By Lauren Prem
From not being allowed to go out of their homes, to going places internationally, women have truly proven their mettle!
Vinesh Phogat’s tale is the latest testimony to the quote above – as she has proven her mettle, truly! In general, the 2024 Paris Olympics, currently taking place, is also a testimony to this inspirational quote that I was forced to pen down after witnessing the participation and recognition of many other women in various sports. Even before the 2024 Olympics started, gender justice enthusiasts all over the world began terming this game as the ‘gender-equal’ Olympics due to having quotas to ensure 50% of the game spots are allotted to women. The Paris Olympics 2024 is the first Olympic game to provide 50% women reservation.
As of 2023, representation of women in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stands at 44% and the IOC has collaborated with the UN to ensure that gender equality is attained in games. This reflects in the fact that 50% of the competing athletes are women and the IOC takes pride in declaring this milestone.
The latest tale has caught Indians basking in pride after Vinesh Phogat’s victory in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has bagged a record of being the first Indian women to qualify for the Olympic finals in wrestling. When asked about her resilience, she points to her mother as her source of inspiration. Apart from sports, she has also stood up for Indian wrestlers, whose plight was ignored amidst the buzz of other prominent sports like cricket. She set an example for others by embodying the notion of ‘winning together’, as she stood up for wrestling as a sport and not just for herself! Irrespective of the latest turn of events disqualifying Vinesh Phogat, which is now a subject matter of inquiry, no one can deny how she underwent turbulent times, protesting for more than a year in Delhi, on the roads and then still coming out bright at the Olympics! Indians rejoiced at her victory and felt heart-broken at her disqualification – an indication that she has truly won hearts and emerged as a story of persistence and the never say die attitude.
Indians also take pride in the fact that Manu Bhaker, an Indian shooter, has won two medals in the same edition. Globally, boxer Cindy Ngamba, gymnast Kaylia Nemour, Olympic athlete Jessica von Bredow-Werndland shooter Francisca Crovetto Chadidhave made their respective nations proud by winning Refugee Olympic team’s first ever medal, first gold for Arabs, individual dressage gold and Chile’s first Olympic gold respectively. Swimmer Katie Ledecky has won nine Olympic gold medals and four in 2024 Olympics alone. Gymnast Simone Biles bags gold for the seventh time in Olympics.
Due to a combination of these facts, this year’s Olympics is said to mark a ‘new era’ for women in sports. Does this mean gender equality has been achieved in sports? And can the 2024 Olympics be termed ‘gender-equal’?
The goal of gender-equality has not yet been attained and all progress does not stop here! As reported by an article in the EuroNews, gender parity and gender equality are not the same. Women may be equal in number but facts and figures do not always correctly depict social situations. Considering Paris 2024 games to be ‘gender-equal’ is akin to saying that female reservations in jobs have helped reach the goal of gender-equality.
The truth, however, is that women still face significant discrimination in their workplaces and gender inequality is apparent, if we look beyond numbers. The issue of gender inequality is persistent in all domains of life that it becomes tempting to draw parallels. In most circumstances, parallels do help paint a bigger picture of the reality. Let us realistically view what this international event means for women!
The step taken by the IOC as regards boosting female participation in sports is a commendable one. But let us not stop and take pride at this juncture itself! This win would be illusionary if we continue to pretend like other issues regarding gender inequality do not exist and that gender-equality in sports has already been achieved.
The gender balance is undoubtedly shifting to reflect a positive sports environment for women. However, issues regarding gender representation are omnipresent in all walks of life and sports is no exception. A study in an article published in the Journal of Sports Media, titled “A Quarter Century of NBC’s Prime-Time Summer Olympics: A Sex-Based Analysis of the Network’s Coverage” shows that less media coverage of female athletes gives out a perception to the public that women athletics do that matter.
An ample number of studies also suggest that the media is biased in terms of reporting female wins in sports. These two biases are corollary to each other, one reinforcing the other. The lack of media coverage sends an impression that women sports do not matter and consequently, media houses refrain from reporting on women.
Spreading awareness is the panacea to these interwoven twin evils. International Organizations like the UN already emphasize and monitor hindrances in the way of women empowerment. The same must be done at the local level as well. Local governments must come up with initiatives to break free from gender stereotypes.
If these initiatives are properly implemented, the media would begin reporting women sports news in a hope that their platforms would go viral as the audience would begin to acknowledge and appreciate their efforts in promoting women athletes. The credibility of the respective media houses would also improve if they sensitize themselves on the issues plaguing women athletes.
Apart from the issue of less media coverage, a substantial number of studies online show that women also get less sponsorships as compared to men, which increases the inequality divide off-fields as well. This issue can again be traced back to the stereotype that women sports do not matter.
Reading about lingering inequalities in news has made me ponder over some instances of stereotypes regarding women and sports that I have observed in my life. Women who claim to enjoy sports are often extensively quizzed by men, so much so that, they feel embarrassed to express their interest in sports. Can’t we allow a woman express to her passion towards cricket without her knowing about what happened in 1979 cricket world cup? While this might seem unrelated to participation and equality, it clearly propagates an idea that women cannot be interested in sports.
Ultimately, all inequalities stem from stereotypes – a fixed idea that things are the way they are and cannot be changed. These stereotypes are making it harder for us to accommodate any new views and perceptions – those that portray women to be as equal and capable as men.
Since time immemorial, stereotypes that women must stay at home has been so deeply entrenched in the minds of people – women included. I personally know women from villages who seriously believe that women must stay at home and cook for their families while men are not expected to do the same. While this is not the reality anymore and women in fact have started working, these stereotypes still appear as thorns in a race track where women run.
Directly or indirectly, long-standing stereotypes have emerged as an interference to women reaching their fullest capabilities in sports. Although there is no dearth of talent, off-field discrimination such as less media coverage and sponsorships, prove to be real obstacles for women who have somehow managed to make it to international sports. Till we address these behind-the-scenes issues, we would be ignorant to claim that men and women are in fact winning together!
And Vinesh Phogat’s story is now a legendary one – a society that is quick to take the credit for the performance of women athletes, turning a blind eye when they raise issues of systemic or individual discrimination. We need to truly wake up.
To tell a tale of winning together, the starting point of the race must be the same!
