Another sport that has different rules for men and women is international cliff diving. (Watch it on utube, it’s awesome) In professional cliff diving competitions, men typically dive from a platform height of 27 meters (89 feet), while women dive from a lower platform at 21 meters (69 feet) due to differences in body composition and impact force considerations. Also IMO when the issue is endurance as in length of competition, eg cross country skiing, I think women could do the longer distance competing against other women. I come from the era when women couldn’t compete in races longer than 800 meters and it wasn’t until 1984 that Joan Benoit won the first Olympic gold in the marathon. I have run numerous marathons and ran once 50 miles and I also biked 150 miles over the Peloponnese mountains. My fellow women athletes have done even more spectacular endurance events. Women generally do better than men in long distance cold water swimming due to their biological protective fat distribution. I suspect that endurance capabilities may be part of the female biology for those long hours of labor
Hi Betty, Fascinating about cliff diving. I'll update that list. Thank you! As for whether these female-male sports rules always make sense: I agree that they do not necessarily.
I've found that golf courses, for instance, are wildly inconsistent about where they place the red tees (for women and senior men who are humble enough to step up to them) vs. the white tees (for most amateur men). Designers make a nod to placing the red tees closer to the hole, but there's no rhyme or reason to how much closer. The golf courses were designed by and for men; women are clearly an afterthought. So, too, in many sports. The standard is male; women's equipment was or will be adjusted over time, after pressure or logic prevail, but it's not an exact science.
For instance, in volleyball, men's nets are 7.5 inches higher. Men are 6 inches taller and can jump about 4 inches higher. So who came up with 7.5 inches? I have not looked into that history, but you can see that it literally does not add up.
Back to your running/biking story: 1) COOL! You go, girl. 2) Yes, I've met endurance runner Ann Trason, who once beat the fastest man by 50 minutes in a 100 kilometer race, and 3) Diana Nyad, who established a record swimming from Cuba to Miami at age 64, after numerous female English Channel overall record-holders over the years, starting with Gertrude Ederle. Lynn Cox, cold-water champion, also comes to mind.
Sometimes it's helpful to consider that we don't know very much about female athletic performance because female athletes have not been taken seriously for long. And still are not, in many circles, alas.
What we do know unequivocally is that the fairness and integrity of women’s sports demand recognizing women as a biological entity. You are doing great work, thank you. We must fight the good fight. ♥️
As for cliff diving women have dived from higher events but it is extremely dangerous to women’s bodies if done repeatedly. You hit the water at 65 mph.
You're very welcome! And wow, hard to imagine diving into the water at 65 mph. I did chat with some cliff divers on the famous cliffs of Acapulco one time, and they said it's particular hard on the eyes - something I would not have guessed.
Women weightlifters have different weight categories than men, too: all lighter.
N.B. My club received funding to support women who wanted to try the sport. We've called it 'Love to Lift'. It's also funded one of our women to become a qualified coach too.
In swimming, the times are slower to achieve zone, junior national, senior national, and Olympic Trial cuts for women. Ditto NCAA National cuts. (Which is why William Thomas went from 462nd to 1st as Lia.)
C.M., This is a very good point, which is why mediocre men can dominate or easily make their way onto women's teams: It's a relatively slower, weaker field with different qualifying times. Because this is true in many sports and this article is focused on equipment and rules differences, I'm not changing the list but am finally sending this delayed thank you!
In weighlifting & powerlifting (does that count as two sports?), there are different barbells for male and female athletes: the bar for women is 6'6'' long and weighs 33 lbs, while the bar for men is 7'2'' and weighs 44lbs. Women's barbellss also have a smaller diameter, because our hands are smaller. A women’s barbell is specifically designed with women in mind, as they are tailored to better fit the biomechanics of a woman's body.
There are no differences in terms of the rules for female and male weightlifters, though: they all get 3 chances to do the two different lifts and they either pass or fail their lift according to the same rules.
PS. It pisses me off that the International Weighlifting Federation allows 'transwomen' (men) to compete in the women's category, when there are huge differences in upper body strength and grip strength (which is key in weightlifting) and although the difference in lower body strength is less pronounced, men are still 25% stronger in this area, which is essential in weightlifting, as the explosive power from the legs drives the lift.
Hi Babette, Yes to all of this, including weightlifting and powerlifting being two different sports, BTW. (Powerlifting is about maximum lift; weightlifting is about speed, technique.) Thanks for adding these; I'll go update my list. And yes, the US and International Weightlifting orgs both receive an UNFAIR rating from the Women's Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG). Same for the International Powerlifting Federation.
USA Powerlifting, by contrast, earns a GOLD star from WSPWG: Only females can compete with females. So simple, so fair. But take heart: All the momentum is now on our side.
In Track and Field the women’s hurdles are also 100 m and men’s 110 m. Same number of hurdles but shorter and closer to accommodate the biological reality of women’s bodies!
Wow, Nancy Hogshead liked my comment! I’m an Olympic fan girl, the ‘84 Olympics were great! Nancy, Greg Louganis, and the great hurdler Edwin Moses, such great athletes. ❤️
Another sport that has different rules for men and women is international cliff diving. (Watch it on utube, it’s awesome) In professional cliff diving competitions, men typically dive from a platform height of 27 meters (89 feet), while women dive from a lower platform at 21 meters (69 feet) due to differences in body composition and impact force considerations. Also IMO when the issue is endurance as in length of competition, eg cross country skiing, I think women could do the longer distance competing against other women. I come from the era when women couldn’t compete in races longer than 800 meters and it wasn’t until 1984 that Joan Benoit won the first Olympic gold in the marathon. I have run numerous marathons and ran once 50 miles and I also biked 150 miles over the Peloponnese mountains. My fellow women athletes have done even more spectacular endurance events. Women generally do better than men in long distance cold water swimming due to their biological protective fat distribution. I suspect that endurance capabilities may be part of the female biology for those long hours of labor
Hi Betty, Fascinating about cliff diving. I'll update that list. Thank you! As for whether these female-male sports rules always make sense: I agree that they do not necessarily.
I've found that golf courses, for instance, are wildly inconsistent about where they place the red tees (for women and senior men who are humble enough to step up to them) vs. the white tees (for most amateur men). Designers make a nod to placing the red tees closer to the hole, but there's no rhyme or reason to how much closer. The golf courses were designed by and for men; women are clearly an afterthought. So, too, in many sports. The standard is male; women's equipment was or will be adjusted over time, after pressure or logic prevail, but it's not an exact science.
For instance, in volleyball, men's nets are 7.5 inches higher. Men are 6 inches taller and can jump about 4 inches higher. So who came up with 7.5 inches? I have not looked into that history, but you can see that it literally does not add up.
Back to your running/biking story: 1) COOL! You go, girl. 2) Yes, I've met endurance runner Ann Trason, who once beat the fastest man by 50 minutes in a 100 kilometer race, and 3) Diana Nyad, who established a record swimming from Cuba to Miami at age 64, after numerous female English Channel overall record-holders over the years, starting with Gertrude Ederle. Lynn Cox, cold-water champion, also comes to mind.
Sometimes it's helpful to consider that we don't know very much about female athletic performance because female athletes have not been taken seriously for long. And still are not, in many circles, alas.
What we do know unequivocally is that the fairness and integrity of women’s sports demand recognizing women as a biological entity. You are doing great work, thank you. We must fight the good fight. ♥️
As for cliff diving women have dived from higher events but it is extremely dangerous to women’s bodies if done repeatedly. You hit the water at 65 mph.
Just updated the list. Thanks again for your multiple contributions!
You're very welcome! And wow, hard to imagine diving into the water at 65 mph. I did chat with some cliff divers on the famous cliffs of Acapulco one time, and they said it's particular hard on the eyes - something I would not have guessed.
Women weightlifters have different weight categories than men, too: all lighter.
N.B. My club received funding to support women who wanted to try the sport. We've called it 'Love to Lift'. It's also funded one of our women to become a qualified coach too.
Love it. Thanks, James. I updated the list to include powerlifting and weightlifting per your comment and Babette Verhoeven's.
In swimming, the times are slower to achieve zone, junior national, senior national, and Olympic Trial cuts for women. Ditto NCAA National cuts. (Which is why William Thomas went from 462nd to 1st as Lia.)
C.M., This is a very good point, which is why mediocre men can dominate or easily make their way onto women's teams: It's a relatively slower, weaker field with different qualifying times. Because this is true in many sports and this article is focused on equipment and rules differences, I'm not changing the list but am finally sending this delayed thank you!
In weighlifting & powerlifting (does that count as two sports?), there are different barbells for male and female athletes: the bar for women is 6'6'' long and weighs 33 lbs, while the bar for men is 7'2'' and weighs 44lbs. Women's barbellss also have a smaller diameter, because our hands are smaller. A women’s barbell is specifically designed with women in mind, as they are tailored to better fit the biomechanics of a woman's body.
There are no differences in terms of the rules for female and male weightlifters, though: they all get 3 chances to do the two different lifts and they either pass or fail their lift according to the same rules.
PS. It pisses me off that the International Weighlifting Federation allows 'transwomen' (men) to compete in the women's category, when there are huge differences in upper body strength and grip strength (which is key in weightlifting) and although the difference in lower body strength is less pronounced, men are still 25% stronger in this area, which is essential in weightlifting, as the explosive power from the legs drives the lift.
Hi Babette, Yes to all of this, including weightlifting and powerlifting being two different sports, BTW. (Powerlifting is about maximum lift; weightlifting is about speed, technique.) Thanks for adding these; I'll go update my list. And yes, the US and International Weightlifting orgs both receive an UNFAIR rating from the Women's Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG). Same for the International Powerlifting Federation.
USA Powerlifting, by contrast, earns a GOLD star from WSPWG: Only females can compete with females. So simple, so fair. But take heart: All the momentum is now on our side.
Thank you, Mariah. Glad to hear that powerlifting has seen sense. Fingers crossed weightlifting will follow.
Thanks, Mariah! I always forget about this piece of the equation - the different equipment and rules.
Yes. So did we, for a while there. So does everyone else. Hence the list. And the word invisible. 🫥
In Track and Field the women’s hurdles are also 100 m and men’s 110 m. Same number of hurdles but shorter and closer to accommodate the biological reality of women’s bodies!
Wow, Nancy Hogshead liked my comment! I’m an Olympic fan girl, the ‘84 Olympics were great! Nancy, Greg Louganis, and the great hurdler Edwin Moses, such great athletes. ❤️
Cool! Oh yes I remember those Olympics too! And Nancy's super cool. :-)
Yes, good point, Betty. Updated the story. Thanks.