptrap, time to ask ourselves, "How is it disgraceful to admire, even in a sexual way, a powerfully built woman?"

No other person does more than Aneta Florczyk, the World's Strongest Woman, to universally advance the physical empowerment of women. She travels all over performing feats of strength that undoubtedly inspire little girls and young women to grow strong themselves; in her, they see not only the possibility but the desirability of physical strength.

Last November, Aneta traveled to Beijing in order to break the world record for number of frying pans rolled in one minute. The feat was taped for television in front of an audience: