Note
Studied by 50 people
Discrimination and Physical Activity related to LGBTQ2S+
Module 6: Discrimination + Physical Activity and LGBTQ2S+
Page 1: Introduction to Key Concepts
Objectives:
Compare and contrast stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.
Explain and recognize types of discrimination.
Understand disparities in physical activity by gender and sexual orientation in Canada.
Discuss gender logic's impact on physical activity opportunities.
Recognize challenges in providing equitable opportunities for girls and women in physical activity.
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Concepts:
Stereotypes lead to prejudice, which results in discrimination.
To recognize discrimination: look for unfair treatment or behavior.
Definitions:
Stereotype: Oversimplified assumptions about qualities of individuals based on group membership (cognitive bias).
Prejudice: Unjustified negative belief about a person based on group membership.
Types of Stereotypes
Positive Stereotypes:
Example: Beliefs that certain racial groups excel in specific sports (e.g., African Americans in basketball).
Negative Stereotypes:
Example: Belief that females are less capable in sports than males.
Page 2: Understanding Stereotypes and Prejudice
Formation of Stereotypes:
Derived from overgeneralizations that ignore individual differences, acting as cognitive shortcuts.
Components of Prejudice:
Cognitive: Based on stereotypes;
Affective/Emotional: Derived from feelings about a group;
Conative: Inclination to act on prejudice.
Result of Prejudice: When acted upon, leads to discrimination.
Discrimination Defined
Discrimination: Unfair treatment against individuals or groups due to perceived or actual membership in protected categories.
Privilege: An unearned advantage often maintained through discriminatory practices.
Page 3: Human Rights in Canada
Canadian Human Rights Act: Outlines protected grounds against discrimination, including:
Race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more.
Dominant Ideology in Society:
Refers to common beliefs or values that frame societal norms and justify privileges of dominant groups.
Social Structure and Norms
Norms: Informal rules dictating expected standards of behavior, often reinforcing the status quo.
Social Sanctions: Responses to normalize behaviors; violations are deemed deviant.
Formal Sanctions: Governed by law.
Informal Sanctions: Enforced socially by peers.
Page 4: Types of Discrimination
De jure: Legal mandates (e.g., hate crimes, discriminatory laws).
De facto: Customary practices without legal basis that lead to discrimination.
Ex post facto: Discrimination after events have occurred.
Direct: Less favorable treatment based on protected characteristics.
Interpersonal: Individual interactions leading to unfair treatment.
Institutional: Embedded biases within social institutions.
Indirect: Policies that appear equitable but disadvantage specific groups.
Page 5: Categories of Discrimination
All discrimination types can overlap. Example: Media representation affecting female athletes’ visibility.
Discrimination Impact: Reduces opportunities for participation in physical activity.
Actions That Constitute Discrimination:
Actions limiting access to rights or benefits due to societal factors.
Page 6: Distinction in Rules and Practices
Not Discrimination:
When rules are rationally connected, enacted in good faith, and necessary for the role (e.g., weight classes in sports).
PollEv Questions
Discrimination is aimed to maintain privileges for the dominant group.
Key terms:
Stereotypes: Assumed qualities based on group membership.
Prejudice: Beliefs about a group.
Discrimination: Actions that treat groups inequitably.
Page 7: Understanding Gender and Sexual Orientation
Key Terms:
Sex: Biological characteristics (chromosomes, anatomy).
Gender: Socially constructed norms (expectations based on sex).
Gender Identity: Personal concept of oneself as male, female, or transgender.
Cisgender: Gender identity matches biological sex at birth.
Transgender: Identity does not match the assigned biological sex at birth.
Sexual Orientation: Pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction.
Includes heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, and two-spirited identities.
Page 8: Types of Discrimination (continued)
Discrimination Forms:
Sexism: One sex perceived as superior, primarily affecting women.
Heterosexism: Bias favoring heterosexual people.
Homophobia: Fear or intolerance toward sexual minority groups.
Transphobia: Discrimination against transgender individuals.
Page 9: Trends in Canadian Physical Activity
Activity Trends by Group:
Males are more active than females.
Bisexual and gay more active than heterosexual individuals.
Transgender individuals tend to be less active than cisgender individuals.
Page 10: Gender Logic and Society
Concept Overview:
Societal norms dictate behavior expectations based on gender binary (male or female).
Gender non-binary identities are marginalized.
Normative expectations create barriers to gender expression.
Page 11: Gender Logic Effects
Impact on Gender Participation in Sports:
Preservation of gender norms leads to inequality in sports opportunities.
Men’s sports often reflect traditional masculine traits, while women’s sports emphasize grace and coordination.
Page 12: Gender Stereotyping and Participation Barriers
Physical Activity and Gender Norms:
Societal pressures can discourage girls from participating in sports (e.g., fear of judgment).
Negative body image issues impact both genders.
Page 13: Challenges in Women’s Participation
Funding Cuts: Programs for women are often the first to go during budget cuts.
Leadership Gaps: Women lack representation in coaching and admin roles.
Focus on Appearance: Discrepancy between body image standards and participation.
Trivialization of Women's Sports: Undermining women's accomplishments based on media narratives.
Media Representation: Often sexualized portrayals in traditional and social media.
Homophobia: Fear of being labeled reduces participation, pushing to conform to norms.
Page 14: Media Influence on Women's Sports
Underrepresentation in sports media leads to a lack of visibility and role models.
Negative portrayals affect public perception and support for women’s sports.
Page 15: Gender Equity in Sports
Definition: Fair allocation of resources and decision-making; does not mean sameness.
Key Actions for Improvement:
Ensure leadership roles for women in sports organizations.
Evaluate and promote equitable access to resources and opportunities.
Page 16: Misconceptions in Gender and Sports
Common Misunderstandings:
Sex and gender are not interchangeable; sex is biological while gender relates to societal expectations.
True/False: Gender logic affects both male and female sports participation.
Highlight discrimination in society's expectation of gender roles and sports.
Introduction to Key Concepts
Module 6 focuses on discrimination in connection with physical activity and the LGBTQ2S+ community. The objectives include comparing and contrasting stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination; explaining and recognizing types of discrimination; understanding disparities in physical activity by gender and sexual orientation in Canada; discussing the impact of gender logic on physical activity opportunities; and recognizing challenges in providing equitable opportunities for girls and women in physical activity.
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Stereotypes lead to prejudice, which results in discrimination. To recognize discrimination, one should look for unfair treatment or behavior. A stereotype is an oversimplified assumption about the qualities of individuals based on their group membership, which is a cognitive bias. Prejudice refers to unjustified negative beliefs about a person based on their group membership. There are positive stereotypes, such as the belief that certain racial groups excel in specific sports (e.g., African Americans in basketball), and negative stereotypes like the belief that females are less capable in sports than males.
Understanding Stereotypes and Prejudice
Stereotypes are formed from overgeneralizations that ignore individual differences, acting as cognitive shortcuts. The components of prejudice include cognitive (based on stereotypes), affective/emotional (derived from feelings about a group), and conative (an inclination to act on prejudice). The result of prejudice, when acted upon, leads to discrimination. Discrimination is defined as unfair treatment against individuals or groups due to their perceived or actual membership in protected categories. Privilege refers to an unearned advantage often maintained through discriminatory practices.
Human Rights in Canada
The Canadian Human Rights Act outlines protected grounds against discrimination, which include race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. The dominant ideology in society refers to the common beliefs or values that frame societal norms and justify the privileges of dominant groups. Norms are informal rules dictating expected standards of behavior, which often reinforce the status quo, with social sanctions that respond to normalize behaviors; violations are deemed deviant. Social sanctions can be formal (governed by law) or informal (enforced by peers).
Types of Discrimination
Discrimination can be categorized into various types: de jure (legal mandates, such as hate crimes or discriminatory laws), de facto (customary practices leading to discrimination without legal base), ex post facto (discrimination after events have occurred), direct (less favorable treatment based on protected characteristics), interpersonal (individual interactions causing unfair treatment), institutional (embedded biases within social institutions), and indirect (policies that appear equitable but disadvantage specific groups). All discrimination types can overlap, for example, media representation can affect female athletes’ visibility. The impact of discrimination reduces opportunities for participation in physical activity, with actions that limit access to rights or benefits based on societal factors.
Distinction in Rules and Practices
A clear distinction is made where certain rules are not discriminatory when they are rationally connected, enacted in good faith, and necessary for the role (e.g., weight classes in sports). Discrimination aims to maintain privileges for the dominant group.
Understanding Gender and Sexual Orientation
Key terms in understanding gender and sexual orientation include sex, which refers to biological characteristics; gender, which entails socially constructed norms based on sex; gender identity, the personal concept of oneself as male, female, or transgender; cisgender, where gender identity matches biological sex at birth; transgender, where identity does not match the assigned biological sex; and sexual orientation, which describes patterns of emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction, encompassing heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, and two-spirited identities.
Types of Discrimination (continued)
The main forms of discrimination include sexism, where one sex is perceived as superior (primarily affecting women), heterosexism, a bias favoring heterosexual individuals, homophobia, which is the fear or intolerance towards sexual minority groups, and transphobia, which involves discrimination against transgender individuals.
Trends in Canadian Physical Activity
Statistics show that males tend to be more active than females, while bisexual and gay individuals are generally more active than heterosexuals. In contrast, transgender individuals often exhibit lower activity levels compared to their cisgender counterparts.
Gender Logic and Society
Gender logic refers to societal norms that dictate behavior expectations based on the gender binary of male or female, with gender non-binary identities facing marginalization. Normative expectations can create barriers to genuine gender expression.
Gender Logic Effects
The preservation of gender norms impacts gender participation in sports, perpetuating inequality in opportunities. Men's sports usually reflect traditional masculine traits, whereas women's sports emphasize grace and coordination.
Gender Stereotyping and Participation Barriers
Societal pressures can discourage girls from engaging in sports due to fears of judgment, while negative body image issues affect both genders.
Challenges in Women’s Participation
Challenges for women in sports include funding cuts, where programs for women are typically the first to be reduced; leadership gaps, indicating a lack of representation of women in coaching and administrative roles; focus on appearance, highlighting discrepancies between body image standards and participation; trivialization of women's sports, which undermines female athletes' accomplishments based on media narratives; media representation, often featuring sexualized portrayals; and homophobia where fear of being labeled limits participation and leads individuals to conform to norms.
Media Influence on Women's Sports
The underrepresentation of women in sports media leads to reduced visibility and a lack of role models, while negative portrayals can adversely affect public perception and support for women's sports.
Gender Equity in Sports
Gender equity in sports refers to the fair allocation of resources and decision-making, emphasizing that it does not imply sameness. Key actions for improvement include ensuring leadership roles for women in sports organizations and evaluating equitable access to resources and opportunities.
Misconceptions in Gender and Sports
Common misunderstandings highlight that sex and gender are not interchangeable; sex is biological while gender is associated with societal expectations. It is also vital to recognize that gender logic affects both male and female sports participation, pointing out the discrimination apparent in societal expectations of gender roles in sports.