Gender in Gymnastics by Will Taylor https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb Dance in Popular Culture Will Taylor 20721 en-us 2017-03-07 12:58:07 UTC 2023-02-18 17:38:05 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png Gender or Sex - is there a difference? will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159496213 Sex is the biological trait given to us at birth - only now is it beginning to be altered, or is it?
Gender is the social construction of difference based on genetic sex - always will be forever changing.]]> 2017-03-12 14:22:27 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159496213 Is Gymnastics an Art Form? will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159499508 "The Art of Dance and the Sport of Gymnastics are very similar, but still have their differences." Sinziana Preda states connections between the two art forms. Historically I found female gender practice gymnastics in the modernism period. Male gymnasts were non-rational becoming a 'disorder' - this had to be eliminated. This is the main reason behind a lot of discrimination in the early periods of gymnastics. 

"Whether a topic is labelled as 'order' or 'disorder' relates directly to the effort to achieve stability." In my quantitative survey I found 88% agreed that gymnastics is an Art Form and actually is 89% more relevant to a male dancer nowadays - a complete contrast to previous history.]]> 2017-03-12 15:03:37 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159499508 My Personal Experience: 'Open Gymnastics' will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159500294 Taking a class at my local Gym, having coaches to assist with movement. A three hour session for £9.00 working on skills of my choice - choosing which I would like to try and consequently work on. I chose a front tuck, having previously be able to complete this move on the floor, I wanted to get this skill back for performance purposes. Being able to participate in a class of my chosen topic meant I could get a first hand quality experience into the gender inequalities and stereotypes within the form - studying the differences in the ways each gender performs it.]]> 2017-03-12 15:13:12 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159500294 What is an Art Form? will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159503917
1. the structure of an artistic work.
2. a medium for artistic expression.
3. any medium regarded as having systematized rules, procedures, or formulations.

does this mean that gymnastics is more related to typical dance styles than first originally thought?
]]> 2017-03-12 16:00:40 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159503917 Why Gymnastics? will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159504348 Personal Experience: 44.44%
Stress Relief: 11.11%
Entertainment: 44.44%
Social Media: 0%
Other: 0]]> 2017-03-12 16:05:52 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159504348 Research Findings will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159506775 Whilst researching the topic of gender differences in gymnastics I complied various types of research to create a wide depth of findings. Completing this applied research I used a survey to gain a quantitative analysis. A qualitative interview with the coach I completed the class with to provide me with an inside perspective of the art form. ]]> 2017-03-12 16:37:16 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159506775 The Class will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159508048 2017-03-12 16:52:06 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159508048 What is Popular Art? will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159508458 "Popular Art is that which is not authorized by the art world." Parkers Tentative Definition III ]]> 2017-03-12 16:56:32 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159508458 Ironic? will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159509597 This finding about men being discriminated in gymnastics because of their sex, I believe is very ironic. Looking back at records of medals from previous Olympics; more medals are won by male gymnasts than female - does this say that men are more capable of the skill required to execute the form, showing strength and power?]]> 2017-03-12 17:08:47 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159509597 Stereotypically Speaking will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159510160 "Historically, Men’s and Women’s gymnastics have been drastically different. Anyone who has watched the summer Olympics knows the beauty, grace, and flair incorporated into women’s routine, in sharp contrast to the display of strength, power, and speed in men’s." Nick.R 2017

I found  reading online articles from current gymnasts, that not only do men compete professionally in two additional events (still rings, and the parallel bars) they also compete "on horizontal bar in comparison to women, who compete on the uneven bars" - showing the clear difference in which each gender is 'allowed' to execute, dependent on capability or not.]]> 2017-03-12 17:15:50 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159510160 Qualitative Interview will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159511679 Speaking to Mikki Partidge from Chelmsford Gymnastics: "Women are also required to perform floor routines to music, with the inclusion of dance moves in their performances, another major contribution to the stereotypes that women should exhibit femininity." The women’s side of gymnastics is seen to discourage displays of strength as included in men’s gymnastics, while at the same time men are restricted from performing any “feminine” aspects of gymnastics, such as performing to music or including dance moves in their routines.]]> 2017-03-12 17:33:37 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159511679 Focus Group will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159520946 I held a focus group of three gymnasts. One was a female coach, one young male training coach, and also a Head of Male gymnastics.

 Wincott E mentioned that "it used to be very stereotypically female yet since 2012 Olympics it has become more popular for boys thanks to Lewis Smith and Max Whitlock." 

He did say however that "there is still quite a big gender divide due to aesthetics and detail in movement, which is why activities such as free running can be found nowadays as a more male orientated topic." 

This focus group was very beneficial yet I would have liked to have found a few gymnasts in training perhaps a young girl and boy and heard their points of view on their actual training they are receiving. ]]> 2017-03-12 19:19:26 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159520946 Quantitative Surv will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159521789 Conducting a survey I found that 88% of people agreed that gender and sex are completely different things - a good point to note as it shows society is not all closed off to new 'norms'. 

I did also find out that 77% thought that men won more medals at the Olympics. This is the opposite to what I thought would be the reaction as I felt the majority of individuals still saw gymnastics as a female topic - a positive finding. ]]> 2017-03-12 19:29:12 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159521789 In Conclusion will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159523403 On reflection, I would have liked to have broadened my focus group participants to encourage a wider range of opinions to really understand what its like to be training in gymnastics not only to be coaching it. I did find that more people nowadays are more open to suggestions in relation to male and female categories in competitions, and can see that they are slowly being altered. Finally in further research id like to  attend a competition and speak to judges and discus the gender issues within gymnastics and whether they think it will change, as well as how strongly they believe gymnastics to be a sophisticated Art Form. ]]> 2017-03-12 19:48:44 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159523403 Dance in Gymnastics will_taylor_95 https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159525296 2017-03-12 20:07:28 UTC https://padlet.com/will_taylor_95/44mb0sbm4qyb/wish/159525296