This generation is lucky enough to not have grown up in the 50s. Stereotypes have evolved. Women are no longer only valued for their domestic qualities, and hold positions of power in the workplace more than ever before. However, sexism is still an issue that continues to affect women all over the world. Recently one of my friends, and teammates, experienced sexism in the classroom.
Sociology and Sports is a class filled with student athletes, as you might imagine. Class began with a rhetorical question meant to facilitate a deeper thought process for the students. The question: “Why aren’t there more females as head coaches?”
An older man, auditing the class, raised his hand with a response, “Females are stupid.” The professor, and the entire class, was shocked into silence. After a few moments the professor asked the older student why he felt that way. There was no effort to explain or justify the answer. He replied, “Just ‘cause.” My friend was shaken.
Being a student athlete is tough work. Balancing school with practice and competitions and often times a part-time job takes a certain level of mastery. However, add being a female to that list and it becomes twice as difficult. In sports today, female athletes are the face of empowerment for women; yet they are still viewed as weak and not as competitive as men. We need to change that.
Being a female athlete has taught me so many things about being a strong, capable woman. The past three years at Marquette, my coaches, who are all women, have mentored me and been driving forces in the decisions I’ve made. For someone to say that they are stupid, especially in a class environment, is absolutely not okay.
The professor’s admittedly belated response was awesome, though. He sincerely apologized for the student’s comments and for his lack of immediate response. He was shocked and the comment made it difficult to elicit a correct comeback to counteract the sting from the student.
But that comment was still made, and it may not have upset everyone else in the class as much as it did my teammate. That is the real issue. The class, containing 35 students, is made up of mostly male athletes. Of the 35, only four are female.
The bottom line is attitudes such as this undermine the hard work and dedication that female athletes and coaches put forth day in and day out. We are consistently underappreciated and viewed as less valuable. In today’s day and age, sexist attitudes are unacceptable. Being a woman should not change the playing field.