Gender, Feminist Theory, and Sport

Male-dominated and sex segregated elite professional and amateur sport 1 in North America constitutes a "sport nexus" that combines economic and cultural influence to reinforce and perpetuate gender injustice. The sport nexus is an androcentric sex-segregated commercially powerful set of institutions that is highly visible and at the same time almost completely taken for granted to the extent that its anti-democratic impetus goes virtually unnoticed. The sport nexus's hegemonic role in defining sporting norms means that its role in shaping lower level amateur and recreational sporting institutions and cultures is highly significant. Fraser defines gender justice, and hence democracy, in terms of "participatory parity," that is, material and cultural equality for women. The sport nexus itself is characterized by highly gendered occupational segregation . It further contributes to gender injustice, homophobia and transphobia by promoting the ideology of the two sex system and gendering citizenship as fundamentally male . Feminist strategies for sport reformation attempt to reduce or eradicate the role of the sport nexus in legitimating and perpetuating gender injustice. In this article I consider the potential of these strategies and conclude with a set of recommendations for transforming organized sport at both elite and recreational levels.

2016

The aim of this paper is to analyze the connections among the concepts of sex, gender, and bodies because understanding their meanings is essential for gender studies and feminist theory, especially with relation to gender politics in sports.

2020

The idea of the A.G.E.S. project - Addressing Gender Equality in Sport - was born in Pisa, in 2016, following the conference "Gender and Wellnes s in Sport" organized by the CO.RI. Institute - Communication & Research - of Livorno, with the patronage of the City of Pisa and Pisa European City of Sport 2016, the participation of the Fondazione Ordine degli Psicologi della Toscana and the Consiglio Cittadino per le Pari Opportunità di Pisa. The CO.RI. Institute, which has been dealing with gender studies and culture of equality for years, has promoted, in the conference held in Pisa, an opportunity for professionals and institutions to meet on the theme of gender equality in sport according to European guidelines. Professionals and representatives of bodies and institutions have participated in an active and motivated way, allowing a complex and in-depth analysis of the problem analysed. Due to the interest in the topics covered, expressed by all participants at the Conferen...

Handbooks of sociology and social research, 2018

Despite the seeming affinity between gender in sports contexts and the theoretical and methodological orientations of the field of sociology of gender, research studies of sport have, for the most part, been marginalized. With few exceptions, most edited collections and anthologies on sociology of gender do not include a chapter on sport (Malcolm in Sport and Sociology. Routledge, London, 2012). In this chapter, I offer insights into several factors that explains the marginalization of sport within the field of sociology of gender despite sport's relevance to gender scholars. Next, I provide a brief overview of key thematic trends in the research relevant to sociology of gender scholars, and offer a discussion and critique of the relevant approaches. I conclude with a few comments regarding future directions in the field of sociology of sport and gender.

2007

The social realm of sport is particularly well positioned to examine the ways in which sexuality and gender intersect. This chapter will interrogate how sporting bodies have been sorted and categorized and how our tendency to rely on rigid categories of gender and sexuality has affected the lives of many who participate in sport. As will be suggested, critically examining the concepts of 'sexuality' and 'gender' opens up the possibility of demystifying some taken-for-granted assumptions that help produce and reproduce practices such as harassment, discrimination, and inequities in sport. We conclude this chapter with some recommendations for progressive change in relation to lesbian, gay, and transgendered athletes.

Sex Roles, 2010

In this paper we critically review how research on girls or women and sport has developed over the last 35 years. We use a post-positivist lens to explore the content of the papers published in Sex Roles in the area of women, gender and sport and examine the shifts in how gender and sport have been conceptualized in these accounts. In order to initiate a broader dialogue about the scholarly analysis of gender and sport, we subsequently explore ideas inspired by feminist theorizing that have dominated/guided related research in other outlets over this time period but have received relatively little attention in papers published in Sex Roles. We conclude by briefly making suggestions for further research in this area.

2022

This timely and urgent text presents cutting-edge research exploring the complexities of barriers to inclusive access to sport and physical activity, and discusses how sport, and society, can move forward beyond the gender binary, in both theory and practice. Sport is one of the most influential, powerful, and visible institutions upholding the gender binary, even as the number of people identifying as transgender and non-binary increases rapidly worldwide. With this rising visibility, societal pressure has been increasing for the equal acceptance of gender diverse people, but while gains have been made in many areas, the participation of intersex, trans and non-binary people in sport remains harshly contested. Bringing together a world-leading team of established and emerging scholars from the UK, USA, and Australia, this collection presents an interdisciplinary analysis of current issues related to the participation of gender diverse individuals in sport and physical activity. Engaging with psychological ideas around identity, prejudice and discrimination, and sports psychology and performance, authors examine evidence that the rules, regulations, and practices that surround physical activity participation – from elite sport to sport in schools, universities, and society at large – are grounded in heteronormative, cisgendered, and sexist practices which unfairly discriminate against gender diverse people. Also including analysis of personal accounts from non-binary and transgender athletes from a range of sports, this is fascinating and essential reading for education, health, and sports professionals who work with and support gender diverse children and adults, as well as academics and students in the fields of psychology, sport psychology, sociology, law, and sports science, and those participating in, and navigating, sport and physical activity spaces.

International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2020

Research about sport and gender equity has taken various forms in different historical and scientific contexts but a general conclusion is that sport still is male-dominated terrain. Why is this, despite decades of gender equity work and initiatives? Here, answers were sought through interviews with 47 male power holdersleaders and coachesin Swedish sport. Men from seven sports were interviewed. The aim was to, by means of a Foucauldian discourse analysis, explore how 'gender equity' was interpreted and valued: how do the leaders and coaches position themselves, and how are they positioned, in relation to gender equity? The findings show that four subject positions are articulated: the sceptic, the cynic, the women's rights advocate and the constructionist. The sceptic raises doubts about the reasonableness and fairness of gender equity, the cynic constructs gender equity as something unrealistic or impossible, the women's rights advocate articulates a semi-essential and quantitatively oriented support for gender equity, and the constructionist voice a norm-critical approach. We conclude that the constructionist probably is more aligned with the gender equity objectives of both Swedish and international sport organising bodies than the women's rights advocate, but that more distinct and detailed norm-critical approaches to gender equity are required ahead. A more successful implementation of gender equity initiatives is related to changed interpretations of and attitudes towards the fundamentals of gender equity work among those who are to realise it, but also to clarifications of what 'gender equity' means and why it is important.