These children are not unusual. They respond to thousands of years of cultural history: women can't play sports as well as men; men expect women to cook, clean and raise children. If women played sports, they would be taking time away from learning valuable homemaking skills. What does a housewife need to know about playing sports? Women discovered years ago

When Pierre de Coubertin organized the modern Olympic Games in 1896 he declared that he was against women's participation unless they could play every sport as well as men.

that such thinking was a product of male fear: what if women are better than us?

Fortunately, women have stopped listening to the negative influence of society. Whether men like it or not women are better at some sports than men, and men are better than women at other sports. Regardless, women never aimed to be better than men at all things. That would make women superior to men, and as fantastic as it may seem, really makes women no better off. Women have worked hard at proving themselves equal to men. One institution recognizes these efforts and helps to repair the damage. Surprisingly, this institution is the governing body of the Olympic Games -- the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The last century has been one of change and empowerment for women all over the world. For every step women have taken towards being seen as people (not just as inferior beings) they need to go one step further. There are many areas of life in which women face a tougher battle than their male counterparts. One that most people rarely think about is athletics, more specifically, the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee's Executive Board passed a resolution in Sept. 1995 requiring that women comprise approximately 10 percent of the decision makers on each National Olympic Committee by the year 2000.

The XXIV Games of the Olympiad, held in Atlanta this summer, will include approximately 3,700 women athletes. This seems like quite an accomplishment, except that the total number of athletes participating is 10,000. Although female participation has grown, the number of female athletes is still less than half of those participating. Women are still fighting stereotypes that began with the Olympics in Ancient Greece. The ancient Olympic Games were off limits to women. Not only could they not participate, women were not even allowed to watch. So, they fought back. Greek women held their own Olympic Games dedicated to the goddess Hera. Historians know little about the games in which the women participated, but they most likely included contests of physical strength, like the Olympic Games men participated in.

When Pierre de Coubertin organized the modern Olympic Games in 1896 he declared that he was against women's participation unless they could play every sport as well as men. Surely, this was his way of making sure that women didn't play. Nobody would believe in 1896 that a woman could possibly keep up with a man in any sport. Attitudes like Coubertin's prevented women from officially participating in the Olympics until 1912. Altogether this is not too surprising. Women were still fighting for voting rights during this time. Most people felt that women who participate in sports shirk their duties by avoiding marriage and family. Being an athlete, a wife and a mother is not impossible. In 1948, Fanny Blankers-Koen became the first mother to win a medal. Today a female athlete has excellent opportunities, but these opportunities diminish if she has a family. I believe women can do it all. Many women today have the same mindset.

The decision to include women and events that recognize their capabilities was a major stride forward. Coubertin did not change his mind about women. The members of the International Olympic Committee (who were

The XXIV Games of the Olympiad in Atlanta this summer will include approximately 3,700 women athletes.

all men) overruled Coubertin's views and allowed women to compete. However, women still struggled to make it to the Olympic Games. Men assumed that competing in such arduous and challenging events was a right. Women had few rights when they were first allowed to compete. Men''s natural competitiveness included competition against other men. More than one man has been put off by having to play a sport that women were being allowed to play.

Female participation is not automatically the same as male. Coubertin''s concern that women could not perform at the same highly intense level that men do has not been erased. When women are permitted to participate in an event they do not just walk onto the playing field. Most events where strength and size are not really a factor, like sailing, have coed teams. As women's participation increased, the number of women''s events grew. The International Olympic Committee added sports for women at a slower rate than men''s sports, but at least they recognized female athletes.

Since the first modern Games of the Olympiad (as well as the Winter Olympics), the International Olympic Committee has revised the program of sports and events for each Olympic Games. The members of the IOC over the years have eliminated sports like walking, cricket, and shooting. The IOC responds to what athletes want to play, both in eliminating and adding sports. The newest sports added to the 1996 Atlanta Games of the Olympiad are women''s softball, wome'n's soccer, beach volleyball, mountain bike riding and several specific events, mostly for women.

It''s great that such popular sports like beach volleyball and snowboarding (1998 Winter Olympics; Nagano, Japan) are being added to the program both for men and women, and more commendable that the IOC adds more events and disciplines for women each year. The old-fashioned notions that women are weak and have no desire to play sports are being discarded. The fact remains that the number of female athletes at the Olympic Games is less than half of those participating.

The newest sports added to the 1996 Atlanta Games of the Olympiad are women's softball, women's soccer beach volleyball, and mountain bike riding.

The IOC should be commended for helping women compete in sports they are interested in and helping women earn the same national and international recognition as men. The IOC''s Executive Board (which by the way, has female members) passed a resolution in September 1995 requiring that women comprise approximately 10 percent of the decision makers on each National Olympic Committee by the year 2000. They go one step further and require that women occupy 20 percent of the decision making seats in the NOCs by 2005. The concerns female athletes have are more likely to be addressed with more women making decisions.

Like it or not, women are human beings who sweat and bleed the same as men. Women can run, jump, swim, fight and do many other activities men can. Some men can beat some women. Some women can beat some men. Women should be proud of their achievements in a field dominated by men.

But it should not stop here. Women have proven their capabilities time and again. And as opportunities continue to increase, more women need to participate in the Olympics, so that someday every little girl dreams about being both a princess and a gold medalist.