Discrimination
Hello all. I am something of an old-timer - have been in Karate since the early 1980's. without question here in Australia there was a lot of discrimination then. I remember one notable occasion when there were two teams announced for world tournaments in Kyokushin in Australia - the men's and the women's. the Mens were named and funded to go. The women were simply named. No funding. No support. No World Tournament.
Even before then, I was part of the argument when women in Kyokushin were not allowed full-contact tournaments, because it would harm our reproductive organs (I responded to that one with a groin kick, and asked my male colleages to respond in kind, and see which of us was still standing!! :-)
I finally got to do my very first full-contact tournament on my 30th birthday, after almost a decade of arguing the toss!
It is worth remembering that there are some (fortunately few) men who subconsciously define their masculinity as "that which women do not do". For them, if Karate is a manifestation of their masculine identity, then having women do it to is a contradiction, whether they know it consciously or not, and it is really freaky for them. At an instinctual level, they just feel it is WRONG. They don't choose this, it is just how they have been programmed to be. My advice- give such blokes a wide berth - you won't win them over, but there is no need to argue either. A wise karateka avoids the fight she can't win, both physically and spiritually. Maybe just seeing our dedication and strength will eventually wear them down.
All said, I think we have moved on a long way in 20 years and I am delighted to see the evolution and strengthening of women in Karate.
Osu
|