Athlete Perspective.
For the past four years, Claire Bachelder has dedicated much of her free time to competing for Seven Hills’ varsity track and soccer teams. Next year, she plans to continue her athletic career at Vassar College as a member of the women’s track and field team.
While Bachelder hasn’t personally experienced unequal treatment due to her gender, she feels that the Seven Hills community in general holds male and female athletes to entirely different standards, especially during track season. Unlike other sports, track is incredibly reliant on times and numbers. Because of this, Bachelder feels that her and her teammates’ accomplishments are often discredited because their times vary drastically from their male counterparts. This discrepancy is connected to a broader gender-related trend in track statistics, and occurs largely due to the biological and anatomical differences that separate men and women.
A lack of understanding has certainly contributed to the misconceptions surrounding the abilities of female track runners. “It’s become clear to me the difference between men’s and women’s natural abilities,” said Bachelder, “and I think even when women work harder and are better comparatively [they] are not fully appreciated because of their times.”
In her opinion, education is key to combatting the false narratives surrounding women’s sports. Bachelder believes it’s important to highlight the biological components that give men and women advantages in certain situations. “By understanding these inherent differences, we can better appreciate the athletic talent and abilities of both male and female athletes,” she explains.
Sasha Woodard is a senior at Summit Country Day, as well as a sports photographer and a member of the varsity girls basketball team.
Working in a male-dominated industry, Woodard has experienced her fair share of unequal treatment as a result of her gender. She reports receiving stares and funny looks while on the sideline, something that her male counterparts typically don’t deal with, and expressed her frustration. “I’m often mistaken for a fan, even when I’m carrying my camera,” said Woodard.
She has also noticed that male photographers often receive more attention on social media, regardless of their skill. “It feels like I have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition,” Woodard explains.
Despite the challenges she has faced, she acknowledges that things are getting better. In recent years, she had faced noticeably less discrimination than before. Woodard hopes to continue fighting the stigma against women working in the sports industry by speaking out about her struggles and inspiring other girls to get into photography. “We need to normalize having women in the sports setting,” she said. “It’s so important to have representation, and I think having someone to look up to would have really helped me.” Currently, she is working to build a community of female photographers at Summit, stressing the need for solidarity among women in male-dominated fields.
