This is open to argument; most of the sporting successes in Nigeria are attributed to women. Nigeria sports women rank higher than their male counterparts in terms of their winning levels as well as their commitment to represent the country. With all these, female sports have continued to be at the background of sports.
The case is pitiful in Gombe state. Gombe is a society in which the experiences and values of men predominate that of their female counterparts.
The low involvement in sports by women in Gombe is not due to lack of interest in sports it is said to be due to indirect discrimination and stereotype and other related problems that women interested in sport have to contend with as their traditional places said to be homes and their ideal roles are associated with child birth and rearing as well as housekeeping.
If Gombe is to fulfill her aspirations of SPORTING GOMBE TO STANDARD the issue of low participation among women must be addressed with immediate effect.
There are of factors responsible for low participation in sport among women in Gombe. These include;
Cultural and psychological factors which put pressure through families, religion media and peer groups to exert force on expected gender roles. Gombe defined sports as a male activity and any success recorded in sports here is only attributed to male while it is seen as a distraction for women in discharging their duties rather than seen it as an element of healthy living and means of livelihood.
Power and politics in sports contribute to the low level of women participation in sports in Gombe. This is because men occupies the highest level of administration of sports, therefore, the input of women in developing sport policies in Gombe is less. This also affects the allocation and budgeting for women sports in the state if at all there is budget for that.
Media is not also helping matters, the coverage of female sport is shallow and infrequent compared to that of male. Always tend to focus on the existing perceptions about female participation in sport.
Inadequate orientation and awareness among women about the benefits of sports which has led to low or poor participation in physical education among women especially in schools.
The above mentioned challenges are not without solutions if only the sport sector and the stake holders can play their parts.
Government at all levels in conjunction with relevant agencies, NGOs, sports associations and stakeholders should create a conducive atmosphere for equal participation in sports in Gombe. Also, those factors limiting women participation in sports especially in the areas of leadership, policies, structure, programs, budgeting, education, training, publicity, and welfare and health issues must be done away with.
I have heard of female sports clubs in different state of the country, but not in Gombe state. We need to start giving our female counterparts a chance to develop their talents as they can win laurels for us.
If females are given equal opportunity to participate in sports in Gombe, it will give Gombe the opportunity to realize it dream of SPORTING GOMBE TO STANDARD.
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