Shattering Stereotypes: The Power of Women in Indian Sports for Societal Transformation

Abstract

The research paper talks about the exploration of women's empowerment through sports as a tool in India. It addresses the various problems that sportswomen in India face: lack of media representation, visibility, recognition, funding, opportunities, and gender inequality. It uses the method of literature review to analyze the empowerment of women through sports through four themes in the form of a thematic analysis: breaking gender stereotypes, economic empowerment, media representation and visibility, and health and well-being. The paper discusses the advantages of women in sport and the benefits of sport in general. Previous findings by UN Women and the IOC show that there was a large percentage increase in women considering themselves leaders after a sports programme held to empower women. The results of this research paper show that there is clear evidence that there has been a step forward in terms of women’s participation in sports. Due to positive social and cultural change to reduce gender inequality, more women can now become athletes. Also, recent scholarship programmes and financial aid are great ways of boosting the development of women through sports. Additionally, sport provides athletes with the determination to keep going, resilience to never back down, and mental strength to show that they are strong and capable. Sportspeople like P.V. Sindhu, Deepika Kumari, and Mithali Raj have worked extremely hard to become visible, gain recognition, make their country proud, and do economically well for themselves. Through this research paper, sport as a tool for women's empowerment was explored.