Women And Sports: Emphasizing Skills And Growth In Personalities

International Journal of Advance and Applied Research Peer Reviewed | International Open Access Journal ISSN: 2347-7075 | Impact Factor – 8.141 | Website: https://ijaar.co.in/ Volume-13, Issue-1 | September - October 2025 126 Original Article WOMEN AND SPORTS: EMPHASIZING SKILLS AND GROWTH IN PERSONALITIES Prof. Dr. Sandip Damodharrao Maind Bhagwantrao Arts & Science College, Etapalli Dist. - Gadchiroli Manuscript ID: IJAAR-130120 Abstract: Women make up half of India’s population, but they lag behind men in all indicators of economic and social development. There is also a large gender gap in political opportunities. The Global Gender Gap Report (2018) ranks India 108 out of 149 on the Global Gender Gap Index using a composite index that includes economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political influence. She says that development can be achieved and the gender gap reduced by expanding this agency by investing in women's education, property rights and work opportunities outside the home. This increases women's chances of achieving the desired well-being. Sport acts as a tool for gender equality and promotes the empowerment of girls and women. It helps to develop women's skills in the sense mentioned so far. Participation promotes decision-making, management and employment. We focus on women's education, property rights and employment opportunities outside the home. Sports provide a platform for girls to showcase their talents and earn an independent and dignified life. This article highlights the role of sport in gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of girls and women. We also explore gender inequality in sport for girls' equality and the barriers that prevent sport from acting as a vehicle for women's empowerment. We propose important policy proposals to address these barriers. Keywords: Health, Sports, Women, Empowerment. ISSN: 2347-7075 Impact Factor – 8.141 Volume - 13 Issue - 1 SeptemberOctober 2025 Pp. 126-129 Submitted: 28 Sept 2025 Revised: 23 Oct 2025 Accepted: 26 Oct 2025 Published: 31 Oct 2025 Corresponding Author: Prof. Dr. Sandip Damodharrao Maind Quick Response Code: Website: https://ijaar.co.in/ DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17810619 DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenod o.17810619 Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which permits others to remix, adapt, and build upon the work non-commercially, provided that appropriate credit is given and that any new creations are licensed under identical terms. How to cite this article: Prof. Dr. Sandip Damodharrao Maind. (2025). Women And Sports: Emphasizing Skills And Growth In Personalities. International Journal of Advance and Applied Research, 13(1), 126–129. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17810619 International Journal of Advance and Applied Research Peer Reviewed | International Open Access Journal ISSN: 2347-7075 | Impact Factor – 8.141 | Website: https://ijaar.co.in/ Volume-13, Issue-1 | September - October 2025 127 Introduction: The National Policy on Empowerment of Women followed in 2001 states that “All sorts of violence in opposition to ladies, bodily and mental, whether or not at home or societal levels, together with the ones bobbing up from customs, traditions or widely wide-spread practices will be treated efficaciously on the way to cast off its incidence. The World Bank defines empowerment as “the process of increasing the assets and abilities of individuals or groups to make informed choices and to translate those actions into desired actions and results.” Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been a pioneer in raising awareness of gender inequality and argues that women’s voice and agency can be increased through their independence and empowerment. The difference in the Indian context is significant. India ranks 142nd in economic participation and opportunity, 114th in education, 147th in health and survival, and 19th in political influence. The gender gap is huge in economic and social indicators such as health, education and political opportunities. The sex ratio is a good indicator of gender discrimination, and according to the 2011 census, the sex ratio is 934 women for 1,000 men. Amartya Sen coined the term "missing women" to refer to women who would probably be alive if they had been born male in most of Asia and North Africa. These women miss out because they do not have the same access to healthy food, medical care and social services as men. Disparities are striking in terms of health care, education, unemployment and social exclusion. NFHS 4 provides the latest birth rates, death rates etc. In 2015-2016, the birth rate is 2.2 children per woman, below 2.7 children per woman and just above the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. Under-five and infant mortality rates have steadily declined, and in 2015-2016 there were 50 deaths per 1,000 live births and 41 deaths per 1,000 live births in the five years prior to the 20152016 survey. However, anemia, wasting and malnutrition among children and adult women are still common. 58 percent of children aged 6-59 months are anemic, 38 percent of children under 5 are stunted, 21 percent are wasting and 36 percent are underweight. Anemia in women of different age groups varied sharply from 52 percent to 54 percent, while anemia in men varied between 19 and 29 percent. According to the 2011 census, the male adult literacy rate is 79, much higher than the female adult literacy rate of 59 percent. Women are underrepresented in the formal sector and overrepresented in the informal sector. The share of women in the workforce is 25.5 percent and 53 percent of men. Because of this difficult situation, we must focus on the realization of equal rights. It will also help us achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women. Sports can help achieve these goals in a creative way. Women and Empowerment: The National Policy on Empowerment of Women followed in 2001 states that “All sorts of violence in International Journal of Advance and Applied Research Peer Reviewed | International Open Access Journal ISSN: 2347-7075 | Impact Factor – 8.141 | Website: https://ijaar.co.in/ Volume-13, Issue-1 | September - October 2025 128 opposition to ladies, bodily and mental, whether or not at home or societal levels, together with the ones bobbing up from customs, traditions or widely wide-spread practices will be treated efficaciously on the way to cast off its incidence. Institutions and mechanisms/schemes for help may be created and reinforced for prevention of such violence, together with sexual harassment at paintings region and customs like dowry; for the rehabilitation of the sufferers of violence and for taking powerful motion in opposition to the perpetrators of such violence. A unique emphasis can also be laid on programmes and measures to address trafficking in ladies and girls." Under the Operational Strategies. Enrichment and Growth: As success stories, these women are role models who encourage young girls to take up sports. Sport is globally recognized as a human right for all, including children and women with disabilities (UN, 1948; UN, 1989; UN, 2006a). Sports play a very important role in the development and empowerment of women. The independence and development of Indian girls and women are denied due to limited mobility, poor education and healthcare, early marriage and lack of decision-making power. Sports and physical education programs provide opportunities for girls and women to come together in public spaces for shared hobbies. In this way, girls and women gain the opportunity to assert their independence outside the home, build strong social networks and increase the likelihood of participating as active citizens in their communities and beyond. The participation of girls and women in sports and physical activity programs can significantly contribute to the achievement of the development goals, especially the third goal of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations. In particular, women as sports leaders can shape attitudes about the abilities of women as leaders and decisionmakers, especially in traditionally male fields. The participation of women in sports can significantly contribute to public life and community development. As success stories, these women are role models who encourage young girls to take up sports. Sport is globally recognized as a human right for all, including children and women with disabilities (UN, 1948; UN, 1989; UN, 2006a). Sports and physical education programs have many positive effects on girls and women. In addition to the physical and mental well-being of physically active girls and women, well-planned sports and exercise can provide a platform for positive life changes. For example, participating in sports and physical education can help boost self-esteem and improve self-image. It can also provide opportunities to create social networks that promote the social integration of girls and women in their communities. Conclusion: Sports and physical education programs provide opportunities for girls and women to come together in public spaces for shared hobbies. In this way, girls and International Journal of Advance and Applied Research Peer Reviewed | International Open Access Journal ISSN: 2347-7075 | Impact Factor – 8.141 | Website: https://ijaar.co.in/ Volume-13, Issue-1 | September - October 2025 129 women gain the opportunity to assert their independence outside the home, build strong social networks and increase the likelihood of participating as active citizens in their communities and beyond. Given the dismal state of sport, mainstreaming gender equality will take time, so sports institutions and bodies need to identify and address relevant gender issues at all levels, ie. policy development, planning processes, budget allocations, human resource development, including recruitment. in advertising, conservation and education and research and statistics. Mainstreaming gender equality in all sports policies and programs requires a deeper understanding of the various barriers that girls and women in India face in accessing and benefiting from sport and physical activity, and finding ways to address them. One of the main ways to do this is to increase the representation of women in the decision-making bodies of various sports commissions and bodies. References: 1. Calderón, J. F. and Gonzales, E. (2004). Research methods and thesis. Mandaluyong City, Philippines. 2. Coakley, J. (2001). Sport in society: problems and controversies. 7th Edition. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Book Company. 3. Guthrie, S. R. and S. Castelnuovo (2001) Disability in women with disabilities: the effect of physical activity. In Sociology of Sport Journal, 18 (2001): 16-17, cited by Oglesby, Carole A. et al. (2006), op. quote 4. Oglesby, Carole A. in collaboration with the International Working Group on Women and Sport, WomenSport International, the International Federation of Sports Education for Women and Girls and the International Council on Sport Science and Sports Education (2006) 5. Oglesby, Carole, A. et al. (2006), op. quote