Mentor/s
Suzanne Marmo-Roman LaTina Steele
Participation Type
Paper Talk
Abstract
Women have a long history of gender inequality in long-distance running marked by myths and gender stereotypes. In the mid-20th century, it was believed that anything over an 800m run was dangerous and defeminizing for a woman to compete in.3 There was a myth that if a woman ran a long-distance race her uterus would fall out and she would grow hair on her back.3 In 1967 Katherine Switzer disproved this myth by completing the Boston marathon.4 Trailblazers like Switzer along with the second-wave feminist movement began to shift the culture around gender discrimination in sports. In 1972, the passage of Title IX was a monumental legislative change that outlawed discrimination based on sex in federally funded programs.1,2 However, there are still lingering effects of long-term gender discrimination today. In 2019, Mary Cain sounded the alarm in the running community. In a New York Times video op-ed Cain exposed the abusive coaching style of Alberto Salazar of the Nike Oregon Project.5 Under an all-male coaching staff, Cain was told to reach an impossibly low weight goal.5 Cain's recount of the physical and emotional abuse at Nike, reveals a bigger issue within the running community. Male coaches are uneducated about female bodies. This dangerous subculture is reflective of the deep-rooted gender discrimination in long-distance running. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the long-term consequences of gender discrimination in long-distance running and provide solutions to improve the culture.
College and Major available
Exercise Science BS
Location
Session F: West Campus West Building W223I
Start Day/Time
4-29-2022 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-29-2022 1:00 PM
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Creative
PowerPoint Slides
The History of Gender Discrimination in Women’s Distance Running: Long-term Consequences and Solutions
Session F: West Campus West Building W223I
Women have a long history of gender inequality in long-distance running marked by myths and gender stereotypes. In the mid-20th century, it was believed that anything over an 800m run was dangerous and defeminizing for a woman to compete in.3 There was a myth that if a woman ran a long-distance race her uterus would fall out and she would grow hair on her back.3 In 1967 Katherine Switzer disproved this myth by completing the Boston marathon.4 Trailblazers like Switzer along with the second-wave feminist movement began to shift the culture around gender discrimination in sports. In 1972, the passage of Title IX was a monumental legislative change that outlawed discrimination based on sex in federally funded programs.1,2 However, there are still lingering effects of long-term gender discrimination today. In 2019, Mary Cain sounded the alarm in the running community. In a New York Times video op-ed Cain exposed the abusive coaching style of Alberto Salazar of the Nike Oregon Project.5 Under an all-male coaching staff, Cain was told to reach an impossibly low weight goal.5 Cain's recount of the physical and emotional abuse at Nike, reveals a bigger issue within the running community. Male coaches are uneducated about female bodies. This dangerous subculture is reflective of the deep-rooted gender discrimination in long-distance running. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the long-term consequences of gender discrimination in long-distance running and provide solutions to improve the culture.
Students' Information
Courtney Blount- Exercise Science, Honors, 2022