This article is excerpted from a speech by co-founder of Women's Sports Foundation. Sports is a vital part of our socialization process. The level and quality of participation contributes to such diverse issues as girls' mathematical ability, sense of isolation, and self-esteem. (IAH)

The Victorian concept that women would sacrifice their femininity by participating in vigorous sports has to some extent been ameliorated, but vestiges of the bias remain today. This attitude was not based on hostility toward women but on overprotectiveness and concern for imagined dangers for the health of women, whose prime function in society…

While contemporary society struggles with redefining the role of women, college women in sports are learning the same social lesson from sports that men have learned for years (aggressiveness, cooperation, and the ability to take both physical and emotional hardship and recover). (MLW)

The purpose of this study was to assemble a profile of the status of women in four countries, including their accomplishments in international sports events. The status of women within a country must be defined and understood before equivalence in sport opportunities for males and females can be comprehended. The first hypothesis was that a lack…

Sport values follow societal values, and, in American society, it is evident that men have determined the social, political, and economic values upon which this country has established its laws. An overview of the social influence of men in comparison to that of women in the development of American society points out how men and women have assumed…

Addresses psychological issues of elite female athletes preparing for Olympic competition. Perpetual social and gender role issues make women more receptive to psychological services. As women enter their final preparations for the Olympic Games, sport psychology is held to be of critical importance to help them with performance enhancement and…

The implementation of Title IX legislation has created opportunities for leadership positions in girls' and women's athletics. Administrative positions have been created for women to provide specific direction to new programs. Many women placed in leadership positions have had little previous administrative experience. (JN)

Sex role stereotyping in physical education is viewed in historical perspective. Though Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was intended to provide equal opportunities for males and females to develop skills in a full range of activities, its implementation has not eradicated the underlying sex stereotypes. (JN)

This paper examines the development of women's sports during the first three decades of the 20th century and compares it with the development of the women's movement during the same period. In so doing, the paper focuses on the views of female physical educators and female athletes and on their participation in sport. These views and the…

This paper reviews the literature on women's baseball prior to the establishment of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by P. K. Wrigley in 1943. Around the turn of the century, women had fewer opportunities for participation in sports and long standing stereotypes permeated the thoughts and ideals of society with respect to women…