Women in Other Countries

In class we have learned about the struggle to make female sports equal to men's. We have already established that women should be allowed to play. In other countries women are still fighting to be allowed to play. The Afghan national women's soccer team is competing in it's first international competition this week. In a country that has major events occurring, these women still find time to fight for what they want. These women face a lot of criticism and even death threats because of their desire to play soccer. Their only place to practice safely is in a NATO base with a helipad. They can only use it a few times a week and are frequently interrupted by helicopter landings. If they tried practicing anywhere else, they would be attacked because it is considered indecent for women. Some players even choose to play without their head scarves because they feel it is too dangerous to play with it on. These players love playing so much they feel it is worth taking the risk. Hopefully someday they will be allowed to play without any risks.
While we have been focusing on making sure women are treated as athletes and that they get enough media coverage, these women have been fighting to get a chance to play. These women aren't focused on getting television coverage. I do believe there needs to be more equality in sports for us but sometimes we need to stop and be thankful for how far we have come.


Sam H
KIN 338I Sec1