Carlos Yulo’s Olympic gold could shatter Philippine sports gender norms
- Filipinos laud star gymnast in a sport widely seen locally to be for women, while others such as basketball are associated with masculinity
“Filipinos are celebrating the gold medals won by a woman in weightlifting and a man in gymnastics. May this send a message that sports have no gender, and we should stop letting gender stereotypes limit the future of our athletes,” one user said on social media platform X.
Other users insisted it was high time that Filipino parents eschewed long-held gender norms in sports to help their children reach their fullest potential.
“Some ‘abilities’ remain mistakenly associated with certain genders. Men are presumed to be strong, while women are expected to be graceful. These gendered expectations or stereotypes limit not only the potential of individuals but of societies at large. These biases are also seen in sports, and thus, many are often guilty of undermining the strength of women, and the grace of men,” said Vince Liban, national convenor of the youth-led gender lobbying group PANTAY.