Enduring the gender bias

Every day, women constantly face the issue of being relegated to downgraded playing conditions. 

Ava Gaboury, a sophomore on the girls varsity soccer team, describes an inequality she has experienced.

“In my club, we always have the tiniest corner of the field while the boys teams have the rest of it. I see that, and I wonder, ‘Do we matter to them?'” Gaboury said.

Women are also presented with lower-quality jerseys and equipment. According to a report conducted on gender equity issues in the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, it was discovered that they spent $35 million more on the men’s tournament than they did on the women’s. 

Not only are jerseys lower quality, but they are also seen as more skimpy to “please the eye.”

Chelsea Hayes, a professional beach volleyball player, spoke about an imbalance she encountered in her career.  

“In women’s sports apparel, I feel that it is a little sexier,” Hayes said. “To put it simply, sex sells. But for men, they wear more conservative and athletic clothes.” 

Before the recent change in 2012, women beach volleyball players in the Olympics were required to wear a bikini. The head broadcaster of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics said that things would be different this year. They would not publicize sexualized images of female athletes and instead focus on “sports appeal, not sex appeal.”