GENDER INEQUITY IN SPORT
1. PRESENT YOUR ARTEFACT (about 100 words)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=RTsqFxA7EgM
This video from The Young Turks News Network discusses Indian Athlete, Santhi Soundarajan who failed a gender test following her silver medal in the women’s 800m race at the Asian Games in Doha. The show’s host Cenk Uygur, is nonchalant in his mockery of the athlete and candidly jokes about the athletes gender saying, “Maybe the executive staff member slipped out of her shorts (laughs)”. Uygur also bluntly questions Soundarajan’s femininity with statements like, “That’s the actual woman. Oh man, that’s fascinating. She does not have the sexual characteristics of a woman (laughs),” and, “Does she have a uterus? I don’t know.”
Female reporter Jill Pike, questions the basis of the testing and criticises the news article of not providing the full facts about the failed test, with no regard for the athletes right to medical privacy. The conversations between the hosts highlight their lack of in-depth knowledge regarding gender testing policy and potential reasons as to what could cause a failed test, along with Uygur’s distasteful approach to the issue.
3. NAME THE PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE CENTRAL TO YOUR ANALYSIS (about 100 words)
**The public health issue is gender inequality of female athletes. Within the last 30 years there has been a rapid growth in women’s sport with a remarkable increase in the opportunities for female athletes to compete professionally. Despite this, coverage sport in all sections of the media is largely devoted to men (The Women’s Sports Foundation, 2004). Additionally, the inadequate media attention of female athletes do receive is often directed to their femininity rather than their athletic abilities (Fink & Kensicki, 2002). These types of representations through the media further the stereotypes for female athletes by emphasizing athletic physical appearance and sexual attractiveness which creates the feminine athletic ideal,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=RTsqFxA7EgM
This video from The Young Turks News Network discusses Indian Athlete, Santhi Soundarajan who failed a gender test following her silver medal in the women’s 800m race at the Asian Games in Doha. The show’s host Cenk Uygur, is nonchalant in his mockery of the athlete and candidly jokes about the athletes gender saying, “Maybe the executive staff member slipped out of her shorts (laughs)”. Uygur also bluntly questions Soundarajan’s femininity with statements like, “That’s the actual woman. Oh man, that’s fascinating. She does not have the sexual characteristics of a woman (laughs),” and, “Does she have a uterus? I don’t know.”
Female reporter Jill Pike, questions the basis of the testing and criticises the news article of not providing the full facts about the failed test, with no regard for the athletes right to medical privacy. The conversations between the hosts highlight their lack of in-depth knowledge regarding gender testing policy and potential reasons as to what could cause a failed test, along with Uygur’s distasteful approach to the issue.
3. NAME THE PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE CENTRAL TO YOUR ANALYSIS (about 100 words)
**The public health issue is gender inequality of female athletes. Within the last 30 years there has been a rapid growth in women’s sport with a remarkable increase in the opportunities for female athletes to compete professionally. Despite this, coverage sport in all sections of the media is largely devoted to men (The Women’s Sports Foundation, 2004). Additionally, the inadequate media attention of female athletes do receive is often directed to their femininity rather than their athletic abilities (Fink & Kensicki, 2002). These types of representations through the media further the stereotypes for female athletes by emphasizing athletic physical appearance and sexual attractiveness which creates the feminine athletic ideal,