The gender disparities in athletics are also present in elementary, middle and high school sports. Young girls are not revered for their athletic accomplishments the way that young boys are, and this inequality is very discouraging to girls hoping to achieve great things athletically. Unfortunately, it is theorized that this issue stems from the way that female athletes are treated in the media.
Currently, the number of young girls playing sports has drastically increased in the last 40 years. Overall in society, we have started to make strides in debunking the idea of sports as masculine or "only for men." However, the lack of women in sports media does have a substantial effect on young girls in sport. While young boys are given thousands of professional athletes to emulate, young girls do not have the same motivation in the form of role models. Unfortunately, this means that young girls are 6 times more likely to quit sports than young boys.
Similarly, it is proven that slurs and derogatory remarks on female athletes discourage young girls from taking up sport in the first place. These insulting remarks present in sports media are sending the message to young girls that they are "straying into male territory." Although we have made steps in the right direction as far as accepting sports as a normal activity for women, there is more progress to be made and much of this stems from
Sources: Donnelly, L. (2014, July 25). Slurs on female athletes 'deter girls from taking up sport' Retrieved May 05, 2017, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/10991285/Slurs-on-female-athletes-deter-girls-from-taking-up-sport.html Editorial Cartoons: Gender Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved May 05, 2017, from http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/editorial-cartoons-gender-discrimination The Long-Term Benefits of Sports for Girls. (2010, August 11). Retrieved May 05, 2017, from http://www.nymetroparents.com/article/The-Long-Term-Benefits-of-Sports-for-Girls