The Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal was attained by a weightlifter — a female weightlifter. And just recently, we were blessed with a back-to-back Olympic gold medals from a gymnast — a male gymnast. Was it mere coincidence or is it the world bluntly telling us that greatness has no gender?
Imagine a young girl telling her parents that she wants to try boxing. Would they allow their daughter? In this day and age, there’s a possibility that they would, but maybe only after convincing the child of trying other activities like gymnastics, dancing, singing, or playing the piano, etc. — anything that would get their daughter all dolled up instead of wearing boxing gloves.
But imagine if the families of Hidilyn Diaz and Carlos Yulo prevented them from trying their hand at weightlifting and gymnastics, respectively. Then probably the Olympic gold would remain an elusive goal for the Philippines.
But aside from sports, gender stereotyping is still prevalent in our society — in leadership roles, in choosing a degree or career, even in household roles and chores.
According to UNICEF, parenting contributes to how children learn to behave according to social norms. Sometimes, even unwittingly, parents could reinforce gender stereotypes in the most mundane activity for children — at play.
Boys are usually given guns and cars to play with; while girls get to play with dolls and kitchen toys. There’s also the tendency to give “feminine” colors such as pink and yellow to girls, and the “masculine” colors like blue and red to boys.
At a young age, gender stereotyping is already hampering the full potential of children. For instance, when there is something that needs to be carried, the task would be assigned to a boy even if he is struggling; while a girl, even if she is capable, would not be considered for the task.
Going back to our Olympic champions — if Hidilyn’s parents told her not to lift those barbells because it could stunt her growth, affect her fertility, or any other reason they could come up with, then she would not have achieved two Olympic medals (silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics and gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics) and inspire others to break free from conventional roles.
If Carlos was made to train in martial arts instead of gymnastics, he might not be as successful as winning two gold medals in a single Olympic series and a lot more from other international competitions.
Let’s not forget our two female boxers who are now assured of Olympic medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics — Nesthy Petecio (already a silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics) and Aira Villegas. As they pursue their respective athletic careers and Olympic dreams, they are also helping nurture a more inclusive society.
But let us be clear that there are areas where we need to classify based on gender, most especially in sports — which is why there are female and male categories — because there are biological differences that are beyond our control which affect speed, balance, agility, strength, flexibility, to name a few. What we are espousing is the idea that we should not limit a person’s opportunities based on traditional gender stereotypes.
So, whenever someone tells you to subscribe to traditional gender roles, remember this: The Philippines won its first Olympic gold medal thanks to Hidilyn Diaz, a Filipina weightlifter, and its second and third from Carlos Yulo – a Filipino shining in gymnastics. Break the mold, shatter stereotypes, and let talent and passion lead the way!
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