lvement in vigorously supported by social institutions, they participate in record numbers. The worldwide womens movement over the past thirty years to the current has emphasized that females are enhanced as human beings when they have opportunities to develop their intellectual and physical abilities. This idea has encouraged women of all ages to pursue their interests in sports, and it has led to the creation of new interests among those who, in the past, never would have thought of participating in sports. The womens movement also helped redefine occupational and family roles for women, and this has provided more women with the time and resources needed for sport participation. As the ideals of the womens have become more widely accepted, and as male control over lives and bodies of women have weakened, more women have been choosing to play sports. More change is needed, especially in poor countries and among low-income women, but the choices now available to women are less restricted than they once were. What started out, as the radical thinking of a few now has become a widely accepted global effort to promote and guarantee sport participation opportunities for girls and women.Another factor going past the taken-for-granted beliefs since the mid-1970s, is the increase of awareness of health and fitness, which has encouraged women to become involved in many physical activities, including sports. Although much of the emphasis in this movement has been tied to the traditional feminine ideal of being thin and sexually attractive to men, there also has been an emphasis on the development of physical strength and competence. Muscles have become more widely accepted as desirable attributes among women of all ages. Traditional standards still exist, as illustrated by many clothing fashions and marketing strategies associated with womens fitness. But many women have moved beyond those standards and given priority to physical compe...
