Over the years, gender equality has been a continuous issue in the United States. It has existed in business settings and has even reached the sports world. The dilemma behind gender difference is in salary; salary discrepancies is still a relevant issue. Calculated data from the United States Census Bureau presents that women still are paid a little over three-fourths of a man’s dollar. There is no doubt more modifications are needed for gender equality, but there has been some advancement throughout the years.
According to the Department of Labor, the number of women in the labor force has increased to about 75,000, a major difference from the 1970s when the numbers were in the low 50,000s. The women labor force increase is similar to the increase of women in sports, particularly high school football. Of course, in professional sports, we have seen the increase in females receiving prestigious positions within organizations for the first time in history. For instance, women like Becky Hammon, the current Spurs assistant coach or Kathryn Smith, the Buffalo Bills full-time assistant coach. It is also intriguing of the women that are playing in male dominant sports like football, the changes have been extremely evident at the varsity football high school level.
Theresa Dion was a pioneer in the female evolution in varsity football; she is the first female to participate in varsity football at the high school level. In 1972, Dion joined her varsity football team as a placekicker, a position most females play in high school football. Female participation in the sport has since then reached the 1600 mark and women are excelling in more than just kicking. Erin DiMeglio became the first female quarterback in the history of Florida High school in 2012, and the notable offensive lineman, Holley Mangold, who is the sister of NFL athlete Nick Mangold are just a couple of examples of the many women that play non-kicker positions. This phenomenon of women in high school sports started with the passing of a bill by congress and former President Richard Nixon.
This bill is Title IX, which requires that male and female athletes receive all the same benefits of athletic participation. The law requires that women be provided the same equipment, access to weight rooms, same quality coaches, and etc.
Women still face challenges because critics feel that women are a distraction or their body is not prepared to sustain the physicality of playing football. For example, a young female who went to Strong Rock Christian Academy was not allowed to try out for her school’s seventh-grade football team because the boys were starting to experience some improper thoughts about her. But these improper thoughts could exist in not only any sport but any activity as well. Does this mean genders should be separated in any activity that involves improper thoughts?
The only legitimate reasoning for women being prohibited from playing football is their anatomy. Men have the ability to generate more muscle mass than a female. According to the American Physiology Society, men’s skeletal muscles are faster and maximize their outputs way more efficient than those of a woman. Although some women are superior to some men in these categories, therefore the women should be accepted as football athletes, if they prepared physically and willing to endure the beating a football player experiences. The increasing numbers show that women are becoming more accepted and should continue at an accelerated rate especially with the massive emphasis on football safety that has been relevant as of recent.
In The Game/June 2016/Web Only
Increase in Females Playing High School Football
Written By: Aldean Starr
Photo(s) by New York Times
