The United States government began pressing for equal educational athletic opportunities for women in 1972. According to the Mason City Clinic in Iowa, this new equality has correlated with a marked increase in injuries among female athletes. If more women are competing, it's logical to find more injuries, but their injury incidence seems to be higher than that of their male counterparts.
Injuries
The Mason City Clinic reports on a survey of 1,780 high school and college athletes in New Jersey that showed women suffered season-ending injuries more than twice as often as men. Women's knees are particularly vulnerable. The quadriceps support women's knees, while the hamstrings support men's knees. Quadriceps are not as strong and as a result, women are up to eight times more prone to knee injuries, according to research by the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Energy Processing
Men and women are on more of a par when it comes to how they process carbohydrates for energy. According to a report published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, contrary to previous research, women athletes store glycogen just as efficiently as men do when eating in proportion to their lean body mass. The human body converts carbohydrates to glycogen for energy, which it then hoards to sustain energy during prolonged physical activity.
Hormonal Differences
While female hormones do not seem to affect sports performance, sports can affect the menstrual cycle. Cortisol, a stress hormone, is produced by the body in response to physical activity in direct proportion to how strenuous the activity is. In turn, cortisol disrupts the body's production of estrogen and progesterone, both necessary to maintaining a healthy, regular menstrual cycle. Female athletes may experience missed periods, delayed periods or spotting.
Competitive Edge
Whether from lower levels of testosterone or from conditioning, women do not appear to have the same competitive edge that men do. Two economists from Stanford University and the University of Pittsburgh tested 80 men and women in 2006 to gauge their "winner take all" inclinations. Each participant was given an identical test and the choice of how to be compensated if they completed the test successfully. Women tended to be content to be rewarded for each correct answer, while men preferred to parlay their correct answers against those of other participants for the possibility of a bigger windfall. The authors concluded that, as a gender, women tend to dislike risk and competition.
References
- "Arthritis Today"; Gender Differences in Health Care; Denise Lynn Mann, et al.; 2011
- "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition"; Gender Differences in Carbohydrate Metabolism and Carbohydrate Loading; Jennifer Wisman, et al.; Jun. 5, 2006
- Mason City Clinic: Gender Differences in Sports Injuries
- Women to Women: Menstruation -- Irregular Periods
- National Bureau of Economic Research: Do Women Shy Away From Competition?
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