As America has been at war since 2001, this country has become more familiar with the concept of women joining the armed forces. This once foreign idea has gathered a ton of support and promotion. As our soldiers are returning home, we are celebrating the women who have joined men in the ranks of becoming heroes. Women have proved themselves to be physically and emotionally fit alongside men in defending our country. God forbid they defend a football at the 50 yard line!
Yesterday, I was sitting and listening to a speaker. He was speaking to a group of middle school and high school kids, trying to get the point across of justice verses fairness. In his attempt to get his point across, he expressed that it wouldn't be fair for a housewife mother of four to be in the first draft on an elite football team. He then proceeded to joke that she had no right to even be picked first for touch football.
My inner feminist kicked in and I became outraged that he had the gull to make such a statement. After all, the housewife in question, happened to be quite athletic and in shape. On top of that, she possessed more muscle than this male speaker and could easily take him down in an arm wrestling match. So just where did he get off saying she had no right to be a first pick in a sports game? Then it dawned on me. Women are allowed to fight alongside men for the purpose of protecting what they love, but they still can't participate in all of what they love: such as professional football. It is true that the sport is physically taxing, but from where did this idea that woman can't play football originate?
In American society, children are raised so that little girls play with dolls and dress up while boys play with trucks, blocks, and wrestle. As they age, the girls and boys are expected to stick to these regimes. So essentially, our parents all take part in sculpting our "gendered activities" simply through which toys they place in our rooms as we are children. Society's concept that people must adhere to these early-developed approved activities is what keeps anyone from wondering why females cannot engage in "male activities" and males can't engage in "female activities." Early on, it is engraved in our minds that men shouldn't like to cook or clean and woman can't excel in touch football. It is ideas and educations such as these that led the speaker to feel able to make such a shallow comment. Furthermore, by him making this comment, he was planting ideas into the thoughts of his young audience, further sculpting the boundaries in which society has placed us in. How would he have reacted if someone posed to him the question, "Why is it that women can defend our country alongside men, but you don't think they can run with a ball?"
Wow! Where do I start, when the gentleman commented on the women being picked first to be on the football team it was clear that his image of women was social constructed. Growing up the man probably was taught a women’s gender role did not consist of a football player or athlete. Also during the social construction process he probably has never experienced or seen a women play football, so therefore he deemed the action as wrong. Another issue he had with seeing a woman play sports is the fact it hurt his male ego. He most certainly did not like the fact that a woman was picked before a male in a sport that is male driven. Nonetheless it is up to the gentleman in the stands to understand and accept that gender roles are merging and by commenting on a women’s ability to play football is offensive.
ReplyDeleteI love that you said a women is more socially accepted to PROTECT what she loves in a violent way (war), but not participate in what she loves when it is violent (football). I think this not only stems from the idea of the "motherly instinct" and that women need to be selfless, but also instills the idea even further.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think it's inappropriate that a speaker would make such a comment when talking with students, especially younger students that are at critical stages in shaping themselves. People who are putting themselves in situations where they will be influencing youth should definitely be more accepting and educated about gender equality and, honestly, at least respect equality of all kinds.
Your conversation reminds of the phrase: You can't see what you don't understand. This man has no perception of the possibility of something he has never seen -- as well as his and society's tendencey to keep women in boxes.
ReplyDeleteEach one of you made some excellent points in your deconstruction of this incident.
Brianna, my feminist side would have kicked in hard as well.