The boat race and equality

Yes, but business, the average man isn't 6'3 either. I could see women getting into a mixed boat (and vice versa), but, as yonic says, it wouldn't be fair now given women have had so much less investment.

It's not equal investment now and certainly hasn't been. The women who'd rowed in the last few decades mentioned changing in the car park before training!

I loved what the Oxford coach said: 'there's been this bizarre notion that women aren't tough, and they can't cope with things that are long and require physical strength and endurance ... and that's what we're designed for'. I thought that was a really lovely point.

Sorry, didn't finish a sentence in that. Can't even remember what I was going to say either!

They said on the radio yesterday that men's and women's international rowing has had approximately equal support for some decades now, but within Oxford and Cambridge they didn't. Women had to fund their own training and facilities to the tune of some £2k pa in order to compete for the university. Which is a bit sad to say the least.

Yonic, having had a glance at the OP's offerings in Relationships I believe your doubts are justified. But I'm glad someone started the topic anyway.

Whilst I agree that women are generally sidelined in the sport, lots of progress has been made in the past 20 years. Some of the women

Additionally, they are sidelined in the same way that the lightweight and skulling crews are in other regattas. The main event in rowing is the men's 8. It's the rowing equivalent of the 100m sprint at the Olympics.

Taking that as an example and using your argument, should we not also be questioning why women are not allowed to run alongside the men at the 100m final?

thedancing - I believe that the reason the Cambridge women's boat was called 'Project Ely' is because the women's team are trying to get facilities to match what the men have had for years. They did make a point on the programme that Oxford's women's team have much more by way of support/facilities.

Oh dear, OP, I am not sure you are here in good faith.

Thanks, bear, good to know. Has that always been so?

Yonic, rowing's one of the few sports where the investment is roughly equal between men's and women's (or at least that's the definite impression I got from my involvement - I don't have figures)

Women are, technically, allowed to race in the men's boats (but not vice versa).

The thing is, you need a specific body type to row (or do most competitive sport really). If you're a bloke and under, say, 5'10, your chances of being a heavyweight rower are quite low really, unless you are exceptional.

There are plenty of men who are unable to row in that race, which is partly why there exists a lightweight race beforehand.

And if you are a woman of 6'3, like the Oxford stroke in this race, you will have trained mostly with women, so I don't know how easily you'd transfer. I have wondered about it, though. I would like to see it.

But, I agree with others. I really just want to see the women get the funding and support the men get (or rather, to have it fairly shared).

If the women's sport gets the investment of the men's for 100 years. I'll think about mixed boats.

Or it would have to be mandated that there be equal numbers of men and women in the mixed boat.

As well as the main crews there are mens' and womens' lightweight crews, in which the total weight of the crews are not allowed to exceed a certain amount. The lightweight races don't get the same public exposure as the 'main' races, but among rowing circles they're seen as almost as important. Often, the most technically capable and pound-for-pound strongest rowers end up in the lightweight crews.

When I used to row, there were a fair few women who would definitely have got a place in the lightweight boats on merit. But do feminists really want the womens' crews to be second-best options for those who can't get in the 'mixed' boats?

Regarding whether the women's race happens before or after the men's, I think some people will find a way of knocking either decision.

Practically speaking, if it was on second, fewer people would stick around to watch it.

I want that attitude to change but at least this is start.

I think is ok to have male and female teams because as PP said, men are likely to be bigger, possibly stronger, so I guess it's like other sports when it's divided into weight categories, etc.

I don't like that fact that women's events are always seen as a 'warm up' with the mens as the 'main event' like you said. It annoys me about Wimbledon too.

There was a female Oxford Cox once I believe.. Plus I disagree - the womans race was before hand would you prefer it afterwards?
There are mixed team races but not at all levels - to me its pretty equal.

I believe that women have coxed in the Boat Race before, because the skills required for coxing do not place women at a disadvantage. I'm not sure that an entirely equal competition for the 8 rowing seats in a boat would lead to any women being selected. The rowers are big, usually well over 6ft and around 14 stone, so they have the reach and power. So the net effect of allowing men and women to compete for seats on a "mixed" boat would probably just end up without any women participating.