Peggy Gallant Professor Human Kinetics St. Francis Xavier University Coach experience - men and...

Peggy Gallant ProfessorHuman Kinetics St. Francis Xavier University

Coach experience - men and women, boys and girls, university, community, high school - soccer, volleyball and basketball

Sport , a sex segregated institution, based on biological

and physical differences.

Girls are deemed less talented, less coordinated, less skilled, less motivated, and less successful at sports than boys. At best, girls are thought to need special rules and remedial instruction; at worst , they are humiliated, discriminated against, or ignored.(TUCKER CENTRE, 2007) The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport (2007). Executive Summary. The 2007 Tucker

Center Research Report, Developing physically active girls: An evidence-based multidisciplinary approach. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

The Physiological and Metabolic Dimension

The Psychological Dimension

The Sociological Dimension

Some women and girls excel at sport and physical activity despite a variety of complex barriersaffecting their participation and performance. A combination of factors allow them to cope withand overcome the barriers.(CAAWS, 2009)

Sex Differences in Sport and Exercise

For decades, culture, athletic governing bodies, and PE curricula perpetuated the myth that girls and women should not compete in sport

Last 30 to 40 years, girls and women have achieved great athletic feats Sex differences in performance still

exist Separating biological versus other

factors

Sex Differences

Body size and composition

Physiological responses/adaptations to acute exercise

Sport performance

Other

The Bicycle The invention of

the bicycle revolutionized women in sport by changing women’s clothing.

The dress code remained one of the greatest obstacles to women's leisure until at least the 1930s.

UNIFORMS

Men and Uniforms

Sport Performance

Men outperform women by all objective standards of competition Most noticeable in upper-body events Gap narrowing

Women’s performance drastically improved over last 30 to 40 years Leveling off now Due to harder training

Strength

Muscle strength differs between sexes Upper body: women 40 to 60% weaker Lower body: women 25 to 30% weaker Due to total muscle mass difference,

not difference in innate muscle mechanisms

No sex strength disparity when expressed per unit of muscle cross-sectional area

For given body weight, trained men have more FFM than trained women

Q Angle

Q Angle Cont… Normal male = 13 degrees Normal female = 18 degrees Increase in female Q Angle is

due to a wider pelvis Creates alignment problems

with the knees causing females to:-experience excessive wear on the knees -have the quadriceps pull on the patella-experience pronation and flattening of the feet-have an increase in ACL injuries-experience the affects throughout the body

Body Size and Composition

Distinct female fat deposition pattern

Rapid storage on hips and thighs due to lipoprotein lipase activity

MusculoskeletalAnkle sprains

Flat feetTibia vara

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis

Forearm fracture

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Health Outcomes

Ebbeling et al. Lancet 2002;360;473-82

NeurologicalPseudotumour cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)CardiovascularHypertensionDyslipidemiaCoagulopathyChronic inflammationEndothelial dysfunction

EndocrineInsulin ResistanceImpaired fasting glucose or glucose intoleranceType 2 diabetesPrecocious pubertyMenstrual irregularitiesPolycystic ovary syndrome (females)

PsychosocialEating disordersPoor self-esteem

Body image disorderSocial isolation and

stigmatizationDepressionPulmonary

Exercise intoleranceObstructive sleep apnea

Asthma

GastrointestionalGallstones

Gastro-oesophageal refluxNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease

RenalGlomerulosclerosis

of Obesity

•Powerful women

•Unfeminine freaks

•New women

•Gender Benders

•Freaks of Nature

Menstruation

No reliable data indicate altered athletic performance across menstrual phases

No physiological differences in exercise responses across menstrual phases

World records set by women during every menstrual phase

Female Athlete Triad

Syndrome of interrelated conditions Energy deficit secondary amenorrhea

low bone mass Disordered eating may (not) be involved

Three disorders can occur alone or in combination, must be addressed early

Treatment: caloric intake, activity (in some cases)

Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa Refusal to maintain minimal normal

weight Distorted body image, fear of fatness Amenorrhea

Bulimia nervosa Recurrent binge eating Lack of control during binges Purging behaviors (vomiting, laxatives,

diuretics)

Eating Disorders

Young women at highest risk

Eating disorder versus disordered eating

Worse in certain sports Appearance sports: diving, figure skating, ballet Endurance sports: distance running, swimming Weight-class sports: jockeys, boxing, wrestling Perfectionists, competitive, under tight control

Self-reporting underestimates prevalence

Impact of the Mass Media

Magazine, T.V., & other mass media strategies alter behaviors & influence the body-images of women

These strategies encourage an “obsession” with health & fitness

Belief that one’s size is inadequate

Belief that one’s size is inadequate

Environmental Factors

Heat stress issues Women: sweat production No sex differences in thermal tolerance

Cold stress issues Women: better insulated ( subcutaneous fat) Men: better shivering thermogenesis ( FFM)

Altitude stress issues VO2max decreases No sex differences in altitude tolerance

Sexualization of sport

Female Athletic Calendars

Official Home of the Dallas Stars Ice Girls. (2013). Ice Girls. NHL.Com Network. http://stars.nhl.com/club/microhome.htm?location=/icegirls (retrieved,

April 2013)

Women Athletes in Magazines

No matter the reason, a female athlete's willingness to flaunt her beauty is a marketer's dream. After all, sports -- including women's sports -- are an industry run by and geared toward men. "The vast majority of the audience for sports is male," says Neal Pilson, the former president of CBS Sports…

Katarina Witt

Danica Patrick

Questions?

Recommendations for Best Practices, Programs, and Approaches