It’s Still a Man’s World
Women athletes strive for equality, but can’t break the sex barrier

A new book by USC professor of sociology and gender studies Michael Messner says that forms of exclusion still exist for women athletes 30 years after the passage of Title IX. It’s been 30 years since the federal civil-rights legislation Title IX passed, but many women athletes continue to grapple with how little things have changed. While more women and girls are participating in sports, forms of exclusion still exist, Messner points out in his book “Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports” (University of Minnesota Press).

In the book, Messner looks at a variety of challenges in the sports community, including gender inequities, men’s violence, financial interests and the cultural imagery in televised sports. He also explores the current paradoxes in sports by looking at how females and males are treated on fields ranging from Little League to professional sports.

Although Title IX was created to expand opportunities for high-school and college female athletes in the name of sex equity, the world of sport largely retains its longtime conservative role of favoring male athletes, says Messner, chair of the sociology department in USC College.

Everyone has tacitly agreed, it seems, to view men’s sports as the standard to which women should strive to have equal access. Missing from the debate is any recognition that men’s sports have become sources of major problems on campuses: academic cheating, sexual violence, alcohol abuse, steroid use, serious injuries and other health issues, to name just a few, he says.

To the extent that women’s sports advocates are successful in pressing for equal opportunities for women, the traditionally masculine sport culture will change in significant ways. In a more equitable system, women will enjoy a greater share of opportunities, and resources; salaries and corporate-endorsement contracts of high-profile female athletes and coaches will be closer to those of their male counterparts; and we will see a more diverse imagery of female athletes in popular culture. Legal tools like Title IX are still essential in moving toward fairness and equity, he adds.

Messner believes we should encourage the most widespread and equitable system of athletics opportunities for all children and young adults. He says that equality helps both boys and girls. “Boys are growing up in a world where they will have women co-workers and bosses,” he says. “They need, as boys, to experience girls and women as physically capable, strong and assertive. When they see women play sports, and especially when they play alongside girls on their athletic teams, boys experience girls in a way that will foster a wider and deeper respect for women.”