Investigation Report: Gender Discrimination in Sports, KINS 1160

This investigation report examines gender discrimination in sports, focusing on the Canadian context. It begins by introducing the issue, citing historical perspectives and contemporary challenges like unequal opportunities, recognition, viewership, pay, and media coverage. The report explores the problem statement, research questions, and objectives, which include identifying factors contributing to gender discrimination, assessing resulting social issues, and investigating strategies to promote gender equality. A literature review synthesizes peer-reviewed articles, highlighting societal norms, misconceptions, and the underrepresentation of women in coaching and administration. The report also discusses the health benefits of sports and suggests strategies for addressing gender discrimination, such as advocating for gender equity policies and raising awareness. The methodology involves interviews and questionnaires with college students and coaches to gather insights into the factors perpetuating gender inequality and potential solutions. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for human rights activism to combat gender disparity in sports and promote equal opportunities for women, while also acknowledging the dominance of masculinity in the sports industry and the need for increased sensitization and awareness.

Running Head: GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 1
GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS
Name
Tutor
Institution
Date of Submission

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 2
Introduction
Several debates have emerged that discuss gender discrimination in sports. Women are
viewed as the weaker gender. Therefore, they are not offered equal opportunities with men in
sports. In 1896, the Barron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the modern Olympics said that a
woman is not able to sustain certain shocks despite how toughened she can be as a sportswoman
(Fuller, 2016). This shows that gender discrimination will remain to be a huge problem in the
athletics industry. However, currently, women activists have come out to fight gender
discrimination in sports. The UNESCO as well declared in 1978 that every individual as a right to
participate in physical activity and sports. Nevertheless, even in the current 21 st century, there are
still issues of equal rights, unequal recognition, unequal viewership, unequal pay, and unequal
opportunities (Teetzel & Weaving, 2017). It is said that 40% of those participating in sports are
women. Nevertheless, women sports do not have significant fan base nor viewership. Additionally,
they receive about 4% of media coverage. Due to these factors, we sought to carry out a research
to determine issues surrounding gender discrimination in sports with focus in Canada.
Statement of problem
Sport is a social activity that calls for equal participation and social inclusion. On the
contrary, sport is characterized by several types of social exclusion as well as discrimination such
as gender disparity and sexism (Nogueira et al., 2017). Women sports are usually ignored and less
appreciated. Cases of unfair treatment towards women keeps on increasing day by day. This is a
global problem that needs to be addressed quickly in order to find a permanent solution. People
have accused women sports to be less interesting that’s why it results to poor pay. According to
the Women’s Sports Foundation, there are several opportunities for male athletes as compared to
women. It is estimated that male athletes receive $179 million more than their female counterparts

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 3
in athletic scholarship annually (Eitzen, 2016). The gap is so wide, which calls for implementation
of an action that would bridge the gap.
Research question
Therefore, the present study aimed at identifying underlying factors resulting into gender
discrimination and practices that can be implemented to promote gender equality in sports. The
following objectives were established.
 To determine factors contributing to gender discrimination in the field of sports
 To assess the resulting social issues as a result of gender discrimination
 To investigate strategies/practices that can be implemented to promote gender
equality in sports
Literature review: Peer-review article summaries
Article 1: Gender discrimination in sports (Vishwas, 2016)
The author assessed the issues surrounding gender discrimination in sports industry. He
notes that sport has several social problems that revolves around gender issue. In America, sport
was incorporated in school program officially in the mid-1800s. This was aimed at offering equal
opportunities for girls and boys. Nevertheless, the girl child is still discriminated on the basis of
being the weaker gender and unable to withstand a lot of pressure or vigorous activity. He noted
that socio-cultural issues significantly promote gender inequality in sports (Senne, 2016). For
instance, the societal norms and attitudes believe that the physiological status of girls and women
does not allow them to participate in vigorous activities. It is thought that if they do so, they will
affect their reproductive system hence reduce the chances of conceiving in future (Vishwas, 2016).
They believe that women do not have a capability to endure sports such as weightlifting and
marathons. This is a misconception that some communities still hold on. In fact, Weaving, (2017)

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 4
has shown that there is no connection between emotional, mental, and medical problems with
physical activity. Similarly, many women are taking part in marathons and weightlifting, only that
they are not given enough support. The author went on to show how gender discrimination in
sports is also prevalent in colleges. This acts as a hindrance for female athletes who want to pursue
a career in the field of sports (Buzuvis, 2015).
The author also demonstrated that women coaches and administrators are less compared to
men. This was also supported by Burton, (2015) who demonstrated discrimination of women on
the top positions such as administrators or coaches. Interestingly, even majority of ladies squads
are coached by men. Currently, about half of females’ teams especially in colleges are coached by
men while on the contrary, women coaches about 2% of males’ teams (Vishwas, 2016). This is
the same trend that is replicated in secondary school as well as in other general teams. The author
showed health benefits that are associated with sports. Physical activities prevent against possible
heart attacks, osteoporosis, back problems, and strokes while at the same time improving
cardiovascular strength and endurance. Lope et al. 2017 showed that women who exercise
regularly during their childbearing years have lower rate of getting premenopausal breast cancer.
Additionally, participating in sports increases self-esteem of girls and women as they attain a good
body size.
Therefore, to alleviate these issues that result into gender discrimination, the author
suggested several strategies that would bring change in the field of sports. These include; pushing
for gender equity policies, speaking out against gender discrimination and inequity, offering
support to girls and women sports, formation and joining women rights organization, challenging
the myths, and spreading general awareness (Vishwas, 2016). The results obtained by the author
showed women face sexual harassment and also discriminated on the basis of sports costumes.

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Key points relevant to my research topic
The article tackled important points that closely connected to my research topic. My main
aim is to identify factors that leads to gender inequality and practices that could promote gender
equality in sports. This points were well covered in the article that sheds more light on my research
topic. The questionnaire/interview that will be designed will be directed towards college students
and coaches of both gender. It will seek to find why there is still gender discrimination in sports in
this century. Also, it will find out factors that accelerate gender inequality and approaches that can
be implemented to lower the incidence of gender discrimination. The author has performed a
detailed literature review that offers deeper insights concerning my research problem. The
comparison of the study carried out by the author between women athletes and non-athletes gives
a projection of how many women participates in sports. This is an important finding that will be
of significant help when writing my project.
Article 2: Identification of gender discrimination in sports: Training of agents of change
(Nogueira et al., 2017).
The authors of this article analyzed the forms of discrimination and violence that takes
place in the field of sports. Essentially, sport is a valuable education tool that promotes social
inclusion. The authors aimed to create awareness in ensuring there is fair play, no intimidation,
and manipulation in sports. The central argument of the authors was how to reduce cases of gender
discrimination through training of agents such as coaches, referees, journalist, parents, physical
education teachers, and trainers on how to bring change in the field of sports. Just like the article
of Vishwas, (2016), the authors pointed out the perception that sport is a males’ affair and women
are too weak, gentle, and elegant to participate. The notion on the appropriate female behavior
hinders women from participating in certain sports. The authors also pointed out the fact that social

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 6
media does not concentrate much on the female sports. For instance, in 2008 Pekin Olympic
Games, only 27% of press covered women games (Nogueira et al. 2017). Media feels that majority
of the viewers’ love makes sports hence no need to cover the female sports. Well, there is truth in
this since many fans are male-oriented. This is especially true for football games and marathons
where people want to watch mean participating. Therefore, it is important for global awareness to
be created regarding gender equality in sports. Female athletes should be treated equally with men.
Currently, some programs have been incorporated in the school curriculum that is taught to the
students regarding sports and equality (Evans, 2017). Additionally, the training as extended to
other parties that play a part in promoting the gender discrimination.
Key points relevant to my research topic
This article analyzed the importance of agents of change in bringing a revolution in the
field of sports. My last objective is aimed at investigating strategies/practices that can be
implemented to enhance gender equality in sports. One of the key points in their article was
ensuring change is brought in the sports industry. It was noted that training the involved parties
such as the teachers, coaches, civil servants, students, and parents brought a significant change on
how people view sports. Similarly, incorporation of sports programs in curriculum would
significantly change the notion among the teachers and students that sports are only meant for men
(Evans, 2017).
The authors also brought forth the aspect of social issues that could result due to gender
discrimination. This may result into conflicts between the male and female gender. Naranjo et al.
2017 also highlighted that gender discrimination can result into clashes. This is because men feel
they have what it takes to participate in sports and women have less chances. The discrimination
could also result into enmity between men and women thereby affecting their relationship. This is

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specifically prevalent in high school and college students. Also, concerning factors that contribute
to gender inequality, the article highlighted social media particularly the press as the main
contributor to gender discrimination (Hardy, 2015). The fact that they show more of male sports
than females, it’s a form of discrimination by itself. Equality means not showing favoritism and
treating every group fairly.
Conclusion
From the above literature review, it was evident that gender disparity in sports is a big issue
in the sports industry. In fact, it’s a global problem that cuts across all nations of the globe.
Generally, discrimination of any form either if sports or workplace should not be tolerated.
Therefore, human rights activists should be aggressive and vocal concerning this issue of gender
inequality in sports. This is because we are creating a culture where girls are thought inferior to
the boys. As a result, men look down upon women. Women should be given equal opportunity
with men to participate in every kind of sport. Fraser description of participatory parity as a
prerequisite of gender injustice is highlighted by Knight, (2015). Masculinity has dominated the
sports industry. For instance, hockey is termed as a Canadian men sport. It is very common to hear
people talking about sports legends for football, athletics, hockey, and basketball only in relation
to men. The women also receive poor pay compared to the male counterparts. As a result, this
enabled me to identify a research problem that needed to be assessed. Even though several
researchers have looked at this issue, there still remains a lot of sensitization and awareness to be
done. Therefore, this current study aimed at determining factors contributing to gender
discrimination in the field of sports and assess the resulting social issues as a result of gender
discrimination. Additionally, it will investigate strategies/practices that can be implemented to
promote gender equality in sports.

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Interview/Questionnaire
Description of people intended to be interviewed
In order to come up with a solution to the research problem, I will conduct interviews and
administer questionnaires on 35 college students in Canada and 5 coaches. The 30 students will
include 21 females and 14 men students and 3 men and 2 female coaches. The respondents will
involve both sporty and non-sporty students. The questionnaires will be administered
anonymously whereby the respondents do not have to indicate their names for privacy and
confidentiality. The students will be interviewed as well as fill the questionnaire during their free
time to avoid interfering with their academic program. The same procedure will be repeated for
coaches. There will be no difference in questions when interviewing someone or filling the
questionnaire. It will be purely on terms and preference of the respondents. If someone chooses to
be interviewed or fill the questionnaire, well and good. The advantage with interviews, however,
is that the interviewer can be able to capture wider views of the respondents regarding the issue of
gender discrimination in sports.

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 9
Interview/Survey/Questionnaire questions for students and coaches
The interview/questionnaire aims at getting information regarding gender discrimination
in sports. Please answer with all honesty. Do not include your name and your identity shall
not be revealed. Thank you
1. What is your gender?
Male Female
2. Would you consider yourself as a sports fan? And what type?
Not a sport fan at all
Casual sport fan (follow big sports games only)
Moderate sport fan (follow sports once in a while)
Extreme sport fan (follow all sports games)
3. How often do you watch men sports?
Never
A few times per week
A few times per month
A few times per year
Multiple times per day
4. How often do you watch women sports?

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 10
Never
A few times per week
A few times per month
A few times per year
Multiple times per day
5. Do you think social media or press display gender equality in sports in terms of...?
Scale Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Sports coverage (TV, radio, magazine,
twitter, Facebook, blogs etc)
Recognition of their accomplishments
Telling stories about their families
6. What do you think could be the reason (s) for continual gender discrimination in sports (you
may choose more than one answer- tick appropriately)
Women are not aggressive enough to take their position
Title IX legislation does not work
Myth that physical activity affects women reproductive health
Failure of media to cover female sporting events
The public does not appreciate female sports

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Women not fit enough to hold administrative roles such as coaches
I don’t think there is gender discrimination currently.
Other (s) (please specify)
7. What do you think are the social issues that occur as a result of gender discrimination (you may
choose more than one answer- tick appropriately)
Hatred among the male and female groups
Conflicts between male and female gender
Low self-esteem especially for the girls and women
Loss of talents and career for girls and women
I don’t know
Other (s) (Please specify)
Interview questions for the coaches
Timeline
8. What are strategies or practices do you think can be implemented to promote gender equality in
sports (you may choose more than one answer- tick where appropriate)

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Implementation of gender equity policies by the government
Spreading awareness on need for gender equity
Publicizing gender discrimination in sports
Speaking out against gender discrimination in sports
Teaching women their rights and how to fights for their rights
Public to be encouraged to support women and girls’ sports
Other (s) (Please specify)
9. What is your general perspective concerning the issue of gender discrimination in sports?
(Please give your view)
10. Do you think gender discrimination in sports will come to an end in few years to come?
Yes No

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Action Plan/Time Line
The research project will be done specifically on weekends and in evenings. Every free time as
well will be utilized in carrying out the project.
Activity Action Time
Article search Search through google scholar and internet
for peer-reviewed articles
October, 21st
2019
Reading, reviewing, and
summarizing of the article
Reading through the articles, critique, and
understand the main argument/points
October, 23rd
2019
Formulation of research
questions
Identification of research gap from the
literature review
October, 24th
2019
Formulation of interview/
questionnaire questions
Critically thinking and writing down
interview/questionnaire questions
October, 25th
2019
Writing Part 1: Investigation
Report Preparation
Bringing together all the information
collected and making a final copy
October, 26th-
28th 2019
Submission of Part 1
assignment
Handing in the assignment October, 30th
2019
Administration of
questionnaire and conducting
interviews
Having one-on-one interview with the
participants and distributing questionnaires
November, 7th
& 8th 2019
Examination and analyzing
of responses
Going through the responses and making
connections with peer-reviewed articles
November,
11th-13th 2019
Preparation and writing of
final report. Part II
Putting ideas together, incorporating
interview responses and making the final
report
November
15th- 27th 2019
Submission of final report Handing in of the final report to the tutor November, 28th
2019

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References
Burton, L. J. (2015). Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review of research.
Sport management review, 18(2), 155-165.
Buzuvis, E. (2015). Barriers to leadership for women in college athletics.
Eitzen, D. S. (2016). Fair and foul: Beyond the myths and paradoxes of sport. Rowman &
Littlefield.
Evans, J. (2017). Equality, education, and physical education. Routledge.
Fuller, L. K. (2016). A Brief History of Women and the Olympic Games. In Female Olympians
(pp. 25-58). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Hardy, E. (2015). The female ‘apologetic’behaviour within Canadian women's rugby: athlete
perceptions and media influences. Sport in Society, 18(2), 155-167.
Knight, A. (2015). Democratizing disability: achieving inclusion (without assimilation) through
“participatory parity”. Hypatia, 30(1), 97-114.
Lope, V., Martín, M., Castelló, A., Casla, S., Ruiz, A., Baena-Cañada, J. M., ... & Ramos, M.
(2017). Physical activity and breast cancer risk by pathological subtype. Gynecologic
oncology, 144(3), 577-585.
Naranjo, M., Luque, J., de la Mata, J., Torres, A., Redondo, J. and Paul, J. (2017b).
Intervention procedure and protocol to reduce the number of incidents in boys and
girls football matches between the ages of 14 and 16 years old. En Proceedings
ISSP 14th World Congress Sport Psyclogy, Sevilla (477-478). Madrid: Dykinson
Nogueira, A., Molinero, O., Salguero, A., Lucidi, F., & Márquez, S. (2018). Identification of
gender discrimination in sports: Training of agents of change. Revista de psicología del
deporte, 27(3), 0043-49.

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS 15
Senne, J. A. (2016). Examination of gender equity and female participation in sport. The Sport
Journal, 19, 1-9.
Teetzel, S., & Weaving, C. (2017). Gender Discrimination in Sport in the 21st Century: A
Commentary on Trans-Athlete Exclusion in Canada from a Socio-historical Perspective.
Sport History Review, 48(2), 185-193.
Vishwas, M. D. (2016). Gender discrimination in sports. International Journal of Physical
Education, Sports and Health, 3(3), 545-547.
Weaving, C. (2017). Breaking Down the Myth and Curse of Women Athletes: Enough is Enough,
Period. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 25(1), 43-49.