Who is a Sportswoman?

Context Essay

Women are unfairly treated, through subjection to intrusive gender tests and forced hormone treatments. Semenya for instance, her performance in the 800 meters race win was questioned and was subjected to compulsory gender test and intrusive hormone treatments so as to be allowed to continue participating. Despite some women naturally not having two X chromosomes, some like María José Martínez-Patiño have been disqualified for failing to have two X chromosomes. Culturally, it is perceived that excess testosterone influences an individual’s womanhood thus women subjecting women with too much testosterone to take medication to minimize these testosterones.

Male athletes are given added advantage over female athletes. Pistorius, a male athlete with malformed leg bones was given permission to participate in Olympics by CAS while Semenya was denied such dispensation. Every elite athlete has unique sort of biological and genetic variations that differentiate them form other normal people. Biological variations that constitute benefits to various skills are consciously ignored and then proceed to penalize women for having excess testosterone.

Currently, the motive of the femininity tests undertaken on women athletes participating in Olympic Games is intended to ensure that all female athletes are competing in fair conditions.  However, hyperandrogenism policy has been established to ascertain fairness and integrity for all females in female Olympics. Even though IOC has quit using the term femininity in its laws, the unfairness and discrimination against women have not change for over 40 years. IAAF insists that women should appear like women. Women who fail to meet the femininity standards, such as Serena Williams have high probability of becoming targets for the media, other athletes, athletic federation managers and also doctors. Sports especially Olympics has become a podium for gender performance. Women are required to their body to some required standards so as to participate as a woman.