Women and the Martial Arts

[Kieran-Lilith]

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

Martial arts come in many styles and forms, each claiming a different specialty or ability. There are some styles that focus on tradition, strength and winning at tournament. Then, there are some styles that focus on the development of not only the body, but the cultivation of the mind, body and spirit as a unified whole. For the purpose of this paper, we will be discussing the latter of the two main ideologies in the martial arts.

It is about this kind of Karate that Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern martial arts, once wrote, "One of the most striking features of Karate is that it may be engaged in by anybody, young or old, strong or weak, male or female." As a physical exercise and instrument for personal growth, the martial arts can and will work wonders for the average person to the individual with psychological problems. It is because of this, then, that I found the need to address the issue of women being mistreated and discriminated against in the martial arts. This treatment deprives women of the benefits of martial arts that they should have the right to enjoy.

In ancient cultures, where knowledge of the martial arts was necessary for the preservation of one's community or life, it was not uncommon for women to be almost as heavily involved in the martial arts as men, if not more so. As Ratti reveals, women across the globe often played a dominant role in even the warrior societies. It was common for women to be warrior queens and lead troops into battle. Women were equal to men, and, in fact, were sometimes even more important than men. However, as societies began to emerge and develop, woman's role within them changed dramatically. (114).

With the introduction of society, women became the property of men in all ways. Financially, women could not legally own or inherit in most cultures. Women could not obtain employment. Women had no right to defend themselves from men. Even physically, women were shaped into what men found appealing. In ancient China, women's feet were bound because men found them attractive. (Ballantine, 257). Today, fashions like stiletto heels, tight skirts and restrictive shirts actually make women less able to defend themselves while at the same time potentially creating a sexual object for some men. (Ballantine, 275).

It is this social ideology that, for many years, prohibited women from participating in the martial arts. Until the 1970s women's movement, women could not train legally. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 82). Today, women can legally train in the martial arts, but they continue to face many difficulties that men do not. Most are faced with the misconception that they are more "unusual, unfeminine and otherwise different from "normal" women." ("Martial Arts for Women," 38). As beliefs such as those are prevalent, it is no wonder that out of all black belts, only about ten percent are women and only about ten percent of those women are instructors. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 72, 87).

Women face prejudice in the martial arts in many forms. The most easily recognizable of these is the "bully." The bully is the aggressive male or female who does not feel that women belong in the martial arts or feels they have something to prove, respectively. Their beliefs are demonstrated by their behaviors: snide comments, demeaning remarks and physical abuse. These men want the women gone from the training hall and they will do what they think is normal to get rid of the women. These bullying behaviors can even be observed in tournament judges, who will occasionally dismiss female athletes, refuse to allow them to compete against males or continually ignore the woman. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 60-61).

"Rescuers" are also common. These are the men that feel the need to defend women, to help them and to keep them safe, even from themselves. They are not meant to negatively influence a woman's training experience, in fact, that's the last thing they want. However, while their intentions are the very best and they are very honorable, the outcome of their actions is never really going to help women advance. Rescuers will try to do things that are polite, like helping move and lift heavy bags. This takes away autonomy and the sense of accomplishment that can be and is derived from doing things on one's own. While it is polite, it is unnecessary. They will also discourage women from participating in activities they enjoy because of possible danger. They still encourage the mind set that women need a man to save them from violence, even if it is upon her. They hold firmly to the belief that women, even well-trained women, will still be incapable of defending themselves. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 61-65).

It is also believed that women who actively participate in a physical activity may be experiencing more gender role conflict than those women who do not actively engage in a physical activity. Both of these assumptions are untrue. In a study conducted on women ranging from seventh graders to college age females, the level of gender role conflict was compared between females actively engaged in a sport and those who were not actively engaged in a sport. The study found that, despite common belief, women who are active in a sport experience less gender role conflict than those who are not involved. (Miller).

The martial arts are also not only proven to promote physical health and well-being, but have also proven beneficial to psychological health. This is done through teaching skills and values, such as direct communication, assertiveness, empathy, responsibility and self discipline. It is also done through confrontation of the self and, in turn, others. These qualities make the martial arts appropriate for everyone, including those with some psychological problem or trauma. (Weiser).

One of the reported effects of training is the awakening of extremely strong emotions that are essential in the confrontation of the self. These emotions become very important because they are difficult to ignore, especially as they are expressed in a physical manner. When individuals are forced to confront these feelings, they become stronger - more confident, more disciplined and more expressive. (Weiser).

The martial arts are also purported to heal individuals from traumatic experiences. In the case of the Thousand Waves dojo in Chicago, over twenty percent of those training were recovering from incest, rape, eating disorders and drug abuse. All of these women reported that the martial arts training had given them new confidence, discipline and personal empowerment. (Guthrie). In other dojos, women have reported feeling less angry since they now have a physical outlet for their aggression. (Harber).

Perhaps the most important thing these women have realized, however, is that they have been socialized to be subservient to men, even in a supposedly egalitarian society such as modern America. They recognize that they have always feared violence from their male counterparts and this gives the men an unreasonable advantage over women. (Harber). As it stands, women have good reason to fear some men. Statistics show that 1 in 5 women will be raped in their lifetimes. Most of these victims will be under the age of thirty. (Ballantine, 279). Only twenty-seven percent of women who are raped will ever realize it is not their fault. The rest - the other seventy-three percent - will blame themselves. Eight-four percent of the women will know their rapist. These numbers are also reasoned to be much lower than the actual numbers, because there is evidence that nine out of ten women will not report a rape. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 110-113). As Gavin De Becker was quoted in "Training Women in the Martial Arts," "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them." ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 97).

It is this reality that women will continue to see. Martial arts are good for self defense, but the most powerful thing women can learn to do from the martial arts is empower themselves. Sure - if every woman in the world stopped practicing the martial arts today, it would not destroy society. It might even be relatively unnoticed. But, by discouraging martial arts, we are discouraging something much more important. We are telling women through social cues that it is not okay to stand up for your self. It is not okay to be independent from men. We are telling women it is okay for men to abuse them, rape them and subjugate their wills. (Wiley, 73).

It should also be noted that by not acknowledging women as equals in the dojo, it is a reflection of our values outside the dojo. As we all know, when we go to work, the social hierarchy does not disappear any more than it does when we go to the library. It doesn't disappear in the dojo, either, merely becoming more subtle with the hierarchy that is already in place. This hierarchy, based in sexual prejudice, is interestingly less prevalent in non-Freudian societies, such as Japan. (Chapman, 318).

In Japan, it is recognized that it is possible for men and women to have asexual relationships. Rather than having foundations in the inherent sexuality of relationships between men and women, the Japanese instead focus on the concept of humanity. This then leads to a principle called "danjo ga seibetsu ni torawarezu ni, juyu na ishiki o mochi kodo suru koto," or "acting with a free consciousness so that we are not caught up with the sexual differences between men and women." (Chapman, 318).

While Japan may be more tolerant in the dojo, it is still noted that they are more baffled than American men as to why women would wish to train in Karate. They do not understand why a woman in their society, which is even more patriarchal than the United States, would wish to step outside of her gender role. (Chapman, 320). When a Japanese woman steps into the sporting arena, she steps into the masculine role, in which the bushido code or the way of the warrior, is inherent. This warrior code was the way of life for samurai in feudal Japan and has managed to survive in many martial arts schools and in the Japanese culture itself. (Chapman, 325).

In the United States, however, we are taught from infancy which roles we are to play in society. The words we use to describe baby girls and boys are different. Girls are described as "soft, delicate, little, beautiful, pretty, cute, awkward and resembling their mothers" and boys are described as "strong, firm, alert and well-coordinated." Even the names we are given are different. Boys have names that end in consonants and their names are considered strong and hard. Girls receive names that end in vowels or sound softer or names that are feminine versions of boys' names. (Ballantine, 264).

As we grow earlier, boys and girls adapt different body language and behaviors. Boys are allowed to be out of control and rambunctious and people laugh and say "boys will be boys." Girls, however, are taught to play quietly in small groups. They are discouraged from getting dirty or doing anything that could potentially hurt them. Boys learn to roughhouse and to posture, both of which are dominant body language. Girls learn to cross their legs and tilt their heads to the side, behaviors that are considered feminine, but more importantly, submissive. (Ballantine, 273).

The martial arts, as they empower women and teach them to fend for themselves, destroy the patriarchal notions that women need men. They teach women and girls that you do not need to be pretty and made up to be powerful. In the dojo, everyone wears the same uniform and no one wears make up or jewelry. This is a relief to most women, who feel the constant pressure to conform to society's standards. (Rowland).

Over the years, many solutions to the lack of women training in the martial arts developed. Perhaps the most popular is the all-women's class/dojo. This idea stems from the thought that women will be more comfortable in an all-female environment and thus learn better how to defend themselves from potential attacks. (Guthrie).

This idea is filled with problems, however. In an all-women's class, the reality factor is lost. Women, in all likelihood, will not be attacked by other women. A woman is more likely to be attacked by a larger, stronger male. Training with other women does not prepare the woman for a real-life scenario.

It is also often contested that all-women classes are much less intense than all-male or even coed classes ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 86). This, while not true, creates a stigma to females only classes. They are seen as beginner classes, or classes for the weak or for those who merely want to exercise a little. Due to this stigma, it attracts people that would train in much the same manner as a beginner or an exercise group. Also, while exercise classes are fine, the reputation of a martial arts school should be based on the kind of classes it teaches, not just that it is for women. Women's classes can be just as intense, if not more so, than a coed or a male only class.

Another popular idea is that women need to be given special treatment in a coed class. Women and their status as a minority group play a role in this decision. However, this is ineffective because men are already often giving women less realistic training, as in the case of the "rescuers" discussed earlier. Creating "special" training for women, or endorsing any activity that sets them apart from the men enforces the idea that the genders are different both inside and outside the dojo. Creating special female only classes set women apart. These actions reinforce the idea that women need "special" circumstances to train, when in reality, they do not.

Rather than continue to repeat the mistakes of segregating men and women and creating special classes, I would propose that martial art schools need to be fully integrated. In women's self defense class, males should be present to play the role of aggressor. It provides a more accurate real-life scenario and when women find that they really can overcome a larger, stronger, male opponent, it gives them more confidence than it would to do the same technique on a woman.

In the martial arts school itself, if women are not segregated, they may rise to higher levels of rank. This rank gives a martial artist authority over people involved in the school. When men, and not only women, are under the command of a woman, it builds self confidence in the woman. Also, it decreases the amount of sexism in the dojo because it is not just women and children responding the high ranking female's commands. It is everyone, including the men.

I would also promote a greater awareness of how men and women are socialized into their different gender roles. By understanding that men are taught from the time they are children that what girls have is inconsequential, it would combat many of the forces of sexism and disregard for women who train directly. As previously stated, it is apparent in the behaviors of children when individuals are socialized into gender roles.

It is difficult to create such an awareness, however. Potential methods of creating this awareness are correcting behaviors in the children, such as when boys refuse to work with girls or torment them before class. If the children understand that these behaviors are inappropriate, then they will not repeat them. Among adults, where behaviors are already cemented, it could be beneficial to recognize and correct when either sex engages in sexist behaviors. Eliminating comments like "you hit like a girl" would be a large step in the right direction.

It is also important to recognize that women will need to understand how they have been socialized into their role. Efforts should be made to teach women that it is okay to stand up and defend one's self. It is also important to realize that women have the same misconceptions as me, and as such, will need just as much correction and aid in learning to break the traditional gender role.

To combat negative behaviors from both adults and children in the martial arts, it is important that girls be given equal space to the boys. It is important that boys and girls work with each other, not sticking to their own gender. It is also important that the individual needs of each group are recognized, just as in any other educational environment.

I feel that it is important that equality and recognition of different social forces be stressed in creating a more progressive learning atmosphere. Women do not need "special" help, or to be given some sort of "advantage" over them men. The men have done that for centuries and using the same tactics on men as they have used on women simply changes the inequality. This, in turn, still preserves the tradition of one-upping the other gender. If that tradition could be eliminated, then perhaps more women would be open to recognizing and participating in the benefits of the martial arts.

While not all male participants in the martial arts deliberately hinder a female martial artist's training, it remains fact that many do, even when acting with the best of intentions. Whether a man becomes a physical and/or verbal aggressor or is merely trying to "aid" those he sees as weaker than himself, both of these actions result in a detriment to a woman's martial art experience. It is my belief that if women and men were educated to understand that their personal perceptions of gender roles and place in society have been socially dictated to them from the time they were born, then more women would feel comfortable learning the martial arts and experiencing the multitude of benefits found therein.

While the lack of women in martial arts is disturbing, it is indicative of the larger problem: women, even those claiming to be "equal" to their male peers, are still socially prohibited from rising too high or taking control of their own lives. While the martial arts is doubtfully the final solution, it is one method of evening the odds between men and women, and perhaps then we, as a society, can recognize the equal worth of men and women, no matter what their occupation, life or destiny.

Bibliography

"Gender Role Conflict in Middle School and College Female Athletes and Non-Athletes" ("Physical Educator," Volume 58, Issue 3) by Jessica L. Miller and Myra Heinrich

"Liberating the Amazon: Feminism and the Martial Arts" ("Women & Therapy," Volume 16, Issue 2/3) by Sharon R. Guthrie

"Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide" by Jennifer Lawler

"Ossu! Sporting Masculinities in a Japanese Karate Dojo" by Kris Chapman

"Our Social World: Introduction to Sociology" by Jeanne H. Ballantine and Keith A. Roberts

"Psychotherapeutic Aspects of the Martial Arts" ("American Journal of Psychotherapy," Volume 49, Issue 1) by Mark Weiser and Ilan Kutz

"Secrets of the Samurai: A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan" by Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook

"Training Women in the Martial Arts: A Special Journey" by Jennifer Lawler and Laura Kamienski

"Women in Martial Arts" ("Off Our Backs," Volume 17, Issue 4) by Becca Harber

"Women in the Martial Arts" by Carol Wiley

[Patrick]

Thank you for the submission.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for the article. Lots of information in there to consider.

[Rateh]

Interesting article. Though I wonder if the younger generation might be someone changed from that. I'm 24 and I feel like I grew up in a different world than that stated in the article. Maybe it's just me though.

[joesteph]

The martial arts, as they empower women and teach them to fend for themselves, destroy the patriarchal notions that women need men. They teach women and girls that you do not need to be pretty and made up to be powerful. In the dojo, everyone wears the same uniform and no one wears make up or jewelry. This is a relief to most women, who feel the constant pressure to conform to society's standards. (Rowland).

I selected this paragraph to quote because of a video I found online, Gina Carano vs Julie Kedzic. In no way do these women refer to having been trained differently from men, and in no way do they demonstrate that they couldn't hold their own with men as well as with other women in their weight class. At the end is an after-event "interview" right there in the ring, with both fighters referring to women in the martial arts.

It's some fight!

http://ginacarano.proelite.com/stuff/video/18398/Showtime_Presents:_EliteXC_Destiny_-_Gina_Carano_vs_Julie_Kedzie

[Tiger1962]

Women face prejudice in the martial arts in many forms. The most easily recognizable of these is the "bully." The bully is the aggressive male or female who does not feel that women belong in the martial arts or feels they have something to prove, respectively. Their beliefs are demonstrated by their behaviors: snide comments, demeaning remarks and physical abuse. These men want the women gone from the training hall and they will do what they think is normal to get rid of the women. These bullying behaviors can even be observed in tournament judges, who will occasionally dismiss female athletes, refuse to allow them to compete against males or continually ignore the woman. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 60-61).

I've seen this happen many times.

"Rescuers" are also common. These are the men that feel the need to defend women, to help them and to keep them safe, even from themselves. They are not meant to negatively influence a woman's training experience, in fact, that's the last thing they want. However, while their intentions are the very best and they are very honorable, the outcome of their actions is never really going to help women advance. Rescuers will try to do things that are polite, like helping move and lift heavy bags. This takes away autonomy and the sense of accomplishment that can be and is derived from doing things on one's own. While it is polite, it is unnecessary. They will also discourage women from participating in activities they enjoy because of possible danger. They still encourage the mind set that women need a man to save them from violence, even if it is upon her. They hold firmly to the belief that women, even well-trained women, will still be incapable of defending themselves. ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 61-65).

.....and this too.........

It is also often contested that all-women classes are much less intense than all-male or even coed classes ("Training Women in the Martial Arts," 86). This, while not true, creates a stigma to females only classes. Women's classes can be just as intense, if not more so, than a coed or a male only class.

Eliminating comments like "you hit like a girl" would be a large step in the right direction.

In addition to this...I've also seen the flip side of the coin where you have a female martial artist who over-compensates to prove she isn't one of those "delicate girl-types" and so she "acts like a male" (sorry, for lack of better description) and in turn has an intimidating demeanor to her classmates. Makes me think to myself: "can't she just be the gender she is without trying to act like an alpha male?"

I'm probably wording this all very politically incorrect but being eloquent is not my strong point. Sorry!

[bushido_man96]

In an all-women's class, the reality factor is lost. Women, in all likelihood, will not be attacked by other women. A woman is more likely to be attacked by a larger, stronger male. Training with other women does not prepare the woman for a real-life scenario.

I think that this is very much the case. It is important for females to train with males for this purpose. As instructors, I think it is important to not let partner work always take place between "friends" within the dojo. These interminglings help to adapt to different people and body types.

[Chikara]

Excellent post! I recognized everything from a college class I attended. It focused solely on gender roles. And thanks for putting the quotes in, I'm definitely going to research that stuff myself.

The solution for equality would be to have the female prove to both the male and herself that she is smart, strong, and capable enough to defend herself. Martial arts is the first step towards mutual respect.

[JusticeZero]

Nice article. I find that on my end I already take pains to do everything mentioned; however, next I need to find something to help me learn how to best encourage female students of get free of the conditioning and constraints they put on themselves; I am forever frustrated by female students refusing to push themselves as far as they are able, choking their ablities off by the limits of some self-imposed pink-flowery-girlie-weak image rather than extending themselves as a powerful human being..

[JoiH]

Beautiful post. As one of the ten percent of blackbelts who is a female and one of the ten percent of female blackbelts who is an instructor I am cheering you right now.

That is a well stated and well researched post. Thank you.