![]() Many early opportunities for women to engage in physical activity were thwarted as a result of this dogma (Park & Hult).Īs more women sought to become involved in physical activity, they became more competitive. ![]() ![]() Manipulating science to reinforce established dogma prevailed for many years in spite of repeated examples of women who were perfectly capable of performing physical feats and intellectual tasks. He stated that, “both muscular and brain labor must be reduced at the onset of menstruation” ( p. Edward Clarke published Sex in Education or, A Fair Chance for Girls, which sparked a tenacious and acrimonious debate about the capacity of women for physical activity. In 1874, as women were beginning to gain access to higher education, Dr. Such physical activity for a woman was thought to be especially hazardous because during menstruation she was “periodically weakened” (Clarke, 1874, p. Horseback riding for pleasure, showboating, and swimming became fashionable, but women were not encouraged to exert themselves. If this energy were used for physical and intellectual tasks at the same time, it could be hazardous (Park & Hult, 1993). A dominant belief in the 1800s was that each human had a fixed amount of energy. Prior to 1870, sports for women existed in the form of play activities that were recreational rather than competitive and, being informal and without rules, emphasized physical activity (Gerber, Felshin, Berlin, & Wyrick, 1974). Thousands of years later, the shouts of girls playing ball finally awoke the United States to the need for sport-specific opportunities for women. Odysseus was awakened by the shouts of the girls engaged in their sport. “When she and her handmaids were satisfied with their delightful food, each set aside the veil she wore: the young girls now played ball and as they tossed the ball…” (Homer, lines 98-102). Homer, c 800 B.C., relates the story of Princess Nausicaa playing ball with her handmaidens next to a riverbank on the island of Scheria. This paper will present a history of women’s involvement in sport prior to the federal legislation enacted to eliminate sexual discrimination in education and sport.Ĭertainly, women engaged in sport three millennia ago. Efforts to limit women’s sport activity continued as they became more involved in competitive sports. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, women began to form clubs that were athletic in nature. They were noncompetitive, informal, rule-less they emphasized physical activity rather than competition. Prior to 1870, activities for women were recreational rather than sport-specific in nature. It required American society to recognize a woman’s right to participate in sports on a plane equal to that of men. Women’s opportunities for competitive physical activity were limited in America until Federal Legislation, commonly referred to as Title IX, became law.
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