Women athletes emerging from the shadow of men in Kenya: evidence from the Commonwealth,Olympic and World Athletics Championships |
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| Authors: | W W S Njororai |
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| Institution: | Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA |
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| Abstract: | The academic interest in women’s roles in sports in Kenya reflects the concern to level the playing field in a major social cultural phenomenon such as sport and its overall significance to social development. It is therefore not surprising that, in Kenya, women were late in establishing themselves in the sporting world. Under-representation of females in sport within the African set-up, Kenya included, is attributed to the inappropriate western-oriented games, the conflicting values of sexual beauty and sporting competence, and the divorce between women and the warrior tradition of indigenous Africa. However, as data on Kenya’s athletes to various international events demonstrate, women have slowly but steadily emerged out of the shadows of men. In some editions of the games, women have not only been the majority, but also have won more medals than men. |
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