Women in India have been making a mark in various sports disciplines, but their journey to recognition has been not just long but also arduous. They faced many gender-related challenges and an unconcerned administration
While the history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic times, women’s participation in this field has been visible only since the 20th century. While many sports personalities of the likes of Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza have brought laurels to this country, it has not been a smooth sail for them. Their road to success had been marked with many setbacks, challenges and disappointments.
Of course, greater participation represents greater freedom and more opportunities for women, but notions of masculinity and femininity prevent women to take certain sports disciplines as a career option. It’s not only the viewers, but also the administrators who have not been able to accept the very idea of women ushering in an area that has been a male prerogative.
A lot of it has to do with changing mindset of the people who still believe that outdoor sports like cricket, hockey, football etc, are a man’s arena. In fact, this attitude begins very early at school where we have a boys’ cricket team, but not have a girls’ cricket team.
Women are perceived to be physically weak for sports like weightlifting, cycling, swimming, boxing etc. It is also argued that sports is harmful for women’s health, particularly for their reproductive health.
Traditionally, women do not receive encouragement to take up sports as a career option. The only sport where a spectator, regardless of the gender, is as likely to watch women play as he would men, is tennis and badminton. Do men watch a women’s T20 series with the same enthusiasm as that of a men’s T20 seriesIJ
Think about cricket and images of Sachin Tendulkar hitting a century or Yuvraj Singh doing six sixes in six balls will pour into our minds. Think of women’s cricket and it will draw a tabula rasa. This, despite the fact that Indian women have made some major accomplishments in the field.
Not many know about Mithali Raj who scripted history by becoming the second woman cricketer in the world to score 5,000 runs in one-day international cricket. Amongst the most recent ones, even as the men’s cricket team struggled hard to win the third one-day international against Australia and yet failed, the women cricket team scripted history by winning the maiden T20 series against Australia.
After a long span of 36 years, the Indian women’s hockey team qualified for Rio Olympics that is to take place this year. It’s saddening that, while Indian sportswomen have notched up some of the most remarkable achievements, they have been overlooked.
Talking about cricket, the Women’s Cricket Association of India was merged with the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2006, with the hope that it would bring in a breath of fresh air for women’s cricket. People were hopeful that women’s cricket would now be taken seriously and get the much-needed funding. However, even the BCCI has given step-motherly treatment to the Indian women cricketers.
Not only do women in sports remain poorly funded, but they also receives less recognition. Female sportswomen get fewer athletic opportunities than men. While on the one hand, men’s representation in sports events is more than their female counterparts, the perks that the former receive are considerably higher than what women get.
And this not all. There exist differences between the performance of a male and a female athlete. One cannot forget about Indian sprinter Dutee Chand who got involved in a gender controversy when she was accused of violating hyperandrogenism rules (she came clean). Santhi Soundarajan, a track and field athlete, was stripped of her medal at the 2006 South Asian Games over a failed sex verification. Asian Games Gold medallist Pinki Pramanik too faced humiliation on assumptions about her gender. There can be numerous examples like these to prove that women athletes have gone through tough times to gain the recognition they deserve.
Why is it so difficult for us to provide equal opportunities to themIJ The US enactment of Title IX has been a great success as it calls for equal opportunities for women to participate in sport. Female athletes receive athletic scholarships, equal treatment, tutoring, publicity and promotions, and recruitment.
Indian women are known to have taken administrative and managerial positions. Many have even taken up employment opportunities in areas of sport, including that of coaches, managers and sports journalists. These achievements were had in the face of many barriers based on gender discrimination.
On the lines ofTitle IX, the Government must provide for a level-playing field for women. It must take initiatives to not just encourage women to take to sports seriously, but also provide sufficient funds and infrastructural facilities.
More and more tournaments must be conducted at the district and State levels. Regular telecasts and updates on women’s achievements should be made to help them get greater recognition.