Micro Activity #3 Shania Marius

As a member of a male dominant boxing gym I find that there are certain stereotypes that still float around even in the most lax world we’ve ever lived in. Out of the 35-40 people I see coming in and out of the gym to train daily there are only three females myself included. The stereotypes I hear floating around sometimes jokingly from other male members are “I didn’t expect to see a girl here” or “you swing hard..for a girl”. That’s a serious problem considering we should all be equally comfortable playing a sport regardless of gender. As I conducted my research online I came across the history of female boxing and out of the 149,000 people who participated only a quarter were women. In countries like Great Britain “women’s boxing has been officially sanctioned in Britain only since 1997. There were huge barriers facing women who wanted to train, never mind fight. Coulson remembers reading about the two 13-year-olds involved in Britain’s first sanctioned bout (one later withdrew from the fight due to widespread hostility). Inspired by them, she contacted her local boxing gyms, only to be turned away. “I got lots of nos,” she says. “I was told: ‘Girls don’t box’ or ‘We’ve got no changing facilities’.” (Coulson Times 14). It wasn’t until the Olympics recognized women’s boxing in 2012 and countless attempts at finding a willing trainer did Coulson find someone to teach her the sport. Many petitions were signed and suits filed to make female boxing a sport that is socially accepted. Part of the reason many people feel as though boxing shouldn’t be a female sport is because of the “dangers” but according to Peter Hamlym a neurosurgeon “The medical risks associated with women boxing aren’t any more serious than for men” and even suggested that there was scientifically little to no difference between sexes from the multiple cases he examined. This leads me to think that the problem in many boxing communities is the lack of open mindedness when it comes down to women in sports. Sports are meant to bring people together through a mutual interest while creating a sense of community and fun all on an equal playing field.