A rant, and little more.

http://esfinges.net/why-women-keep-away-from-martial-arts/

Jeeze there’s a lot here. An article about why women keep away from martial arts (Although HEMA is specifically and obviously addressed), with nothing about why women actually keep away. No interviews, or Q&A's from women who have quit the sport. Instead, we're treated to this: 

“Quite recently, this topic was again brought up: “why do white, middle class men dominate our hobby and what to do (or what not to do) to open to a larger group of minorities?” ”

Is this article about minorities or women? The title says why women shy away from martial arts, then dives immediately into the question of how to open up HEMA for minorities? Is this another article detailing the issues women face with more violent sports, or is this a suggestion box for welcoming martial arts for all groups? Who knows, since it never clarifies. It starts talking about women the rest of the time so I suppose we mean women and not minorities. 

Why middle class: because it’s an expensive sport. Not SO expensive it takes Olympian levels of money, but my gear is half handmade and cheaper for the labor than most and still costs me over $1,000. My sword ALONE was $700. I could NOT do this sport back when I made 8k a year. It takes at least middle class. That, naturally, IS going to exclude a lot of minorities that are struggling to make it still. The disparities are real. (Plus, this article is about women? Why is this jab at white males here at all besides it being the popular thing to do?)

Why white: because it’s historical European martial arts… We live in an era where people are screaming at white men “culture not race” for good reason, and they are finding culture subsequently. White people are gravitating to a historical contexts in which they find themselves. I gravitated quite naturally to this sport, whereas my Jewish partner said he feels no more attachment to this than to, say, Kendo… he does not feel part of either of those ancestries quite equally. There is no inherent exclusion of other groups, and since the article does not seem to be about minorities I'm dropping it here, but it is a factor in the over-representation of white people.

Why men: because men tend to be present in all fields of althetic ability, and they show up more than women when there is a degree of danger or fight involved. The amount of women that have a desire to do MMA or any other violent sport is far smaller than men. While this is what’s being addressed in the article, it’s still plain as day why men are here.

“Undoubtedly one of these minorities is women and of course the same annoying old opinion appeared – “If women wanted to, they would come to us on their own and we wouldn’t need to do anything to make our activity look more appealing to them”. As a female fencer and as an instructor I beg to differ with such opinions.”

And here again, zero clarification if the author means women are minorities in sports, or in general. It seems to imply the latter despite the fact they’re half the damn population. But let’s forget that and drop it. Let’s also forget I don’t know who or what schools she is quoting this line from. This seems presumptuous on her part. 

At any rate, she’s saying that there are things that need to change to get more women into the sport. And I agree. HEMA can help heal some of the issues going on in society for the very select niche group of women that are attracted to it.

These things are: …. I don’t know, because we start immediately talking more about things that hold women back in martial arts.

So, what holds women back according to the author? This is a flurry of things, where she lights into society, talks about ‘advantages’ women have in HEMA which are flimsy at best arguments based on a few loosely pulled together studies, and uses anecdotal evidence to create generalizations about men.

• Social constraints. Being told physical activity isn’t for women, and them not able to see themselves in sports like these. Violence is pushed out of women. We’re only now coming into a time where girls are growing up with the possibility of being in combat positions and all the good and bad that comes with it. This is something that HEMA Cannot specifically help heal outside of training women and showing women they can be part of this sport, but I believe it does its part well along with BJJ and other martial arts in showing women they are capable in these arenas. Again, there is no mention of how HEMA needs to change to provide women better access, so I’m leaving this point off right here.
• “I heard from many women that they don’t like any idea of hitting people. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. But I never heard anything like that from a guy, although I’m sure many of them think the same….fighting is ok for boys but girls should not go around hitting people.“ There is annoying bit where the author has never heard of a guy, ever, saying he’s opposed to hitting anyone. She then launches into gender stereotypes and more social constraints? The irony is lost on her. Saying “I’m sure they exist” is not the same as giving men their due diligence. It’s a generalized sweep of the hand, and in an article where we’re literally just talking about how women are generalized and marginalized, I find this rubs me the wrong way.
• There’s a blurb here about how women and men view aggression. I’m not going to bother, it’s circling back to social constraints again. At this point, it’s rambling about how women aren’t in HEMA more because… men maybe, and society definitely. This is a niche group, with a niche interest. You’re not going to win them all, but that doesn’t mean societal changes are all that's neeeded. There is plenty HEMA can do. 
• Biology/Hormones/Physical differences. By the authors OWN admission: “Obviously there are certain differences in our anatomy which just make men more effective in the short run – on average they have greater muscle mass, and because of that they are stronger and faster than average females”. We see men that transitioned into women completely obliterating the competition in their newly accessed all female sports. Women have less physical athletic ability IF you want to generalize—and specifically here, I do. Specific examples are not going to do well here because if you know x nerdy dude against y Crossfit junkie girl, of course she’s going to outperform. But the research in science has been crystal clear: men are evolved for this shit, for many complex reasons OUTSIDE of the social constraints of women. This is an obstacle for us ladies. Not something to go home, cry about, lament the world isn’t fair… just an obstacle in the sport. But here’s the kicker: in a group based on Competition, people don’t like to lose. Novel concept, I know. But this is going to deter some people. Farrell writes an amazing piece about how it is NOT an advantage to be a smaller fencer. For a reason. Smaller, weaker people in this sport are at a disadvantage. We’re being told there is no such thing as a physical limit while I’m watching every competition in the Piedmont area have No women in the top 5 in the 2 years I’ve been attending. This isn’t to be mistaken with “impossible,” “don’t bother,” or “wrong for girls to try.” They just have more hurdles to jump, and this does show. We won’t even go into the normal things that hold women back from competitions that are gender neutral (like the anxiety of one’s performance and the fear of being hurt).

And this is where the article, again, loses traction. She tries to put together some loose arguments about things women are biologically superior about as if these make up for the glaring overly obvious athletic ability conundrum. When you turn around and admit that guys are better at physical activities Like sports, there is no “but we can.” Women have enough to deal with without trying to erase the very real obstacle that they need to work harder in this sport. Better night vision? What am I, Seal Team 6? How is that supposed to help me against someone 3x my weight class? Taking away our laurels for performing well in a task we need to work harder for isn’t doing anyone any favors. Savor it. There’s a reason when we see a smaller guy defeat a larger one we cheer more—because we knew he was at a disadvantage and he still made it. His skill and time he put in both shows. No amount of mentioning “women have endurance in this particular way!” or “women endure pain this way!” is going to change the fact I haven’t seen a single woman in the top 5.

The women in HEMA work hard to get where they are, minimizing obstacles isn’t improving on HEMA for women nor is it helping them. Trying to make “hip movements in sparring” into a men vs women thing is … I don’t know where to start with that. So I won’t. It’s oddly sexist and I’m dismissing it.

So here she immediately circles back around to how to invite others, finally, and they’re fairly solid:

• Don’t be a bully. There IS definitely something to this. We can get into lots of details about this (like hey, if you’re making Jew jokes you’re probably being a dick and that person you didn’t realize was Jewish might be discouraged from attending a class. This isn’t the place for that shit… the correct place is Nowhere go die in a fire.) and if the article had been about this last little blurb it would have completely made more sense. This speaks to something on target with the title—and lends itself to solution. If you call people “pussies” when they shy away from fighting, you aren’t going encourage women. And yes, you can be a woman and still discourage other women by using terminology like that. HEMA specifically can have instructors be very strict about what people say in side-line conversations—which is true of many schools of art, not just HEMA. An official code of conduct can go a long ways.
• Be welcoming to new guys. This is pretty standard, but still worth noting. It’s known throughout any club actively seeking members that nice to the new person helps expand the group. This isn’t very gender specific, but still, it has some actual content and substance.
• Here’s the FIRST and (in my opinion) only good thing she wrote about How to Get Women to not shy away from HEMA: “we don’t want to be treated as a club mascot, something special. “ (Let’s put that icky snowflake business aside. I’m not touching that word with a 10 foot pole.) It puts some anxiety and social pressure on us to perform well against all the odds when we’re lifted on a pedestal. Some men just want to show up, learn some stuff, and skitter away. Some women do too. It is not our jobs to tout diversity in your space. I haven’t encountered this first hand, but I could see a scenario like this easily where a woman feels pressure to perform better than she physically can or mentally wants to from the desires of those around her to be representative of diversity. It isn’t her job to make the group more diverse. HEMA instructors take note: We want to be seen when our performance excels, and we need (just like anyone else) to be reminded that we’re improving even when it feels like we aren’t… but don’t make us the ‘lead female’ in an arena automatically. Especially if we’re the only one. Being the only girl is technically being the best girl, but just like any dude serious about competition, no one cares about default wins or losses. Why was this not the entire article? This alone could be a whole article, has valid concerns and addresses several complex issues about FORCING diversity versus creating a space for diversity. In a race to show people "look we are accepting of others" we might be forcing people into a position they never wanted to lead the charge on. There is a lot here in this one, tiny sentence and yet it got the least attention in the whole piece. It is sad, because it was a genuinely awesome aspect completely overshadowed. 

I read this entire article and the only thing I got out of it were the last three points right at the end. It says females shy away from HEMA, then takes a stab at white males, talks about minorities but mentions them zero times more, and then throws women in there without clear definition on whether they mean women are considered minorities in sports or minorities as a whole, and why women have it so hard because of society? And then maybe stuff about sports and genders? I really wish the focus had been on the last bits, as they were the important ones. 

Let me tell you things off the top of my head to attract women into HEMA:

• Make more female appropriate gear. The plasti-bra has to die in a dumpster fire some day. Having access to items that fit us will make the sport safer for us. Women shy away when they have to take care of themselves and others and there’s a sport that can put us out of commission in doing that.
• Create female tournaments as well. Open is still an option, but giving females their own arena can create serious competition for us that gives us the option to see how well we do against ourselves. It’s easy, and can be implemented in just about any tournament setting.
• Have Levels of training that are clearly defined. HEMA is beautiful in that it can be so flexible in the scholarly aspects as well as the violent ones. Give less violent people access to what they’re comfortable with. If you emphasize sparring entirely, you’ll push away students. Let people compete with what they’re comfortable with. If you have an approach to teaching that says “hey, at this point in class we all spar” people might not be ready for that. Not now, or ever. It’s easier to avoid a class than it is to say “Hey, I’m not really into that.” And people do avoid. It’s an ego saver. HEMA is awesome because it is almost as much scholarly as it is physical activity. Emphasize both, and you’ll help people find their niches. The reality is, not everyone is going to desire competition. Let women decide if they want to compete on their own, and instructors, guide them there if they seem shy about it but have a desire.
• Help change the atmosphere of excessive force. Instructors and students alike need to be very forward and accepting of what’s appropriate force or not. Judges need to be CONFIDENT in what they see happen and not rely on the hard “thwacks” that can cue them a hit has been made. Enforcing the tournament rules when they talk about excessive force—and encouraging tournaments to include rules on excessive force if they lack them. The reality is, even men are going against people 2-3x their weight class and serious damage can be done.
• Having check-ins and discussions with students and regulars. We get input and constantly ask for feedback from students to improve the atmosphere of the school. People will tell you what specifically bothers them, even if it isn’t in public. It can be as anonymous as a survey online, or an in-person meeting, but if a woman is noting issues in the school, she’s more likely to bring it up if you’re always opening dialogue. 
• Read up on research and problems in other martial arts and what they’ve done to change the climate.

That’s like 6 things I hodge-podged together in like 10 minutes. It’s a poorly written article (So is mine, but I'm not writing from a position of authority and giving it a fancy schmancy title), rubs me the wrong way, but the ONE bit of it was actually quite good. Again, I really wish the emphasis would have been placed on that instead.