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The fairer sex has had a long, hard struggle to be accepted in the world of athletics. When the Olympic Games were first held in Greece in 776 B.C., women were excluded from competing. In fact, married women were not ever allowed to watch. This exclusion was because these events proved the warrior's combat prowess and thus his virility.Not to be outdone, women arranged their own Games of Hera, to honour the Greek goddess of women and the earth. However this was only for unmarried women. Held every four years, the prizes consisted of Pomegranates, olive wreaths and a slice of a sacrificial cow.
Ever since, the world has regarded athletic competition as a masculine endeavour. This sentiment persisted well in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when social changes led to greater equality for women.
Women have competed in the Olympics since 1900 though initially in far fewer events than men. This resulted from concern about female physical capabilities. One outcome of this concern was the development of less physically demanding versions of sports for women. For example basketball was transformed into the gentler netball.
Another facet of women's athletics was that it tended to be amateur only. This led to a strong women's showing in Communist countries which had state initiatives for athletics. Even today, the former communist nations produce outstanding female athletes.
Nowadays, women are active in nearly all major sporting events. While female participation in contact sports such as football and boxing remains low, many females have achieved great success in such sports as golf, ice hockey and marathon running.