Sex Verification and Protected Categories in Sport: Binary or Bust?

Abstract

International Olympic Committee and World Athletics policies are based on the rationale that sex-segregated sport is the discrepancy in athletic performance between men and women. However, the question of whether sport should be sex-segregated is more complex. It is untrue that all women are athletically inferior to all men. The degree of difference depends in large part on the sport. Yet, the binary categorizations prompt expectations regarding femininity and heterosexuality, creating issues around how the categories and binary configurations of men and women are regulated and enforced. Sex verification was originally put into place to protect women’s sport from men who were imagined would masquerade as women in order to dominate women’s sports. Sex verification ultimately became a process to police women’s bodies, which was and continues to be framed in the notion of ‘fair play.' Society struggles with women athletes who don’t fit the pervasive restrictive social ideals and norms and, consequently, much debate about sex verification has arisen amongst academics, sport policy makers and athletes. This chapter takes direction from Judith Butler, who suggests gender categories in sport should attempt to be both equal and inclusive.

Department(s)

Political Science and Philosophy

Document Type

Article

DOI

10.4324/9781003093862-4

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Journal Title

Routledge Handbook of Gender Politics in Sport and Physical Activity

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