16 Sep 2014

Women in sport have been urged to remain stoic and always remember the significant role they play in the society.

Speaking at the inaugural Women in Sport Botswana (WASBO) Pitso onSeptember 13, SADC head of gender unit, Magdeline Mathiba-Madibela said women had taken up top leadership positions in sport as presidents and secretaries of National Olympic Committees.

Mathiba-Madibela said more women had also taken up employment opportunities in all areas of sport, including coaches, managers and sport journalists.

However, she said such achievements were, and are still made in face of numerous barriers and challenges that were embedded in patriarchy and gender discrimination.

She noted that women were often perceived as being too weak for sport, particularly endurance sports, such as marathons, weightlifting and cycling, adding that it was often argued that in the past sport was harmful to women's health, particularly their reproductive health.

“Given that sport was traditionally a male domain, the participation of women and girls face major challenges in sport due to gender stereotypes, not only those related to physical ability but also those regarding women’s role in local communities and society at large,” she said.

Mathiba-Madibela observed that women were frequently segregated involuntary into different types of sport, events and competitions specifically targeted to women, adding that alone marginalised and limited choice and freedom of participation.

Women, she said possess numerous skills and abilities to make a difference in the society they lived in as champions of change. She said women champion the development and implementation of sexual harassment policies for all sports sectors, including codes of conduct for their operationalisation.

“Women are also capacity builders, therefore it is imperative for them to demand for scholarships and training for women athletes, coaches and other officials,” she said.

She said the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) must facilitate and lobby government for training women. “Government must improve women’s capabilities through education because when you educate a woman you educate the nation” she said.

Further, she indicated that as advocates, women needed to be strategic in challenging gender discrimination and unequal gender relations through establishing an enabling environment for gender equality and empowerment.

Thus, she suggested that special committees and commissions that address women’s issues and concerns must be established with support from government.

Another speaker, from ChildLine Botswana, Onkemetse Montsheki said sports played a pivotal role in the emotional, mental and physical development of children.

She said for most children, sport was the foundation where their competitiveness began while for some was a place where their self-esteem was enhanced and also crushed.

Montsheki said self-esteem was one’s perception of self-worth or ability, adding that one’s self-esteem determined to a large extent how much they were willing to try and achieve, as well as how many times they were willing to try an unfamiliar environment.

She said according to the United Nations, girls were more likely to attend school and participate in society through their participation in sport.

“When women and girls can walk on the playing field, they are more likely to step into the classroom, the boardroom, and step out as leaders in society,” she said

She also told participants that the girl child was unique because she, more often than not physically and mentally, matured faster than the boy child and was usually neat, tidy and careful.

She said when a girl child reached puberty, she may experience mood swings due to hormonal imbalances, craving food that may not be the recommended diet by the coach, and may also gain weight and be self-conscious.

Again, she said a girl child, may on a monthly basis, experience period pains that may slow down her performance in sports, but that did not mean she would not catch up. Ends