The promises and pitfalls of sex integration in sport and physical culture

Abstract

Scholars working in the academic field of sport studies have long debated the relationship between modern sport and gender (e.g. Hargreaves 1994; Hargreaves and Anderson 2014;Lenskyj 1986;Messner 2002). Within this body of work, modern sport forms -along with a great diversity of related activities, including dance, fitness training and physical education -have consistently been shown to carry meanings relative to the structures of gender prevailing in the wider social settings within which they take place, with patterns of participation and consumption clearly mapping onto gendered ideals. However, rather than simply mirroring such social norms, research suggests that many sporting practices were invented or have been purposefully developed in order to train young men and women in socially approved gender behaviours to begin with (Cahn 1994;Hargreaves 1994;Theberge 2000). Thus, much of contemporary physical culture finds its roots in the process which scholars describe as the 'social construction of gender'; in other words, doing sports and other activities in gender-differentiated ways has long been a means of producing and maintaining difference in the lives of men and women, girls and boys.Considering that such gender patterns are almost always implicated in structures of power (Lenskyj 1990;Roth and Basow 2004), then this purposeful division of the sexes becomes an important topic for scholars interested in the (re)production of inequality. For instance, feminist researchers have consistently argued that the institution of competitive sport has played a key role in symbolically validating male privilege (Messner 1988;Theberge 2000). Despite the fact that not all men enjoy participating in sports, the abilities of the male athlete nevertheless lend ideological support to the notion that 'real' men are brave, competitive, disciplined and physically strong -qualities highly valued and often associated with positions of power in wider social life. Concurrently, the exclusion of women from many high-profile sporting competitions throughout much of the twentieth century preserved sport as a symbolic space for celebrating men's embodiment of these 'masculine' virtues, while the tendency to stigmatize and ridicule female athletes when they did enter the 'male' sporting arena helped prevent them from effectively challenging the legitimacy of men's symbolic ownership of sport and its requisite qualities. 1While this historical narrative of sport as a 'male preserve' (Dunning 1986) has appeared widely throughout the vast body of scholarship on gender and physical culture, so too has there been a consistent fascination with the possibility for challenging or subverting male privilege within these exact same sites where it is otherwise seen to be produced and maintained. Principally, these arguments arise from research on women's participation in a range of sports and related activities. Here, there is compelling evidence of the potential for individual women to feel 'empowered' through the embodied experiences sport pr...

‘Pra homem, menino e mulher’? Problematizing the gender inclusivity discourse in capoeira

“…As such, we contend that the insights advanced in this paper can contribute to wider discussions about gender power relations in sex-integrated sports, martial arts (Channon et al, 2016) and popular forms of physical culture and lifestyle sports (Wheaton, 2004). Our contribution will be particularly useful, as these practices represent relevant and increasingly popular sites where gender and physical cultures are produced, consumed and played out.…”

Emakumea Pilotari: impacto de un programa recreativo diseñado con y para mujeres pelotaris

“…Con el fin de cambiar las relaciones de género y conseguir un deporte más igualitario (Gubby y Wellard, 2015), también se ha enfatizado sobre la necesidad de que la oferta sea integrativa, ofreciendo actividades 'neutrales' como el Korfball, donde participan juntos hombres y mujeres. Sin embargo, en la actualidad se sigue recalcando la necesidad de realizar cambios en la promoción de las AFD dirigidas a mujeres para impulsar de esta manera la integración sexual (Channon et al, 2016).…”

“…Different studies have found that promoting physical-recreational activity among women is extraordinarily important because of the benefits it brings them (Taylor, Hughes, & Koufaki, 2013). However, according to gender relations and the gender order, different perspectives have been found on how to organise and carry out programmes in reference to the composition of the groups of practitioners (Channon, Dashper, Fletcher, & Lake, 2016). On the one hand, some authors underscore the need to offer physical-sport activity (PSA) programmes exclusively for women in order to promote their participation (Gehring, 2005;McDermott, 2004;Taylor, 2014;Whittington, 2006;Whittington, Mack, Budbill, & Mc Kenney, 2011).…”

“…In order to change gender relations and achieve more egalitarian sports (Gubby & Wellard, 2015), there has also been an emphasis on the need for the range of sports to be integrative by offering "neutral" activities like Korfball, where men and women participate together. However, today there is still a need to make changes in the promotion of PSA targeted at women to encourage sexual integration (Channon et al, 2016).…”

Interfaces de gênero e empoderamento da mulher no Corfebol: uma revisão descritiva*

“…(Hargreaves;Anderson, 2014). A integração de homens e mulheres em equipes esportivas representa um avanço no que tange à desconstrução social do gênero, segundo Channon et alii (2015). Os autores apontam que as experiências vivenciadas, quer sejam no contexto dos treinamentos, ou em situações de jogo, favorecem mudanças de atitude que repercutem em outros setores, como o social, o pessoal e, até mesmo, no âmbito do trabalho, relacionado ao reconhecimento das diferentes capacidades e habilidades femininas.…”