Fifty years ago women were not allowed to run in a marathon. That changed in 1967 when at just 20 years of age Katherine Switzer registered to run in the Boston Marathon. She registered as “K.V. Switzer”, a gender-neutral name with no intention of misleading officials. As the first woman registered to run in the race Switzer showed up at the start line wearing lipstick and eyeliner. During the race, officials attempted to pull her off the course. She said to herself ‘no, no, if I quit, everybody’s going to believe women can’t do this’. She crossed the finish line in 4 hours and 20 minutes.
Switzer later competed in the women’s marathon when it was added to the Olympics in 1984 — almost 90 years after the men’s event. She returned to the Boston Marathon in 1968 and competed for the next eight years, recording her best time of 2:51 in 1975, smashing her first run-time by an hour and a half!
Why is this significant you may be asking?
Well, let me give you an insight into the work we are doing in PDHPE and English this term.
With a leading title ‘Football is for Girls’, we are taking students on a journey which will unravel the age-old belief that sport is only for males. We take a close look at gender stereotypes and how the view of women as the ‘homemaker’ is becoming a thing of the past. We will look at gender inequalities in sport, such as pay and lower funding. We will also challenge the notion that females can only be successful in sport if they are skinny and retain their femininity or take on a more masculine role and physique.
Despite a greater acceptance of females in sport it still has a much lower profile than male sport.
It was however interesting to note that this year’s recent London Marathon runner Mary Keitany of Kenya won the women’s by finishing in an incredible time of 2:17:01. This is almost half the time it took Switzer to complete her first marathon and interestingly only 12 minutes behind Wanjiru, the winner of the men’s race who crossed the line in 2:05:48.
One of the most interesting and exciting stats I found from this marathon was the prize money which was awarded to the runners finishing in the top places. Both the men and women’s elite races claimed $55,000 each and the second place runners $30,000. Third place was awarded with $22,500 and fourth $15,000.
$25,000 was also awarded to Keitany for winning the race and beating the record time (previously 2:17:42 for the women).
So, it seems to me that the gap is physically closing between female and male athletes and I believe it will continue to narrow. In some sports there is greater equality, as this year’s London Marathon recognised that male and female sport requires a positive, inclusive environment in which there is equality. The question is, will there ever truly be gender equality in sport where females will earn the same as males, get the same coverage as males and see gender stereotypes banished? This is the question which Stage 5 students will address in their assessment.
It is also awesome to see everyday that CCSC are supporting both our male and female athletes by providing a program which allows greater opportunity and for all to engage in their chosen sports to become the best they can be at being themselves, in an environment which fosters personal growth.
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