Sexism in chess

[J T Melsom]

I have found recent posts here to be considered and informative, for the most part an example of how we can actually discuss these topics. It has been a difficult journey to this point, but it affirms my decision to open the post and to step back from the debate when my views seemed to be a distraction from the more substantive discussion. Thanks

[John McKenna]

Very sensible, JT.

It was right to start this as a separate thread because there certainly is a perennial problem for women who want to play the game in peace and not be hassled, intimidated and made to feel unwelcome in any way.

I have seen it happen - not often, but enough to know it is a problem that contributes to reducing the number of women involved in chess. Attitudes have been changing, slowly but surely, and will continue to do so as old habits die away.

[Alex McFarlane]

I do not doubt there is sexism in chess.

But there is the even tougher problem of perceived sexism. I will explain what I mean.

Chess attracts a number of people whose social skills are below the national average. Some by a considerable amount. I had one female player correctly complaining about being uncomfortable about a male player. This was perceived as being sexist but I too felt uncomfortable in the presence of that player. The player, in trying to make what he thought was polite conversation, used topics that really weren't appropriate when talking to a stranger.

I do not know how we overcome this problem. I think that many more women would play in competitions and at clubs if the male chess population was more normal. Unfortunately many players don't realise that their behaviour makes others uncomfortable, even if told.

Obviously there is straightforward sexual harassment but there is also unintentional harassment through what is deemed to be 'normal conversation' and in some cases the invasion of body space. Covid19 may have gone some way to reduce the last point. How we deal with the player that comes up to a stranger and talks to them as if they have known them all of their lives is another matter.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I think Alex McF is absolutely right.

There's also unconscious sexism - one player reported that a couple of players had approached her (perfectly politely) and asked, "Are you playing in the tournament?" This sounds reasonable enough at first, but she pointed out that if they had spoken to a man, the question would have been, "Which section are you playing in?"

The other point is that chess clubs are not really sociable. I know Bridge is not that sociable as it's always your partner's fault, but at least you're there with a chum (in theory)!

[Jonathan Bryant]

Without disagreeing with the central point, I think it important to remember that when we talk about increasing the number of women / girls playing chess we mean ... the way we play (tournament or club chess).

I would go a bit further and include online.

Yes, fair enough. The main idea I was trying to emphasise is that it’s not that women and girls don’t want to play at all and the fact that other ways of playing chess are more attractive should give us reason to think beyond "well it’s only men who want to play chess". Beacuse it isn’t.
(see also the popularity of chess at schools amongst girls - prior to secondary school, anyway).

[David Sedgwick]

There's also unconscious sexism - one player reported that a couple of players had approached her (perfectly politely) and asked, "Are you playing in the tournament?" This sounds reasonable enough at first, but she pointed out that if they had spoken to a man, the question would have been, "Which section are you playing in?"

if the episode to which you allude is the one which I think it is, then it took place nearly thirty years ago. Nowadays it is more likely that either question would be put both to a woman and to a man.

At the Women in Leadership in Chess Webinar a couple of days ago, I told the following anecdote.

In the Challengers A (U2250) Tournament at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival 2018, my first two opponents were WGMs. I lost both games. Afterwards several players commiserated with me for having had to face two such strong players at the start of an U2250 event.

Had the games been played thirty years previously, the other old white men on this Forum don't need me to describe what the reaction would have been to a man who had lost to two women in successive rounds, whatever the circumstances. I leave the description to the imagination of other readers.

[JustinHorton]

And yet, you know, a whole lifetime's worth of sexist statements and attitudes are not any kind of impediment to a role as a FIDE Vice-President.

[Alex McFarlane]

OK, how do we encourage positive action on attracting more women players?

Hastings offered free entry to women one year. This resulted in fewer such entries! Some feedback indicated that this action was seen as patronising.

We know that women only prizes can have mixed success but are generally seen as a positive.

Some US tournament offer a pairs prize to the top 'couple'. The idea behind this was that a man would encourage a woman to come along with him, boosting women's participation and entry numbers. In some events this idea has backfired badly with existing women players complaining about being bombarded by men wanting to team up with them (and some not just for the sake of the competition).

My ideas for making chess more socially acceptable to women would all involve restricting male entry so probably not feasible (at least financially in the short term).

So my suggestion for getting more women involved consists of the request for suggestions on how we can educate some men to be less obnoxious to women.

I raise this matter now as there may be a brief window of opportunity when over the board chess resumes. There is a chance that some women playing online might be tempted to migrate to otb while some of the more socially inept males will continue online exclusively.

[Tim Spanton]

I know of ballet classes that have trouble attracting young boys. It can't be because boys are less interested in ballet than girls, so clearly there must be a need to make ballet more inclusive for males.

[NickFaulks]

So my suggestion for getting more women involved consists of the request for suggestions on how we can educate some men to be less obnoxious to women.

Or, as you mentioned earlier, to be less obnoxious ( to be kinder, socially inept ) generally. Not easy.

It seems obvious that one solution would be more tournaments restricted to women, but apparently that's wrong too.

[Matt Bridgeman]

The ballet comment was a bit odd. I don’t think it’s simply a preference. The ballet world has difficulty attracting boys to dance because of deep seated stereotypes and prejudices about ballet being for woman and effeminate gay men. Boys who show an interest in ballet often meet a lot of resistance from particularly their fathers, friends and society at large. The dancers that continue are commonly subject to verbal and physical abuse.

[Thomas Rendle]

Sexism is definitely a big problem in chess (and not the kind that Tim Spanton is referring to - the more we can do to encourage participation the better). I've both witnessed and been made aware of plenty of depressing events, ranging from 'you lost to a girl' to straight up sexual harassment, which is sadly a real problem at all levels in the game.

I actually raised this a while back with the ECF (rather than posting on the forum) but it would be useful to have a way for these things to be reported. Right now how do you report online harassment to the ECF for example? With the current boom in online activity it's an amazing chance to attract girls into the game and taking their concerns seriously would be a start.

[David Sedgwick]

So my suggestion for getting more women involved consists of the request for suggestions on how we can educate some men to be less obnoxious to women.

I raise this matter now as there may be a brief window of opportunity when over the board chess resumes. There is a chance that some women playing online might be tempted to migrate to otb while some of the more socially inept males will continue online exclusively.

Better playing conditions would help.

About twenty years ago a bridge club in my locality was looking for a new venue. It was suggested that they try the premises of a local chess club which was generally considered to have the best playing conditions of any chess club in the area. When the bridge club moved there, the bridge players rapidly complained that the playing conditions were the worst of any bridge club in the area.

Unfortunately, the last thing that most chess clubs will be looking to do when OTB chess restarts is spending more money to hire better quality premises.

[JustinHorton]

It's curious how many people assume that an opponent whose identity they do not know plays "his moves".

[Kevin Thurlow]

"It's curious how many people assume that an opponent whose identity they do not know plays "his moves"."

It may be an assumption in many cases, but English grammar rules say https://www.lexico.com/definition/his

"1.1Belonging to or associated with a person or animal of unspecified sex (in modern use chiefly replaced by ‘his or her’ or ‘their’)
‘any child with delayed speech should have his hearing checked’"

"His" is normal usage as it is a bit clumsy to say "his or her" all the time, and in these modern times, the other associated words. "Their" doesn't sound right as it's plural.