INTRODUCTION
I am going to conduct ethnographic fieldwork among a women’s volleyball teams in order to explore the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. Sports have different meanings for different people and across societies (Laker 2001:4) and the way one engages in sports is influenced by the cultural or ethnic group one belongs to (Sever 2005:4). There are numerous barriers (Women 2000 and Beyond 2007:3; Women’s Sports Foundation 2007) and benefits (Women 2000 and Beyond 2007:2) to women’s participation in sports.
Worldwide, there has been an increase in participation in sports (Silvers and Mandelbaum 2012:357). However, there are inequality gaps resulting in fewer women participating in sports (Heagreaves 2000:184)
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Despite the increased opportunity, female participation in sports is still low (Environmental Scan 2010:18). An important concern in sports research is ‘’developing an understanding’’ of what encourages or discourages participants. Sports research that concentrates on sports participation is minimal while research that links drive to participate in sports is ‘’sparse’’ (Kilpatrick et al 2005:87). Unlike other research methods, in ethnography, the researcher ‘’become immersed into a group’’ (Jones 2012:231) leading to better understanding of behaviors in natural settings Skinner et al (2015:168). Studies by Holt et al (2013) on sports opportunities in Canada established that the best method to collecting data is through participation. This approach helped the researchers collect ‘hidden’ data which otherwise would go unnoticed (Jones 2012:230).This paper sets out to ascertain what influences women’s participation in sports. The initial section of this paper will tackle the research question and objectives. The main research question for this paper is; what are the obstacles and facilitators to women’s participation in sports? The objectives will be able to establish what the participants identify and what I observe as the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. In the second section of this paper, I will cover theoretical models and ethnographic background. The theories I will discuss include feminism, habitus, globalization and nationalization. I will use these theories to address the questions of how (Molnar and Kelly 2013:10) and why (Horn 2008:116) obstacles and facilitators impact on women participating in sports. I will outline how the theories will help me connect my data to existing knowledge. I will also identify the success and limitations of the theories in
It is a widely shared view by men and women through traditions, beliefs and social practices. This requires that women are not meant to be competitive in the all sports. Another barrier is the false association between participation in sport with socially unacceptable behaviours. From the worlds view main barriers for female’s participation in sports, it becomes a clear view that participation in sports requires challenging gender norms that prevents the hegemony through the Five Figueroa’s framework. The barriers preventing girls from participating in physical activities are equally relevant, barriers include poverty and scarcity of economic means this would enter into the cultural and structure level needs. Therefore the girls around the local community that it’s also not easy in encourage girls to participate in psychical activities that need to be well considered to reach a goal to participate in
Woman’s sustained involvement in ‘male’ team sports has only occurred relatively recently. Woman’s participation in sport has been blunted by
Kimberly, I agree that the charge nurse does not always make the best choices and I have been in nearly the same situation you have described. When staffing is not adequate it is especially difficult to give proper delegation. How can we help prevent this issue? Can we refuse an order if we feel it is unsafe? I have refused to accept a seventh patient when I was floated to a medical-surgical floor, this did not please the charge nurse or nurse manager and was reported to my boss.
At Browns Plains State High School, where the student body consists of adolescent girls, it can be expected that in alignment with research conducted by Allender et al, (2006) the barriers to participation that are most prevalent range from negative experience, lack of self-confidence, restrictive uniforms, gender, favouritism, cultural identity, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, socialisation, society’s expectations and lack of teacher and peer support. Figueroa’s Framework also looks at issues such as race, religion, cultural upbringing, policies, funding, media, development programs, marketing, sponsorship and how these issues affect access and equity/participation in Physical Education. One specific barrier that impacts upon students access to Netball is hegemonic masculinity. Gender stereotyping presents itself in Physical Education classes/the Browns Plains community via the preferential treatment of students, especially boys, who display higher level athletic
The sports world has been a new area where women are recognized. In previous times women’s sports were almost non-existent. In schools many girl teams did not receive adequate funds for uniforms and equipment. Boys sports were much more popular, such as football or basketball. If a girl wanted to play a guy sport she would be labeled as a
Although the women’s volleyball team at the University of Colorado is ranked in the top 25 the lack of attendance is astonishing. In this, the lack of attendance and support of women’s sporting events illustrates the gender inequity specifically within college
This reveals that female athletes do not have many opportunities to show their capacity to the world at. Overall, women cannot excel equally in sports as men, and this can be seen through the limited opportunities that are given to the female
In today’s society sports are all over the media, whether it be social networking sites, television shows, or radio broadcasts. You can flip on the television, radio, or even look on your phone and you will see anything from men’s golf to football, but what society fails to realize is just how much focus is put on men’s sporting events and how little is put on women’s sports. In the article, “What are the Barriers Which Discourage 15-16 Year-Old Girls from Participating in Team Sports and How Can We Overcome Them?” by Abigail R. Welton, et al., a study is conducted to show why girls do not choose to partake in team sports. According to this study on girl “agreed that the media have cemented masculinity within sports, through their stereotype presentation of female athletes: “Sport is seen as a manly thing to do... they [the media] don’t see it as a girly thing” (Welton et al. 3).
Sport can serve as a vehicle for the integration of immigrant and other minorities into dominant society (Besnier and Brownell 2012). Some scholars have critically examined how sport helps to construct and perpetuate the dominant form of and the seemingly counter-hegemonic role of women in sport (Carter 2002). Competitions, for example, demonstrate the complementary nature of men and women and show the need for equal opportunity for women to be part of the nation Mentore (2005:211-218).
This is an ethnographic study that will use both participant observation and in-depth interviews to document the facilitators and obstacles in female athletes’ participation in sports. I will interview both active and passive participants. I will make observations during games and training sessions of consenting teams, and conduct interviews at
The adverse topic of women in sports stems from society's disregard to viewing women as persons. Women were, and in other parts of the world continue to be viewed as property of men and have no significant role in society. Being allowed into the Olympics was a step in the right direction for women across the world, but it was meager attempt equality. Women were still restricted by what events they were allowed to compete in, how they were trained and coached and even limited as to what they could wear. A woman’s femininity played a large role in the way they were perceived by society; weak. Women were seen as incommensurate to men and it was something that has taken us centuries to reverse. Today, women are given the rights we should have
The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the factors that influence women’s participation in sports. The study is to enable me classify these factors into the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. To achieve this, I participated in various sports activities which granted me the opportunity of: “learning from people” rather than “studying the people” as posited by (Spradley 1979:3). This chapter explicitly presents the specific research techniques that was used for this study. The techniques include: the study design and method, sampling, sampling units, data collection (Interview, participant observation and autoethnography), my personal experience, ethics and expectation.
In the last one hundred years women have made tremendous inroads in many facets of life. Of that there can be little doubt. Women may now hold jobs, own property and participate in professional sports. Today women can compete in sports, once a vestige of male domination; there is now room for women in that arena. But even today women in sports are not portrayed in the same light as their male counterparts. To a large degree this is because of today's cultural ideal of women.
The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the factors that influence women’s participation in sports. The study is to enable me classify these factors into the facilitators and obstacles to women’s participation in sports. To achieve this, I participated in various sports activities which granted me the opportunity of: “learning from people” rather than “studying the people” as posited by (Spradley 1979:3). This chapter explicitly presents the specific research techniques that was used for the study. The techniques include: the study design and method, sampling, sampling units, data collection, my personal experience, data recording, ethics and expectation.
Sports have been and continue to be a major part of the United States. According to the Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 45 million kids ages 8-15 play an organized sport each year. All sports have advanced throughout the years by technology, difficulty, and gender diversity. From the first Olympic games in 776 BC, to now, 2017, a lot has changed. The social aspect of sports has certainly developed over the years. In the 1800’s a woman could not take part in any male sport; it was simply unacceptable. A “man’s sport” would have been anything from football to baseball to hockey, including any physical activity. President and founder of the Olympic games, Pierrede Courbertin, stated his displeasure in 1910 that “if a woman wishes to pilot an airplane, no policeman has a right to stop her…but when it comes to public sports competitions, women’s participation should be absolutely prohibited” (Medium). Today we would be shocked to hear such a preposterous statement, but inequality and discrimination still exist today; however it shouldn’t.