The cultural stereotypes have limited the access of many, especially males, to the sport. Gender stereotyping portrays dance as a female sport. These stereotypes have cemented themselves into minds of Australian men and women for many years, fostering the hegemonic image of males in Australian society. This has been drilled into the male brain for centuries, dating back to the gladiators that would fight in coliseums to prove their manliness. When applying this concept to sport, it is the ideal that males must be involved in sports that show aggression, physical toughness and strength. As dance is a non contact, self expressive form of sport it does not fit the hegemonic ideals that society upholds. Todays stereotypical male standards are intensified on a cultural level through the media. Personally I had minimal experience with dance as a child. Looking back at decision I believe I would have been bullied going through primary school and middle school because of the built up views of hegemonic …show more content…
On an institutional level the cost of dancing at a dance school or any dance institution is ridiculously high. Dance is one of the most expensive sports to enroll into in Australia. According to ‘The Sunshine Coast Daily’ (2015) the coast of rugby league is $200 compared to $2320 for a year of dance. This is a major factor for my lack of participation in dance and many other people in Australia. A study conducted by the AMP in conjunction with the University of Canberra (2013) found, “that the cost of raising two children for a family on a middle income will cost 812,000.” These cost are already high, meaning most families will try to save money where they can. Suggesting that the sports that are cheaper to play will be more sought after among families and cause a lack of participation. As I got older and started to gain interest in the sport, I asked my parents if I could try dance. But coming from a middle class family my parents could not afford to pay for the lessons. A solution to the cost Barrier could be to increase media exposure to earn Dance more