The athletic differences between male and female athletes are driven by physical characteristics, which are determined by hormones and genetics. Such parameters may include aerobic capacity, weight, height, body fat and muscle mass. Women, generally, cannot swim, run or jump as much as men can. Due to certain factors, female athletes are more fragile to injuries. The difference between male and female athletes is an ever-increasing debate and always revolves around some specific parameters.
Market Force And Equality
Despite the fact that female athletes have been successful in earning a place in the world of sports during the past few years, they are seldom treated equally by team owners and fans. For example, there is a huge pay gap between NBA and WNBA athletes. From the outset, it might seem that the NBA players tend to promote female athletes, they are never in favor of the idea that WNBA players may be paid same as they are. Moreover, equality’s pursuit has also demanded that the WNBA players should use the same ball size as NBA players and should have the same three-point line. Sometimes, at the college level, these differences had grown so bad that the Justice Department and the Department of Education had to intervene. It was because of a haunting number of complaints and investigations, specifically during the Obama administration.
Estrogen And Testosterone
Women’s bodies naturally have greater levels of estrogen, which causes them to have a higher proportion of body fat. Female top marathon runners are thought to be the leanest athletes, and they have 8% body fat. This level is 4% for male athletes of a similar category. Also, a female body is less muscular. In contrast, the female body’s joints are more flexible than men’s, giving them the added advantage of greater motion range. The alignment and movement of extremities benefit from the wider pelvis of a female body.
Testosterone, on the other hand, enables men to grow larger muscles and bigger hearts, as compared to women, and it gives men an advantage in many ways. A male body contains a greater proportion of Type 2 muscles, which is a source of generating power, speed and strength. Testosterone also plays a vital role in the rapid production of red blood cells, which absorb oxygen and give men an advantage in aerobics.
Injuries
Women, naturally, have delicate bodies and thus are more fragile to injuries than men. The areas of the shoulders and knees are especially prone to athletic injuries. Women have weaker shoulder muscles, and their supporting tissues are looser, which signifies joints in a female body are less stable than those of males. Due to these factors, women are more sensitive to having ligament injuries. Therefore, women often need extra training and exercises to strengthen the supporting muscles and safeguard against such injuries. It consumes a lot of energy, which could otherwise be utilized in mainstream sports.
Sports Records
A glance at the Olympic competition’s records reveals that the gender gap has stayed at the same level since 1983. For all the events, the mean difference between men and women has been 10%. For running events, the mean gap is 10.7%. For swimming events, the mean gap is 8.9%, and for jumping, it has been 17.5%. The improvement in performance has been proportional for both genders. Despite all the statistics, a well-trained and fit female athlete can outperform her male counterpart if he is not equally prepared. In other events where mental concentration is more important, like shooting and archery, women can compete at par with men.
Conclusion
There are basic differences between the male and female bodies, which are characterized by physical characteristics like muscle mass, strength, level of estrogen, levels of testosterone, and sizes of muscles. Also, there are inequalities in the market behaviour towards female athletes. The statistics also show a consistent level of performance difference. Despite all these factors, well-trained female athletes can outperform their male counterparts, especially in events where mental concentration is more needed.
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