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Viewpoints: Women continue to fight for equal access in sports
After the 2012 Summer Olympics added women's boxing for the first time, the International Amateur Boxing Association tried to attach a string – or perhaps one should say a hem – to the rules.
The AIBA wanted female boxers to wear skirts during competition. Their rationale: It would be easier to distinguish between male and female boxers. When charges of sexism broke out, the AIBA withdrew its silly recommendation.
On the bright side, the issue of mandating gender-specific clothing for a sport is small potatoes compared with the enormous challenges women and girls historically faced – and still face – in gaining equal access to athletic opportunities.
The AIBA wanted female boxers to wear skirts during competition. Their rationale: It would be easier to distinguish between male and female boxers. When charges of sexism broke out, the AIBA withdrew its silly recommendation.
On the bright side, the issue of mandating gender-specific clothing for a sport is small potatoes compared with the enormous challenges women and girls historically faced – and still face – in gaining equal access to athletic opportunities.
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