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Peggy Gallant ProfessorHuman Kinetics St. Francis Xavier University
Coach experience - men and women, boys and girls, university, community, high school - soccer, volleyball and basketball
Sport , a sex segregated institution, based on biological
and physical differences.
Girls are deemed less talented, less coordinated, less skilled, less motivated, and less successful at sports than boys. At best, girls are thought to need special rules and remedial instruction; at worst , they are humiliated, discriminated against, or ignored.(TUCKER CENTRE, 2007) The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport (2007). Executive Summary. The 2007 Tucker
Center Research Report, Developing physically active girls: An evidence-based multidisciplinary approach. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
The Physiological and Metabolic Dimension
The Psychological Dimension
The Sociological Dimension
Some women and girls excel at sport and physical activity despite a variety of complex barriersaffecting their participation and performance. A combination of factors allow them to cope withand overcome the barriers.(CAAWS, 2009)
Sex Differences in Sport and Exercise
For decades, culture, athletic governing bodies, and PE curricula perpetuated the myth that girls and women should not compete in sport
Last 30 to 40 years, girls and women have achieved great athletic feats Sex differences in performance still
exist Separating biological versus other
factors
Sex Differences
Body size and composition
Physiological responses/adaptations to acute exercise
Sport performance
Other
The Bicycle The invention of
the bicycle revolutionized women in sport by changing women’s clothing.
The dress code remained one of the greatest obstacles to women's leisure until at least the 1930s.
UNIFORMS
Men and Uniforms
Sport Performance
Men outperform women by all objective standards of competition Most noticeable in upper-body events Gap narrowing
Women’s performance drastically improved over last 30 to 40 years Leveling off now Due to harder training
Strength
Muscle strength differs between sexes Upper body: women 40 to 60% weaker Lower body: women 25 to 30% weaker Due to total muscle mass difference,
not difference in innate muscle mechanisms
No sex strength disparity when expressed per unit of muscle cross-sectional area
For given body weight, trained men have more FFM than trained women
Q Angle
Q Angle Cont… Normal male = 13 degrees Normal female = 18 degrees Increase in female Q Angle is
due to a wider pelvis Creates alignment problems
with the knees causing females to:-experience excessive wear on the knees -have the quadriceps pull on the patella-experience pronation and flattening of the feet-have an increase in ACL injuries-experience the affects throughout the body
Body Size and Composition
Distinct female fat deposition pattern
Rapid storage on hips and thighs due to lipoprotein lipase activity
MusculoskeletalAnkle sprains
Flat feetTibia vara
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis
Forearm fracture
34
Health Outcomes
Ebbeling et al. Lancet 2002;360;473-82
NeurologicalPseudotumour cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)CardiovascularHypertensionDyslipidemiaCoagulopathyChronic inflammationEndothelial dysfunction
EndocrineInsulin ResistanceImpaired fasting glucose or glucose intoleranceType 2 diabetesPrecocious pubertyMenstrual irregularitiesPolycystic ovary syndrome (females)
PsychosocialEating disordersPoor self-esteem
Body image disorderSocial isolation and
stigmatizationDepressionPulmonary
Exercise intoleranceObstructive sleep apnea
Asthma
GastrointestionalGallstones
Gastro-oesophageal refluxNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease
RenalGlomerulosclerosis
of Obesity
•Powerful women
•Unfeminine freaks
•New women
•Gender Benders
•Freaks of Nature
Menstruation
No reliable data indicate altered athletic performance across menstrual phases
No physiological differences in exercise responses across menstrual phases
World records set by women during every menstrual phase
Female Athlete Triad
Syndrome of interrelated conditions Energy deficit secondary amenorrhea
low bone mass Disordered eating may (not) be involved
Three disorders can occur alone or in combination, must be addressed early
Treatment: caloric intake, activity (in some cases)
Eating Disorders
Anorexia nervosa Refusal to maintain minimal normal
weight Distorted body image, fear of fatness Amenorrhea
Bulimia nervosa Recurrent binge eating Lack of control during binges Purging behaviors (vomiting, laxatives,
diuretics)
Eating Disorders
Young women at highest risk
Eating disorder versus disordered eating
Worse in certain sports Appearance sports: diving, figure skating, ballet Endurance sports: distance running, swimming Weight-class sports: jockeys, boxing, wrestling Perfectionists, competitive, under tight control
Self-reporting underestimates prevalence
Impact of the Mass Media
Magazine, T.V., & other mass media strategies alter behaviors & influence the body-images of women
These strategies encourage an “obsession” with health & fitness
Belief that one’s size is inadequate
Belief that one’s size is inadequate
Environmental Factors
Heat stress issues Women: sweat production No sex differences in thermal tolerance
Cold stress issues Women: better insulated ( subcutaneous fat) Men: better shivering thermogenesis ( FFM)
Altitude stress issues VO2max decreases No sex differences in altitude tolerance
Sexualization of sport
Female Athletic Calendars
Official Home of the Dallas Stars Ice Girls. (2013). Ice Girls. NHL.Com Network. http://stars.nhl.com/club/microhome.htm?location=/icegirls (retrieved,
April 2013)
Women Athletes in Magazines
No matter the reason, a female athlete's willingness to flaunt her beauty is a marketer's dream. After all, sports -- including women's sports -- are an industry run by and geared toward men. "The vast majority of the audience for sports is male," says Neal Pilson, the former president of CBS Sports…
Katarina Witt
Danica Patrick
Questions?
Recommendations for Best Practices, Programs, and Approaches
