"You are doing better than I can, and you're a girl!", 11 year old boy in a climbing gym.
In class on Thursday I related a story of how my girlfriend was leading a route at Climb Time in Cincinnati. After reaching the final bolt on the lead roof she received the comment mentioned above. At the time is was both infuriating and exasperating. But now, the situation from the climbing gym seems very instructive.
It is instructive to note that a novice, out of shape, 11 year old boy could presume to be better at a sporting activity than a grown woman with years of experience. The logic behind his comment in this situation provides the backdrop for the sports participation of many women. Despite this, many women, like those pictured above, have achieved great things. This thread asks you to describe and discuss examples from your own lives as they relate to gender, expectations and sports.
5pts: describe a relevant situation from your own life; post it to the turn in survey:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHZFY3dKWHlmLWlWb3h5TFh1VzZlY1E6MQ
5pts: post your relevant situation to the discussion thread, OR otherwise contribute in a constructive manner to the conversation.
http://www.reddit.com/r/OUSociology/comments/q3pnj/gender_expectations_and_sports/
