Up until a few years ago, girls had only Barbie and supermodels to look up to. Not that long ago there were very few female super heroes, and even fewer female athletes. A generation ago, only one in twenty-seven females participated in sports due to the lack of opportunities, encouragement, and confidence. Now, one in every two females plays sports. Title IX did not, however, change the attitude that sports were primarily a male activity.
Women make up only thirty-four percent of the high school sports population.
In college the figure is thirty-six percent. These young women have grown up with mothers who were allowed to play little, if any sports. Therefore, they did not encourage their daughters to participate in physical activities to the same extent that they encouraged their sons. It wasn't until recently that television portrayed girls that were not boy-crazy, stupid, or ditzy. As the growing interest in sports for girls increased, the media followed.