Affiliation:
1. University of Valencia, Spain
2. Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (INEFC), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Spain
Abstract
The number of women in football has considerably grown in Spain, which in addition to increasing its media and social visibility is also attracting academic interest. In this regard, the objective of this article is to understand and interpret the experiences of 15 elite female football players regarding their gender and sexual orientation. The semi-structured interviews followed a pattern already used in other related research and dealt with topics such as the stereotypes that accompany women who play football, family reluctance, coexistence in locker rooms, lesbians coming out of the closet, or the need for more and better reference models. The data point to a clear homosociability within the teams and the benefits of supporting one and other when coming out of the closet, offering a counterpoint to family attitudes mostly characterized by rejection or stigmas that mark women as ‘tomboys.’ The conclusions highlight, on the one hand, the discrimination that the female players experience for being women who practice a traditionally masculine sport, and how homonegativity contributes to the control of women and the gendered nature of sport, and on the other hand, the open and inclusive climate that lesbian players have found in the football environment.
Funder
Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Universidad de Valencia
Subject
Social Sciences (miscellaneous),Sociology and Political Science
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献