The treatment of girls and women in sport is shaped by the idea that they are “less than” as athletes and as leaders, and thus the disparity in opportunity and social rewards is justified. Across the readings from this unit, you read and saw all the ways that girls and women are affected by the “less than” logic, such as (a) being sexualized, (b) being paid less because being “less than” detracts from their perceived athleticism or leadership capacity, or (c) being criticized, excluded, or fired for being too feminine or not feminine enough.
The Shaw and Frisby (2006) reading presented three frames of gender equity that have produced little long-term success in improving women’s opportunity and treatment in sport. The premise of the frames is the “othering” of girls and women in sport contexts, which requires that they must be granted support to assimilate into how existing structures are organized (power). Frame one holds that a woman can be prepared to fit in if she more closely resembles leadership stereotypes in sports (i.e., white male). Frame two holds that women’s femininity should be appreciated (as though there is one category of femininity and that traits strictly align within it). Frame three proposes that simply opening up spaces for girls and women to enter sport will rectify gender inequity.

Hints and Suggestions for Answering Prompt 1
You will introduce your review of Shaw and Frisby (2006) with an explanation of the “less than” logic, so consider the first bullet your introduction, which will be shorter than your response to the second bullet. In your introduction, you do not need to spend time writing on the reproduction of masculinity and femininity in greater society (as we have established in previous essays that sport is a microcosm of society); in other words, your explanation of the “less than” logic should be only around how it operates in sport.
Include in your response:

• An explanation of how the “less than” logic affects access and opportunity for girls and women in sport as athletes and as leaders; a segment of your explanation should include trends in media coverage. (Approx. 300 words)
• Based on what you read in Shaw and Frisby (2006) on the first three frames of gender equity (i.e., fix the women, value the feminine, and create equal opportunity), summarize each frame and explain why those strategies for gender equity haven’t been successful in improving the treatment of girls and women in sport. Consider using the lens presented in the fourth frame (i.e., post-structural feminism – disrupt the discourse) to support your position on the constraints on structural change. (Approx. 600 words)
Answer the following prompt:
Explain how orthodox conceptions of masculinity and femininity (as binary) produce and reproduce the idea that girls and women are “less than” as athletes and as leaders in sport.