Background

Late 1800s

In the late 1800s, women were generally not able to participate in sports due to their societal role, which was deemed appropriate for females at the time. However, during this time, women’s colleges worked ferociously to give women the opportunity to compete in any sport they wished.  

One of the first well-known instances of women being able to compete at a high level in sports was at Wimbledon for tennis. However, even though women were able to compete, women of color were not permitted to compete until 1951. 

Early 1900s

From the early 1900s to the 1930s, women’s athletic clubs gained attraction and popularity, allowing women to express themselves through sports for the first time. However, there were people and even organizations who discouraged women from participating in sports and openly criticized women in sports, claiming that a woman’s only role is a housewife. 

1940s

During World War II, in attempts to keep sports alive while men were overseas, there was an increase in female sport participation and leagues such as the All-American GIrls Professional  Baseball League were formed. 

1960s

Many colleges and universities began offering women’s sports, but women’s sports leagues were still constantly underestimated and underappreciated. 

1970s to Present

The creation and passing of Title IX created more opportunities for women to have equal roles in sports and protected programs aimed ot give women the opportunity to further evolve these leagues and expand opportunities for females. (American Public University)

Title IX

Title IX is aimed at preventing gender discrimination in educational environments. This is applicable to women’s sports because with this law, any sports team that is involved in a school system of any type is required to follow and meet certain parameters in order to eradicate gender discrimination in schools. Some of they key aspects of Title IX are the prohibition of sex discrimination, addressing sexual harassment and assault, creating equal opportunities for all students, the allowance of individual reporting for students, and no requirements for filing a police report. (U.S. Department of Education)

Olympics Recent Decision

Recently, the Olympics and Paralympic Committee made a change to their transgender rules. New York Times states, “The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee quietly changed its eligibility rules on Monday to bar transgender women from competing in Olympic women’s sports” This decision was likely inspired by President Trump’s executive order with the same rule for the Untied States. 

Maintaining Protection for Women’s Sports

This decision to bar transgender women from competing alongside biological women allows for women sports to be protected and keep the integrity surrounding the significant accomplishments that have been fought for over the past century. When biological men compete against biological women, there is a clear advantage due to genetics, which is unfair when they surpass women who have worked for years just to be able to have a platform to compete on.