India, June 21 -- Female athletes today are more visible in sports than they were ever before. They are obtaining international medals, setting records and becoming icons of national pride. Their successes are lauded by the media and often cited as proof of progress towards gender equality. But visibility is not the same as equality.

The greatest barrier facing women in sport today is often not entry into the arena, but the expectations they carry with them once they enter it. The difficulties women athletes encounter today are frequently less about access to sport and much more about negotiating the social and institutional structures that continue to govern women's experiences in sport.

Beyond participation

For many girls in India, s...