Unit 7 Flashcards
Gender & Sport
Often neglected or overlooked in studies and/or feminist agenda; when looking at gender & sport/recreation, it is crucial because we consider gender & sport beyond silos
Gender & Sport in Media Progression
Equal pay, equal play; sexual violence issues; clothing bans, restrictions and expectations; TGNC athletes; increase in media coverage in women’s sports
Men and Sports
- Sports as site for male domination/last masculine preserve
- Fits into hegemonic masculinity image or hypermasculinity, even, kind of like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast
The rise of organized sports with 2 crises in masculinity
1st Rise) Turn of the 20th C, with an increasing perceiving of feminization of society, sports became spaces for men to separate themselves from this and provide proof of their natural superiority over women
2nd Rise) Post WWII, there was a shift towards a corporate capitalism, with more docile consumers, and less physical jobs, creating less of a need to differentiate between women and men
Progress and Shifts in Sports
Unevenness and slow of social change, as well as a very present institutionalized sex/gender-segregation
Gender as a social structure
Socializations can influence how we see ourselves and how we interact with others, which can affect the activities we play; for example, a girl wanting to play football without knowing anyone (girl) in her social circle who does so vs a boy wanting to play football like everyone around him, leads to a very different experience of football (absent vs present); the idea is how institutions shape these inequalities/inequities
Are sports safe spaces for women?
There is a presence of “double-binds” women athletes face, meaning they are often seen as inferior to their male counterparts due to their femininity, while at the same being critiqued for not being feminine enough
Are sports safe spaces for men?
There is a harmful narrative of the “masculine-warrior”, which for example can impact how male athletes address their body care and health, by pushing themselves through pain & injury and consequently increasing their risk of injury & pain
Are sports safe spaces for non-cis/binary ppl?
- TransGender Non-Conforming Athletes (TGNC)
- First time TGNC Athletes were seen was in Tokyo (~4)
- In Paris, there were even more TGNC athletes
- Regardless there is still a lot of resistance, misgendering and discrimination (Ray Sanders non-binary shot putter)
Master Narratives
Support gender binary, are restrictive and gender policing
Counter narratives
Consider intersectional identities, like sport being a place for athletes to question their gender & sexuality, and embodiment of experiences of sport (idea of joy, stress, anxiety, freedom and being able to perform their sport are all part of how athletes experience sport through their bodies)
Reification of gender structures
Doing gender in ways that reify the binary structures is problematic for all athletes
