Should more women be involved in sport? Do you think they are being discriminated against? And should men and women play on the same cricket team? We asked several persons on the street these questions and here is what they said.
Renuka Anandjit, UG student
`Yes more women should be involved in sports. Right now a lot of females are involved in sports but a lot of people still see sports as a male dominated thing, even though there are women like Nicolette Fernandes and Marian Burnette. In the sports section most of the features are on males while very few excerpts are done on women. Women are being discriminated against a lot even though we are fighting for equal rights. Because of the fight for equal rights women should be allowed to play the sports as men. Women should be given the same opportunity because in the past women have been involved in male dominated sports like cricket. There is even a Guyanese girl that is on the West Indies women’s cricket team. You may find that women can perform better than the men in certain sports. The possibility exists that both men and women can play on the same team. There are a lot of strong female cricketers out there who can perform better than men’.
Cecil Maxwell, office clerk
“Yes more women should be involved because most of the times on the TV and radio we just hear about men in sports. It would be good if there can be more women out there competing with men. I don’t believe that women are being discriminated against in these times. I think that more women don’t want to do certain sports. Women are of the view that certain sports are just for men. They can both play on the same cricket team if they have the same ability. If they have the same skills as the men then the women should be allowed on the team. I think that it is workable but it would take some time for persons to get adjusted to this sort of thing’.
Linden Smartt, office clerk
`Yes because today, you find that women are in all forms of sports: hockey, cricket, football and cricket, just to name a few. In Guyana hockey is mainly a female dominated sport and I felt kind of bad as a man. I think that this particular sport is sort of difficult for women but I see that they are handling it quite well. I don’t think they are being discriminated against because for example in boxing we have Gwendolyn O’Neil in boxing and that is not an issue. In Guyana I think a woman is free to get involved in which ever sport she chooses. When it comes to men and women playing on the same cricket team, it can go both ways – maybe yes, maybe no. In some instances you would find that the men have the ability to do certain things when it comes to sports that the woman can’t do. If it does happen, it will be a stiff debate because there is the issue of the woman getting hurt during the game resulting in some complication in the future. I believe that it is up to the woman if she wants to take the risk. Sometimes you find that women can’t do the sport but they just get involved to prove a point’.
Tafana Spencer, butcher
`Yes I think so because women have the ability just like men to be involved in sports. I think women are being discriminated against because some sections of society feel that sports are not for them and her place is basically to look after the family. It all had to do with the environment that the women are in. I use to be a jockey and now my daughter is following in my footsteps. She is racing with other men. Yes I do believe that both men and women could be on the same cricket team. I think that the women have the skills to play with men. I don’t think injury to the woman during the game is an issue. Once she is tough and knows what she wants, she should go ahead and play with the men’.
Paulette Reid, housewife
`Yes because I was once an athlete and I have my medals to show it. I even beat boys during my years as an athlete. That ability had me all over the country. I think that women being involved in some sports is an issue for some people. I think that people think that because of her physical make-up she should not be involved in sports. Men and women playing cricket is an avenue that could be explored. If I had the opportunity to play cricket I would have taken it’.
Maharanie Parsram, housewife
`Yes I believe that more women should be involved in sports because they have the same ability as the men do in sports. Long ago people use to say that women are too tender to be involved in certain sports but I don’t believe that that applies to today. That perception had changed. Women are indeed being discriminated against and that is not supposed to be happening. Nowadays you can sometimes find women who are physically stronger than men. Yes I think that men and women should play on the same cricket team because they each have the ability and strength to play the game’.
Compton Vyphuis, retired test cricket umpire
`Yes because women are calling for equal rights especially in Guyana and other developing countries. I think that women have the ability to play sports but I don’t think that there is an equality of the sexes. I also believe that there should be some level of understanding between the sexes when it comes to sports. Women in my opinion are not being discriminated against. If there is, it is on both sides. Discrimination is not limited to females. Look for instance at the Marion Jones issue. After all those years she is now admitting that she used performance enhancement drugs. It’s sickening. I have come to realize that men get a lot of pressure when it comes to taking these drugs, so I don’t believe that she got so much pressure because she is a woman. The pressure is on both sides. Just the other night I was thinking about men and women playing on the same cricket team. I have seen some female cricketers who play the game better than men. I think that it should be given a try’.
Dellon King, sanitation worker
`Yes women should be more involved in sports because women have the ability to play, no matter how tough the sport is. As long as they put their minds to playing sports they can. Some people do have a problem with women being in some sports because they feel women are tender creatures. Yes men and women should play on the same cricket team. I would like to see something like that in the near future’.
Edna Taylor, housewife
`Yes, because sports is something good since it helps to keep you fit and healthy. It also keeps you focused on life. There is some discrimination I believe against women. Women are not the focus in a lot of these sports and persons feel that they are not capable of doing certain things. But they are. I don’t think that men and women should play on the same cricket team because men play the game differently compared to women. Women too are made up differently from men. The men are more aggressive’.
Granita Jaquino, domestic worker
`Yes because we have the ability to do all these things. Sports help to keep you fit and healthy. I believe that women are being discriminated against because people believe because of the physical make-up of women they can’t do certain things. Men and women playing on the same cricket team is something that should happen. I would confidently play cricket with men if I had the opportunity. Women have the ability to play the game just like men’.
